Friday 8 July 2011

Flood Management CPD with Simon Oakes at the RGS

This could be a really useful evening !!


The Royal Geographical Society is putting on an evening for teachers to update their knowledge of Flood Management, presented by the rather wonderful Dr. Simon Oakes...
It's the next best thing to seeing my 'High and Dry' lecture :)


Subject Knowledge Updates are a series of evening sessions each focusing on a different theme, covering the basic information for teaching that topic and providing up to date case study material and resources. The next session in this series looks at UK Flood Hazard Management.

The DfE Schools White Paper 2010 The importance of Teaching highlights a need for subject knowledge to be included in CPD:

“It is also vital that we give teachers the opportunity to deepen their subject knowledge and renew the passion which brought them into the classroom”.

This UK Flood Hazard Management Subject Knowledge Update will:
  • Provide up to date and new case study material and information.
  • Give an overview of the key facts and information that should be highlighted when teaching UK flooding.
  • Help teachers who have not taught UK flooding for a while, or never studied it, to teach it effectively and confidently.
  • Provide some resources and case studies for you to take away for use at KS3, KS4 and KS5.
  • Encourage enthusiasm to teach UK flooding and give ideas of how to link it with other topics and themes. 
About the session
This course is aimed at all teachers with an interest in (i) up-dating their teaching of UK flood hazard management for 16-18 teaching and (ii) developing innovative fieldwork incorporating some of the latest ideas in studies of flood plain risk management in the UK.  Recent events – including the 2007 floods that brought £3bn losses and the devastation of Cockermouth in 2009 – will be explored as background to new developments in flood hazard management and water policy (including a look at hi-tech flood warnings and the growing importance of the EU Water Framework Directive).  Attention will be paid to the demands of the new AS/A2 examinations and there will hands-on activities too during the evening. Curriculum connections with the teaching of climate change will be highlighted where appropriate – including consideration of whether or not recent extreme weather events in the UK are symptomatic of a genuinely changed climate.

About the presenter
Dr Simon Oakes’ post-doctoral research includes consultancy work for DEFRA and the Environment Agency while working with Middlesex University’s Flood Hazard Research Centre (focused on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the likely effectiveness of ‘hi-tech flood warnings); he has also worked as DfE climate change curriculum advisor for Geography.  Simon has been the lead writer of the Royal Geographical Society’s ‘Geography in the News’ website since 2003 and is an Associate Editor of Geography Review magazine. An A-level examiner since 1995, he currently serves as a Principal Examiner for Edexcel and Chief Examiner for the International Baccalaureate diploma. He teaches part-time at Bancroft’s School.

Details
Topic: UK Flood Hazard Management
Date: Wednesday 28th September 2011
Venue: Royal Geographical Society with IBG, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR
Time: 5pm – 7pm (registration from 4.30pm for a prompt start). Refreshments will be available.
Format: 90mins lecture style followed by 30mins of discussion and questions.
There are 20 places available on this course.

Please note: this course is for teachers only.

Costs
Members (School Members / Fellows / ECT Members / Young Geographers) £30 inc VAT
Non Members £40 inc VAT

Booking information
To book please return the booking form and your payment to Claire Wheeler, Education Department, RGS-IBG, 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR. T: 020 7591 3053 F: 020 7591 3001 E: c.wheeler@rgs.org
Please note that that payment must be received before the event or the place may be withdrawn. Booking form at http://www.rgs.org/teachercpd
No refunds will be given for cancellations less than 3 weeks before the event.

Thursday 7 July 2011

Geography of Disease

This is another one of those blog posts aimed at uncovering a 'hidden' resource on the GA website that is freely available to anyone....


Geography of Disease was a project that was led by John Lyon, and was funded by the Wellcome Trust

Wycombe High School shared the resources that they produced as a result of their participation on their excellent website (on the Moodle platform...)

The resources are excellent ! You need to check them out if you are proposing to teach something about disease.
There are resources on Disease in Society - with a focus on Myxomatosis, the Black Death, HIV/AIDS, Cholera, Malaria, Bilharzia and Avian Influenza.

Check out Durham University's disease spread simulations too...

Great resources if you are teaching IB Geography, particularly the FOOD and HEALTH module of which more to come later in the year !

NQT Conferences in November 2011

The flyers for the latest GA CPD events have been published on Scribd.

I am leading two NQT Conferences in November 2011


NQT Conference: Making a difference in the classroom


If you are going to be an NQT Geographer or you are going to have an NQT in your department, and you'd like to book a place, contact Lucy Oxley on 01142960088