LINKING SCHOOL UNIVERSITY Engaging pupils and students Steve

LINKING SCHOOL & UNIVERSITY Engaging pupils and students

Steve Rawlinson Principal Lecturer Northumbria University GA Primary Geography Champion Cath White Senior Lecturer Northumbria University Chair Tyne and Wear Branch of GA

Aims of this session • Introduction • Working with schools • Encouraging students to work with schools • Conclusions • Questions/Discussion

Introduction • • • Both come from schools background Both have a belief that students need to be engaged with schools & Universities need to be engaged with schools Link between geography & education departments vital GA Tyne and Wear branch an additional informal means of linking – acted as an initial catalyst

Programmes developed These have included: • After school sessions at the university – experts sharing research • Events for schools such as: – – – Meet the examiner What geography can do for you Fieldwork • Raising student awareness of teaching – Geography in Education module

School involvement Events have involved: • All age ranges from KS 1 – yr 13 • Undergraduate geography students • Undergraduate and PG education students – primary and secondary.

Working with schools Monthly talks by experts on topics linked to the A Level syllabus : Talks in the GA Public Lecture Series 2010 -2011 29 th September 2010 – Lisa Conlan and Steve Rawlinson “The Future of Geography in the School Curriculum” 13 th. October 2010 – Professor Ian Shennan from the University of Durham “Coastal Environments”

10 th. November 2010 – Dr. Peter Kellett from the University of Newcastle “Work in Favelas” 8 th December 2010 – Dr Mike Barke and Graham Mowl from the Northumbrian Geography department “Spanish Wine” 26 th January 2011 - Derek Johnson from the Northumbrian Geography department “What is Crime Science? ” 16 th February - Dr Peter Glaves from the Northumbrian Environmental Management department ‘’Protecting London from flooding: a sustainable approach”

Talks in the GA Public Lecture Series 2010 -2011 18 th March Conference for pupils aged 8 to 18 entitled “Where does Geography lead me? Why does Geography need me? ” This consisted of a number of geography workshops suitable for all ages. 23 rd March - Professor Irene Hardill Professor of Social Policy at the University of Northumbria “Geographies of Ageing”

AQA and Edexel exam workshops • 11 th November AQA workshop with John Smith with 140 pupils • 1 st April Edexel workshop with Cameron Dunn with 40 pupils from King Edward VI School Morpeth, Walker Technology College, St Thomas More School Blaydon and Prudhoe Community School Geography students and Ambassadors helped with both these days.

Fieldwork and Careers Day Last July we ran a day for middle school pupils from Morpeth. One group did 8 way thinking on a crime theme with Steve Rawlinson in the Ouseburn whilst Peter Glaves ran a careers workshop entitled “What is a Geographer? ”

A Geographer is someone who. . . ‘Hugs lots of things trees, beavers, polar bears! Track volcanoes Rock-ologists Loves tigers Adopt penguins Watches ice caps all day Stars as Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones Find new and innovative/super ways to solve problems on earth’ and ‘. . . could do anything’

This year there has been a new series of lectures for those students who want to teach 4 th. November Mike Simpson PGCE student from Newcastle University on what the PGCE course entails. 7 th. December 2010 Louise Marley and Sarah Rusling of Walker Technological College on the reality of teaching 30 th March Rachel Lofthouse Programme Leader of the Newcastle University PGCE course on how to apply for PGCE and what the interview entails

This year we have run a photography competition entitled ‘What is Geography? ’ for schools

Encouraging students to work with schools Geography in education module • Origins • Research – JGHE article • Organisation • Successes

Origins of module Resulted from work carried out jointly with RGS on the shortage of geography teachers in early 1990’s. Research led to. . . Rawlinson, S. (et al) 2003 Have Geographers Lost Their Way? Issues Relating to the Recruitment of Geographers into School Teaching Journal of Geography in Higher Education Vol. 27 No 1, pp 39 -56 Resulted in Geography in Education module

Organisation of module • 10 credit module in association with another 10 credit module of school experience • Open to year 2 & year 3 students with different modes of assessment • Assessment via presentation of a lesson plan and resources • Year 3 students also submit a justification for the place of geography in the curriculum

Aims of the module include • an understanding of the nature and purpose of geography education • awareness & understanding of the variety of geographical methods & techniques employed in teaching • experience of classroom research methodologies • practical experience in schools, where good role models may be observed

Sessions include: • • • What makes good geography? Curriculum & Lesson planning Resourcing & supporting good geography • Fieldwork & Safety • Contrasting localities • Geography in the wider curriculum

Successes • All those who wanted to enter PGCE have done so • Those entering PGCE have successfully completed and joined the profession • Those unsure of entering teaching have been able to make an informed decision • Module is both popular and addresses student need

Wider implications • Enabled the geography department to relate to the demands of teacher education and school education in general • University is encouraging cross departmental linkages • Shared research • Could be a model for other ‘shortage’ subjects in the curriculum

Conclusions • Multi-strategy approach successful • Encouraging students to take on more responsibility for events • See the potential for more work as the future geography curriculum develops • Not easy but rewarding. . .

Refs Rawlinson, S. (et al) 2003 Have Geographers Lost Their Way? Issues Relating to the Recruitment of Geographers into School Teaching Journal of Geography in Higher Education Vol. 27 No 1, pp 39 -56 For details of 8 Way Thinking and our work in the Ouseburn Valley please see the GA Conference reports on the website for 2008/9 & 10

Contacts steve. rawlinson@northumbria. ac. uk catherine. white@northumbria. ac. uk