Living Geography Newsletter #23
Jun 5th-11th
Welcome to the twenty third weekly newsletter providing a summary of key posts on the LivingGeography blog.
Each newsletter will usually include a number of sections:
a digest of posts from the LivingGeography blog (and other blogs)
any important geographical news
an update on any personal projects
details of books that I am reading, or cultural experiences
a couple of nice images taken this week
events that you might be interested in
Posts this week included
World Environment Day - 5th of June - this year, it had a focus on Plastic Pollution, particularly in the oceans.
Anthony Barlow is doing an A-Z of fieldwork posts. Catch up with the videos so far here:
A useful website which visualises how temperatures at any given time compare to the average. This blog from Ed Hawkins explains how the site was developed and built.
A brief note on the recent Lucy Crehan review for the Northern Ireland curriculum review which has a focus on capabilities. A reminder of the work of Richard Bustin in this area, which is referenced in the full report. It will be interesting to see how this compares with outcomes from the English CAR and also the Scottish curriculum review.
I posted about a Kate Stockings CPD event in London at the end of June - see the Events section for more about this
Dan Raven Ellison’s ‘Earth in 100 Seconds’ film is now available to view.
Applications are now welcome to become a UCL Fawcett Fellow for 2025-6. I was proud to be a Fawcett Fellow for 2022-3, working with Alex Standish and my fellow Fellows to discuss curriculum. It formed the basis for a presentation I prepared for the IGU Centenary conference in Paris and there is also (potentially) a book coming out in the next year or so with a chapter based on my research. Find out more details here.
There are several funding options as shown below:
If anyone has any questions about this, feel free to get in touch.
News
Whether you teach Edexcel specifications or not, it’s worth signing up to Jon Wolton’s monthly updates.
OCR have also shared some new resources. In collaboration with WWF and Comberton Village College, they have co-created a series of free sustainability taster sessions to support climate education across Key Stages 3 & 4.
These five engaging, ready-to-use sessions align with the Department for Education’s sustainability and climate change strategy. They also complement WWF’s Sustainable Futures careers programme, helping students explore green economy opportunities.
Available Sessions:
What is Sustainability?
People, Planet and Profit
Being a Sustainable Business
Greenwashing
Linear vs Circular Economy
Each session runs for 45–60 minutes and includes detailed teacher guidance.
The GA’s National Fieldwork Festival is under way. The Geographical Association is offering a discount on all Fieldwork products in the GA shop for a short while as a result. For example, look at this banger published in 2020.
The member price is already £7 cheaper, but add the code: NFF25 and the price goes down to just £17.59.
Projects
The first deadline for my latest big writing project arrived this week so that was the main order of business. I’m looking forward to seeing how that turns out but it will be into 2026 when it appears.
Books
I didn’t read too much this last week due to the writing deadlines, but I did take delivery of this beauty: a preview copy of Anjana Khatwa’s ‘The Whispers of Rock’, which is due out in September. A full review will be written in time for publication day. Thanks to Anjana and Little Brown for the copy. Love the cover. Can I judge the book by it?
Images
A few of the images I took this week.
Detail of a chart from 1590, painted on sheep’s skin. Part of the new exhibition at the UEA called ‘Can the seas survive us?’ - image shared on Flickr under CC license
The new US Embassy in the Nine Elms area, close to the Battersea Power Station - image shared on Flickr under CC license
Battersea Power Station - image shared on Flickr under CC license
Events
It’s coming up to the Festival of Geography, which takes place next Monday. I’ve been finishing my presentation for that. I look forward to chatting with all those who are coming along.
Digimap for Schools are hosting a TeachMeet webinar titled "Making Maps Matter: Teachers’ Tips for Using Digimap for Schools" on Wednesday, June 18th from 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM BST.
This session will provide an opportunity to learn from teachers about their experiences with our platform and the innovative methods they have employed to integrate Digimap for Schools into their classrooms. Connect with fellow educators and acquire practical strategies for utilizing the platform effectively. Explore hands-on approaches to enhance geographical learning across key learning objectives and age groups.
Register here: https://ow.ly/4MoQ50VWk7C
One for those close to Manchester in particular.
