The main objective is to establish confidence and competence of good honours graduates in the teaching of their subject to school students aged 11-19. In the Autumn Term the rich variety of subject resources available, and the many ways of promoting active learning, is carried out alongside the development of knowledge of the requirements of the Geography National Curriculum.
This is underpinned by investigations into the nature of geography as a school subject and into children’s geographies. All University sessions are linked with practical classroom experience in partner schools where subject specialist associate tutors act as advisers and consultants in lesson preparation and arrange classroom observation and teaching experience.
Early in the Autumn Term there is a weekend residential fieldtrip providing opportunities to consider approaches to preparing and running fieldwork activities, and then in the Summer Term there is hands-on involvement in running a fieldtrip for Year 8 children from one of our partner schools.
The practical skills of lesson planning, classroom management and the development of a personal teaching style are of major importance during the Spring Term teaching experience. School Associate Tutors will guide the development and as confidence grows the emphasis shifts from teaching skills to promoting children's learning and assessment of that learning.
During the summer term the priority is to encourage individuals' further professional development as a subject specialist across all key stages.
Specific topics covered include 16-19 education, assessment issues at GCSE and A-level, the place and value of information technology and fieldwork. Again, practical applications in schools are to the forefront and there are opportunities to develop resources/materials and to prepare and run fieldwork.
Celia taught Geography in schools and colleges in the Bristol area between 1979 and 1995. In 1996 she obtained an MSc in Society and Space at the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol. Celia has experience as an exam marker for GCSE Geography, as an advisory teacher on assessment for Avon LEA and has co-written a number of school textbooks, covering KS3 through to A level geography.
Research interests include children's meanings of nature, education for sustainable development and the use of ICT to enhance geographical learning.
