50 years of 'Teaching Geography'

The final episode of GeogPod for 2025 (and the 96th in total) is out now on your preferred podcast platform.

In another special episode to round off 2025, John talks with three members of the editorial board for the GA's journal Teaching Geography to celebrate 50 years of the publication.

Listen to conversation with Eleanor Rawling, Dr Emma Rawlings Smith and Katie Richardson and find out what makes Teaching Geography such an important publication for teachers and the GA community, with personal stories about getting involved with the GA, their favourite articles, and what's next for the journal.

GA Conference 2025 and GEO Live

Preparations are well underway for GA Conference 2025 and Hina Robinson's conference.

The programme is on the GA website.

Good to see what Emma Rawlings-Smith is giving the Rex Walford Lecture, and Anjana Khatwa the Public Lecture - talking about her forthcoming book.

A feature of the GA Conference for some years now is the chance for young people to attend as well. This is called GEO Live.

Details are below. Sign up on this page.

GEO Live: Future Changemakers will take place on Thursday 17 April 2025 at the GA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Oxford.

This programme, designed specially for students aged 14–18, will enthuse them about geography and its wide-ranging applications, enable them to think beyond school toward university and possible careers in geography.

Teachers can bring up to six students each to the GA Annual Conference on Thursday 17 April, where they will take part in their own programme of sessions, including workshops and special talks with young geographers, influencers and academics.

Places are free of charge and available to students of GA members only. One teacher must be booked to attend Conference as a delegate to secure the places.

To book a place for your students, and for any queries, please complete the form.

2024 Programme: Future changemakers

Thursday 17th April 2025

9.30–10.00: Registration

10.10: Attend keynote lecture

11.30–12.30: Introduction to the day housekeeping and introduction to being changemakers

Changemakers Part 1

Exploring our own identity – what personal lenses do we have on our world outlook?

12.30–1.00: Lunch on site (students bring their own lunch) & opportunity to talk to students studying geography at University

13.00–14.00 Changemakers part 2

Issues facing our world and opportunities to take action – focus on climate change

2.00–3.00: Changemakers part 3

Green jobs

3.00–3.30: Question Time – Opportunity for delegates to address questions to our Changemaker Panel

3.30 pm End

The GA's National Research Report - now available

The GA has carried out a great deal of research throughout its history and released papers and pamphlets at intervals, often involving the President of the time, or former and future Presidents. The latest report has been compiled over the last few months and is now available to view.

Download a copy of the report here.

The Geographical Association (GA) published a national research report today, focused on the professional needs and views of teachers of geography. 

The report presents the findings from a two-stage ‘listening exercise’, comprised of an online survey and a series of focus group discussions with geography educators from the primary, secondary and post-16/HE phases and from Initial Teacher Education (ITE).

The most consistent finding of the research is that subject-specialist issues are a key concern for all those involved in geography education, primary geography subject leaders, secondary practitioners early in their career, experienced secondary school heads of geography and geography ITE tutors. It concludes that more action is needed to meet the demands of geography educators for support with subject-specialist knowledge, skills, confidence and connections. The research also:

• points to the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on geography education, highlighting that these impacts vary greatly from school to school and between individuals

• identifies what geography teachers value about their professional subject association, particularly their desire to network with one another

• emphasises the relevance of global environmental and social issues to geography and the need for the geography education community to respond to these issues.

GA Chief Executive Alan Kinder said:

‘This GA National Research Report has been a year in the making and I’d like to thank all those GA members and others who gave their time towards such an insightful exercise. With a growing membership, the GA needs to work ever-harder to listen to and represent the views of its members. This report distils a huge range of ideas and makes recommendations for the GA, for policy-makers, for school leaders and teachers of geography. Our next challenge will be to pursue these findings and recommendations, so that children and young people in schools everywhere benefit from the improved support we are able to provide to teachers of geography, nationally and internationally.’

I was pleased to have played a part by facilitating one of the focus groups. Thanks to all those members and non-members alike who contributed to the fnal report, and particular thanks to Dr. Emma Rawlings-Smith and Alan Kinder who co-authored the report and to all those involved at various stages in its production.

The TES has picked up on the fieldwork issue for newly qualified teachers, which has been missing from many ITE courses:

New geography teachers lack the confidence to teach fieldwork after having limited experience of it during the pandemic, @The_GA warnshttps://t.co/DzJgTBx14c

— Tes (@tes) January 27, 2022