GeogPod #100

 Congratulations to John Lyon and the team for reaching 100 episodes of the GeogPod podcast.

Here's the contents. I'm pleased to say that I make an appearance towards the end of the episode.

Black History Month - a special podcast

GeogPod #83 is in support of Black History Month

In a special episode to celebrate Black History Month we join Professor Pat Noxolo from the University of Birmingham, Professor James Esson from Queen Mary University of London and Francisca Rockey, founding member of Black Geographers.

They discuss the intersections between race, gender and class that affect young people today. Topics include how to navigate complex ideas in a complex world, the importance of recognising different narratives, and the possibilities for change, revealed by the amazing work done by geography teachers.

Anti-racist work has been a means of support, comradeship and helping keep hold of talented people. Here are a few of the groups and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Black Geographers
• Salaam Geographia
• Geography Workshop
• Race, Culture and Equality Working Group
• American Association of Geographer
• Black Geographies
• Decolonising geography website & X (formerly Twitter)
• FI WI ROAD
• Black History Month

Humanities 2020 Podcast

The humanities prepare students to be good citizens and help them understand a complicated, interlocking world. The humanities teach us critical thinking, how to analyse arguments and how to imagine life from the point of view of someone unlike yourself.

Martha Nussbaum

It was a pleasure on Wednesday afternoon this week to sit and chat with Anthony Barlow to record a podcast for the Humanities 2020 website and project.

The project has a manifesto.

Primary schools have a duty to equip children for the challenges of the 21st century. We believe that the primary school curriculum in England is failing to do this or to fulfil the legal requirement for a balanced and broadly-based curriculum. Literacy and numeracy dominate the curriculum while other vital aspects of learning are often ignored. This is wrong.

We want young children to be literate and numerate, but much more than that. We affirm that every child is entitled to rich, stimulating and engaging learning experiences.

We want children to have more opportunities to be creative and to build on their sense of curiosity. We would like to bring more joy and imagination back into the classroom.

The podcast I recorded seems to have been the longest to date. Which I guess is a good thing...

You can listen here if you have 55 minutes to spare... thoughts welcome. It was a bit of a ramble at times.

Thanks to Anthony for the invitation.

After I'd recorded it, I also checked out the ACast podcast hosting system which was being used for the Humanities 2020 podcast, and signed up for a free account and created the site for a podcast of my own which I'm going to call 'Living Geography'. 

Look out for the first episode coming when I can find the time to record it.

Bob Digby on Coffee and Geography

Bob Digby was the GA President in 2012.

Here he is talking to Kit Rackley.

GeogPod: National Fieldwork Week

The latest GeogPod has been released and it features Paula Richardson and I talking about the GA's National Research Report and how that fed into the development of the National Fieldwork Week.

 This starts on Monday the 6th of June.

Episode 53 of #GeogPod is now available!

In this episode, @GAGeogger speaks with @GeoBlogs and Paula Richardson on fieldwork

Listen now at https://t.co/hLSfHDfVhp

Series 9 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by @CambridgeInt#geography #nationalfieldworkweek #podcast #education pic.twitter.com/sk62VGtEQS

— Geographical Association (@The_GA) June 4, 2022

Thanks to John Lyon for hosting - see if you can spot the question I wasn't expecting... :) 

Talking on the radio

This morning was the broadcast of an interview I had with Dorian Brown: a host on Teachers Talk Radio. Many former GA Presidents have found themselves on the radio, or television, and there are a few YouTube clips of former Presidents on some of the entries on this blog.

You can listen again here:

We talked about the GA and blogging and a whole range of other things. 

If you enjoyed it, check out some of Dorian's other recent guests, also from the GA 'community'.

Your commute for later sorted...

Professor Peter Jackson on the GA Podcast

Professor Peter Jackson was one of 'whispering' John Lyon's guests for podcasting. He talks about food security in the discussion. Peter serves on the GA's Governing Body, and is also one of the GA's Honorary Vice Presidents.

GeogPod: Alan Kinder

The latest GeogPod podcast, and the last for a few weeks, is an interview with Alan Kinder who talks about his journey to becoming the GA's Chief Executive, and the work of the Geographical Association. He says lots which are of relevance to this blog, and mentions some former GA Presidents who have featured here, such as Rex Walford and Douglas Freshfield.

John talks about his own experiences with the Geographical Association, going back to 1976 and visiting the library at Fulwood Road. He and Alan also say something which I've heard quite a few times before - that visitors to Solly Street can't believe how much is done by such a small number of staff.

Alan talks about the purpose of the GA and its link with the subject discipline and the notion of community and lays out with his usual clarity the key purposes of the GA, and how those are communicated and sometimes contested.

The GA is an association of geography educators, and developed to enable discussions of shared values and the exchange of ideas.

John discusses Douglas Freshfield's introduction to the first journal 'The Geographical Teacher', something I've also covered over on the blog, and the impact of the internet on teacher development and communicating.

Alan reminds us of the importance of the GA, and how it has got to where it is now... influenced by the 100+ GA Presidents who have held the role over the decades, and those who have got involved in whatever way they have with the GA - and there are several options for that. 

He also talks about the value of being a GA member, and why some people may not become members.

Alan talks about the future of the GA, and the challenges ahead as well as the powerful work that continues to be done, and discusses the GA's new Strategy as well as trailing the GA Conference ahead - conference began in 1921, so this is the centenary year for that.

Margaret Roberts on the GA Podcast

Margaret Roberts on the development of her teaching, and the changing nature of school geography. This is very well worth taking the time to listen to....

Margeret Roberts was GA President for 2008-9

I was privileged to have been in attendance at the lectures that are referred to here by 'whispering' John Lyon.

Lovely to hear Margaret mentioning EU DIGCOMP Competencies which are at the heart of our D3 ERASMUS project.