Changing the subject

In 2025, I am going to be working on some curriculum projects.
I think it's time for a change - a step in a new direction.

Let's assume that you are going to be redesigning a KS3 curriculum.
You don't need to keep anything that you already do.
You don't need to do topics because they are in the GCSE specification and you want students to study them before they start their GCSE course.
You have the chance to do something new, and get rid of something else to make space for it.

I'd be really interested to see what sorts of geographical topics you would add in if you had the choice (which you probably do by the way) and what you'd drop to leave time for them (you've got plenty of curriculum time to play with after all...)
Go wild.... or play it safe.


I'll share a summary of the responses of course, and who know it might influence my curriculum making in 2025.

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license

New from EncounterEdu

 

EncounterEdu (formerly Digital Explorer) have produced some excellent resources over the years - I know because I wrote some of them back in the day. One of them even won a GA Award.

They have now launched a new free resource.

The resources have been created in collaboration with the team behind the Convex Seascape Survey.

This comprehensive unit aligns with the KS3 geography programme and introduces important aspects of the ocean and science. Topics include the carbon cycle, causes, evidence, and impacts of climate change, ocean biodiversity and its protection, alongside intersections of human and physical geography through mapping, ecosystem services, and coastal livelihoods.

With the ocean covering 70% of the Earth's surface, absorbing over 90% of excess heat from global warming, and the source of livelihoods and food for billions, this unit provides students with an engaging journey into one of the most important issues of the 21st Century.

Here are the 9 units that are included in the unit.

A new Fenland blog

I belong to a few Fenland Facebook groups.

A new Fenland blog written by Richard Poynder was mentioned.

You can read it on the link here.

New Weather and Climate Resource from RMetS

A huge effort has gone into the creation of a 20 session scheme of work, with lesson plans and resources and a teacher guide, which are the work of the Royal Meteorological Society, particularly Dr Sylvia Knight. 

This has now been made available online, and a printed copy of the guide will also be sent to all GA and SAGT members.

The 20 unit explore weather and climate, and are certainly worth considering slotting into any curriculum updates being planned for the next academic year - as many colleagues will be considering.

It's part of the relaunch of Metlink.

This is well worth checking out.

Also keep an eye out for the Metmark award that schools can apply for.

Geography Club ideas

It's the time of year when clubs are setting up and recruiting eager young students who want to develop their Geographical awareness, and have fun.

This year, I'm running a lunchtime club called Geography Explorers, and also using some of the ideas with a group of Year 6 students.
We are making some geography globes and other craft projects.
I have this book, which looks like offering some really useful ideas, and a car boot now filled with practical stuff to assemble into something geographical...

The Ice Man

Matt Podbury and Russel Tarr are putting together a geography / history unit based on my children's book 'The Ice Man', which was published in 2012, for the lucky students at the International School of Toulouse.

It's great to see what they're creating, and you can head over to Geography Pods to see the geography related elements of the unit, along with some supporting resources.

Thanks guys !

The book is still available to purchase of course...

And King's Ely students will be looking at this book too, later in the year.

KS3 structure.... the latest thinking...

For those who might be interested in what I'm going to be teaching, this is the current KS3 that we are planning to teach.
It's also here in advance of some courses I'm running for OSIRIS later this month on the future of Secondary Geography.

These have a slight focus on curriculum development... as this will frame what many people plan to teach, and therefore impact on how it is taught... and what preparations may be needed in terms of resources.

Here's the topics for the Michealmas Term in Geography department.

Year 7 
Adventure Landscapes, including planned assessment on Mount Everest although Matt Podbury seems to have that sewed up with his new website section on Geography Pods.

Year 8
Pole to Pole - focus on Antarctic and Arctic futures....

Year 9
Cities, including assessment on Designing a Future city at the end of the unit.

The current structure is likely to undergo some adaptation over the next few months, and in the light of student feedback as we move through the year. The current topics are identified in yellow text down the right hand side of the blog as well, so that you can see what I am currently teaching. Details of the Lent Term topics will appear after Christmas.

King's Ely students should use the Geography Department area on Firefly to access the relevant support materials for the topics that we are teaching.

You can also search the blog using the search box top left, or use the LABELS on the posts to identify a topic that you are interested in - you should see Year 7, 8 and 9 standing out in the right hand side-bar in the labels word cloud. Clicking the relevant word will also load the posts.

Welcome to the blog

Hello, and welcome to my latest blog. 

Greetings to those who have come via LivingGeography, which will remain my main blog.

As you may have read there, I'm going to be back in the classroom from September 2013 for a second teaching 'career'. I'll be teaching Geography (of course) and be sharing some of my planning, thinking and thoughts here, as well as student work (with permission)
This will be a classroom-focussed blog compared with my others, and also focussed on KS3 for the most part.
I'm going to have access to a set of iPads so there'll be a bit of app-related / mobile learning related content too.
I've already started planning the units I'm going to be teaching, so expect some additions here between now and September when the action starts for real.