LivingGeography Newsletter #22
May 29th - Jun 4th
Welcome to the twenty second 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
A brief report on a talk I attended at Norwich School organised by the RGS Eastern region by Jonathon Porritt. He was talking about his life and the need for greater action. He referenced a Wildlife Trusts report on the damage that will be caused by the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
A flavour of what he said comes over in the updates on his website, which is worth visiting from the link above.
The Wildlife Trusts have produced a tool which allows you to quickly e-mail your MP and copy in the Chancellor. You can add you own message to the standard wording.
A reminder that June sees the start of the National Fieldwork Festival which runs throughout June, organised by the Geographical Association, as it has been since 2022 - my Presidential Year, spearheaded by the dynamo that is Paula Richardson. Some new resources have been produced for you to use and there’s been plenty of social media push. I will be carrying out the front garden survey again in the streets around the school, which I have shared previously on LivingGeography. Get outside with your groups in the remaining weeks of the summer term. Fiona Sheriff has written a GA Blog post to introduce the week as well.
The GA has produced some downloadable posters for your classroom wall, and certificates to give to students who participate in events during the week.
The Time for Geography team have produced a couple of new videos as well. Richard Phillips of the University of Sheffield explores qualitative techniques including re-photography, and a 2nd film explores quantitative techniques in Bristol.
Here’s a useful guide for AQA on Fieldwork enquiries, presented by Amy Meek and featuring a cameo from David Rogers.
A story about a new musical map of London based on the Tube map, produced by TFL. There is a long history of manipulating Harry Beck’s original Tube map for this purpose as this post explains, going back to The Great Bear.
A look at urban mining: to reclaim some of the critical and rare earth minerals that are needed for the energy transition from consumer electronics.
A post on the GA’s blog summarised the debate on the national curriculum which was held at the GA Conference back in April.
Some details of the latest addition to my funky (mostly Simon Carter) shirt collection, and one I’ve been after for about 15 years.
A story about the Birch Glacier which came roaring down into the Swiss town of Blatten, which had already been evacuated following earlier rockfalls. David Redfern has produced a really useful update on his Substack - which is well worth subscribing to. Check out the BBC’s scrolling story too.
A report on the Happiest Places to live that was published in the Guardian a few weeks’ ago, and a look back to 2006 when Simon Renshaw and I went to Dublin to gauge the happiness of its residents as part of an early project instigated by Daniel Raven Ellison, which I wrote up for the GA Magazine back in Spring 2007.
News
The major event this week was the Royal Geographical Society’s AGM, Awards and evening reception. These took place at HQ in Kensington and I went down to support those receiving awards, particularly Paul Logue and Chloë Searl who were this year’s recipients of the Ordnance Survey Award for Excellence. Was good to see Paul collect his award in person.
There were some fantastic speeches. Børge Ousland’s, sent by satellite phone in texts from a tent on Ellesmere Island was excellent and Dariusz Wójcik summed up the vital significance of geography really well. Fellows can view a recording.
It was good to see that my quote on fieldwork also made it into Dame Jane Francis’ Presidential Address at the AGM.
Projects
I’ve got a deadline coming up for a writing task, so it was lots of writing this week on and off. The module on AI and Ethics I’ve been contributing to is now fully finished and available free of charge.
I’ve also put together some resources for the Young Geographer of the Year competition to launch it with my students in the next week or so. The slide deck I’ve put together can hopefully be viewed on this link.
Books
I read more of Rob Cowen’s ‘The North Road’ and finished off ‘Perfection’ by Vincenzo Latronico. New in the departmental library is ‘Ocean’, which accompanies the new David Attenborough film.
Images
A few of the images I took this week.
Entrance to Tombland, Norwich Cathedral close - image by Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license
Anti tourist graffiti sent by my daughter while in Palma, Mallorca - E. Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license
North Norfolk is also known as ‘Poppyland’. This field near Anmer on the edge of the Sandringham Estate is particularly impressive this year - image by Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license
Events
Not long to go until the Festival of Geography at the RGS, in association with the GA. I will see you there hopefully. A reminder of the schedule for the day.
10.00 - Welcome
10.15 - Geography: The big picture (Steve Brace, GA Chief Executive)
10.45 - Keynote lecture: Climate change update (Mark Maslin, University College London)
11.30 - Tea and coffee
11.45 - Creative curriculum ideas (Fiona Sheriff)
12.45 - Lunch
13.30 - Practical fieldwork ideas (Chloë Searl)
14.30 - Tea and coffee
14.45 - Subject knowledge sessions (Martin Parham - hazards and Jason Dittmer - geopolitics)
15.45 - Developing a geography curriculum for life beyond the classroom: embedding careers education (Alan Parkinson, VP Education, Royal Geographical Society)
16.15 - Close
A little further off is an RGS CPD event for ECTs run by Chloë Searl - a 3 hour webinar.
In October, Danny Dorling is doing a school member lecture. Usefully, it is the same day that I am going to see Sigur Ros at the Royal Albert Hall so I’ll pop along before that as it’s one of my non-teaching days. See you there perhaps.
Thanks as always for reading the Substack newsletter and sharing it with others.