On Saturday 20th September 2025, Teachers Talk Humanities combining History, Geography and Religious Studies will be held in Manchester at Friends Meeting House.
Do you have something to share with other geographers? Perhaps it's a resource, a project you've worked on or something that just works well in your classroom.
Come and join the line-up of incredible speakers already signed up to speak at the first Teachers Talk Radio Humanities event.
Submit your proposal here https://lnkd.in/eyCBuVdg
If you're interested, but not in speaking grab yourself a ticket Teachers Talk Humanities from https://shorturl.at/YNLX2
Registration commences at 10am with the event kicking off at 10.30am. The event will finish at 4pm with networking drinks therefafter at the Brotherhood of Pursuits bar next to the venue.
Tickets are FREE for teachers - this includes teachers at any 3-19 school or college or those who teach at a university or higher education institution. We take a £10 deposit which is only refundable on sign in at the event. It will be refunded within 5 working days after the event ends. All TTR events are free for teachers. Please consider making a donation from your deposit to support future events - this option is available on checkout.
And for those in or near to London, here’s an event that has been organised by Kate Stockings. This should prove popular.
Location: London National Park City Visitor Centre,80 Mortimer Street, W1W 7FE (Closest station Oxford Circus, or Goodge Street)
📅 Date: Thursday 26th June (during London Climate Action Week)
🕒 Time: 4.30 pm - 6.00 pm. Please arrive 10 mins early to get settled into your places.
🎟️ Free – Limited spaces available
Tea, coffee & snacks provided
Join fellow geography educators for a hands-on workshop exploring a brand-new set of curriculum-aligned resources designed to bring urban nature, local geography, and climate action into the classroom.
Developed byKate Stockings– Trust Lead for Geography at Future Academies and London National Park City Ranger – who has developed a set of resources that share the real-world case studies of projects happening throughout London National Park City aiming to make London greener, healthier and wilder.
These resources, with the support of the London National Park City small grants programme, have been carefully mapped to the curriculum to ensure they’re ready to go in both KS3 and KS4 classrooms.
This session will give you tools and inspiration to:
Delve into real-world case studies showing how grassroots action can make London greener, healthier, and wilder
Teach students to consider how small-scale local action can help mitigate and adapt to climate change
Spark imagination, agency, and curiosity in your classroom through learning about projects across London
You’ll get early access to the resources, and the chance to co-create how these materials could be used in schools across the UK.
Whether you’re London-based or just curious about teaching geography differently — this is for you.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/londonnationalparkcity/1711032
I went to UEA last weekend to see a newly opened exhibition called ‘Can the seas survive us?”. It’s got a slight Norfolk bias, but there are focuses on other places too. I liked the range of art works alongside old atlases and documents showing the trade that has long connected East Anglia to the European mainland e.g. through the Hanseatic League. There was art from Olafur Eliason, Maggi Hambling and others. There are plenty of intriguing artworks, including a nice Turner etching of Ely Cathedral, old atlases propped open, video pieces and commentary on sea level rise.
One good thing is that the exhibition is part of the Sainsbury Centre’s Universal Ticket, which means you pay what you can.
The final event to bring to your attention will be of particular interest to those of you on the Isle of Wight. There is an Isle of Wight Biosphere Festival taking place.
Theme: Understand Climate Change
Join a free Climate Change Workshop on Thursday 3 July 2025, 2-5pm.
The Compass Room, Phoenix Centre, Gurnard Pines, Gurnard/Cowes PO31 8QE
Dr. Andrew Lee is running a free climate change workshop. The session is a Climate Fresk (originating from France) which is a fun way to learn about the climate crisis and also to clear up any misconceptions, based on IPCC science.
The game is interactive, enjoyable and involves interacting with other participants. The workshop is normally charged, but this workshop is free as part of the Isle of Wight Isle of Wight Biosphere Reserve festival.
Andrew is an Honorary Lecturer at the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education at University College London. He will be running the workshop with Dr David Anderson who is on the Staff at Eton College.
If you would like to book or get more information email him on
climateeducate@icloud.com
You may bring a younger person to join you but they would need to be at least 11 years old. Refreshments can be purchased at the café before the start of the workshop.