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‘Connecting Geography’: Developing [stronger] links between schools and universities

‘Connecting Geography’: Developing [stronger] links between schools and universities. Gemma Collins Lecturer in Geography Education School of Education, University of Birmingham g.r.collins@bham.ac.uk. Today…. ‘Mind the gap’: the school-university divide in geography

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‘Connecting Geography’: Developing [stronger] links between schools and universities

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  1. ‘Connecting Geography’: Developing [stronger] links between schools and universities Gemma Collins Lecturer in Geography Education School of Education, University of Birmingham g.r.collins@bham.ac.uk

  2. Today… • ‘Mind the gap’: the school-university divide in geography • Typical school-university engagement in geography? • The bigger picture – HE geography under threat? • Three mechanisms for school-university engagement, for the greater good of the subject • Contribution to the curriculum at individual department level • Contribution to CPD at a regional (or wider) level via partnership • Closing the ‘loop’ (post-16 → UG → ITE)

  3. ‘Mind the gap’: the school-university divide in geography Butt and Collins (2017)Finn (2018)

  4. Typical school-university engagement in geography?

  5. Typical school-university engagement in geography? • Professional development events / conferences • Academic conferences • Producing textbooks / journals for schools • Producing scholarly / research texts • Research projects • Curriculum projects • Mediation (e.g. Ambassadors) • Special interest groups • Political lobbying • Award bearing courses / CPD • Initial Teacher Education • Development / review of examination specifications

  6. The bigger picture: HE geography under threat?

  7. Geography and Geography Education at University of Birmingham • School of Education • Currently one Lecturer in Geography Education • School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) • Currently 125 academic staff listed on GEES website… • …plus doctoral students

  8. Project #1: Contribution to the curriculum at individual department level • PGDipEd Assignment: ‘Connecting Geography’: What can be gained from connecting school and academic geography? • Each student teacher identifies an academic geographer at UoB to approach → they work together to develop curriculum resources → student teacher integrates into placement department → student teacher and academic geographer reflect, evaluate and refine • Outcomes will be disseminated more widely through Project #2 (CPD event), plus downloadable from UoB website (and, we hope, RGS-IBG) • School-university engagement for the greater good of the subject

  9. For 2018/19… GEES Academic Student teacher Pupils and teachers in ITE partnership

  10. For 2019/20… GEES Academic Student teacher UG Pupils and teachers in ITE partnership

  11. Project #2: Contribution to CPD at a regional (or wider) level via partnership • Regional CPD event → Friday 21st June 2019 • teachers or teachers and students → though likely to be barriers to attendance • Y2 and Y3 UGs → teaching as a career / working with young people (feeds into Project #3, UG modules) • PGDipEd Student Teachers • Academic geographers (10-15 minute presentations on the outcomes of the ‘Connecting Geography’ assignment collaboration) → promote UG study at GEES (plus outreach/civic engagement/impact) • School-university engagement for the greater good of the subject

  12. Project #3: Closing the ‘loop’ (post-16 → UG → ITE) • Y1 module (from 2019/20) → fieldwork in Birmingham by Y1 UGs with PGDipEd students → development of fieldwork resource pack to be shared with partnership schools → integration of some HE skills and content to facilitate transition to HE → Y1 UGs encouraged to ‘give back’ to their own schools (Birmingham and further afield) and to begin to recontextualise their own geographical knowledge • Y3 module (from 2019/20) → teaching geography in schools → curriculum and subject specific pedagogy → 10 weeks contact with schools → preparation for ITE applications • Prerequisite that students are RGS Ambassadors • Longer term aim to more fully integrate RGS Ambassador scheme • Builds on ‘children’s geographies’ specialism in GEES (Prof. Peter Kraftl, Dr Sophie Hadfield-Hill) • School-university engagement for the greater good of the subject

  13. In the future… • Annual regional CPD event? • Continued engagement with RGS Subject Updates • Increased involvement with local GA branches • Design and delivery of Y1 and Y3 modules (joint Education and GEES teaching) • Develop ‘Connecting Geography’ assignment to • Involve UG students in curriculum design • Involve partnership departments more actively • Firm up ‘supply’ of PGDipEd student teachers from GEES • Positively impact UG recruitment to GEES from partnership schools…?

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