Ambassadors - Geography Teaching Today

Introduction

Geography Ambassadors on the TV

A TV programme, to be shown on Teachers TV this week includes contributions from:

Dr Rita Gardner, Director of the RGS-IBG
Ben Saunders, the youngest man to ski solo to the North Pole
Owen Wilson, promoting cycling and sustainability in London
Laura Fry, who makes new maps of Great Britain
Tori James, who has climbed Everest

They are joined by Alastair Cochrane, an undergraduate Royal Geographical Society ambassador to demonstrate just some of the many possibilities of the broad and diverse subject of geography.

View this video

Released at an ideal time to help you market geography as a GCSE option. This will be a valuable resource for classroom information sessions, options evenings and careers events.

Showing on Mon 14th Jan 15:00, Wed 16th Jan 13:00, Sat 19th Jan 17:00

I overheard a student talking about it on the way out of school saying "we had this ambassador talking...I'm soooo doing geography next year!"

Geography Teacher, Brighton

This was typical of the positive feedback received from the pilot of the Geography Ambassador scheme. Building on this success, the Ambassador Project is expanding to provide enthusiastic geography ambassadors to 500 schools across the regions of the South East, the North East and Greater London. Most of the schools visited will be in the secondary maintained sector. The initial aim is for ambassadors to make one visit to a school where they will work with one or two groups of pupils in the 11 – 19 age groups.

What is the aim of the geography ambassador scheme?
The scheme recruits, trains and supports undergraduate and postgraduate geographers from universities and business to act as ambassadors for geography in the classroom.

This is a great way to introduce younger students to the benefits of studying geography and encouraging them to pursue the subject beyond the compulsory stages.

The ambassadors act as positive role models for pupils and can illustrate, with enthusiasm, both the specific and transferable skills they have developed as a geographer. The scheme offers schools the opportunity to strengthen links with local HE and businesses.

What will ambassadors offer?
Ambassadors will begin by delivering a presentation with activities to groups on a mutually agreed theme such as ‘Why study geography?’, ‘Geography and careers’ or ‘My special project or research interest’. Subsequently ambassadors could return to support geography clubs, homework clubs or fieldwork activities.