GA Magazine Editorial Collective

The Spring Issue of GA Magazine is out and available to GA members. In this issue the new Editorial Collective are introduced to readers. I'm really excited that I will be one of the Collective, and I'm very much looking forward to working on the publication.

Below is am extract and my call for great ideas. The GA Magazine should be a hot bed of sharing practice - so if you have something to share it would be great to hear from you! Just ignore the shameful hair do in the picture ;-)

A big hello!
I’m a dad, family member, learner,
geographer, outdoor adventurer, Welshman and
teacher. My enthusiasm for geography was ignited
by growing up in the coal mining valleys of South
Wales. The subject explained the painful process
of industrial decline that my family and friends
lived through. This passion was nurtured by an
excellent teacher during my secondary school
years in Carmarthen. I was hooked, and not only
because of the field trips.
When not cuddling my son, hanging from a
cliff or dodging trees on a mountain bike, I am
Head of Geography at Priory School in
Portsmouth. It’s safe to say that I love my job! The
next most enjoyable thing I do is delivering
professional development through my work either
through the GA’s Secondary Phase Committee or
as a Regional Subject Advisor.
I am active in the wider geographical
community, mainly through the Geography
Collective. I was awarded a 21st Century Learning
Alliance Fellowship to support opportunities for
pupils to explore and influence their own school
spaces. I employ eLearning where appropriate and
some of this work has been filmed for the BBC
and Teachers TV.
Although I don’t like to be behind a desk
much, I have managed to author projects for
Folens and Philip Allan, and am very excited
about being part of the new GA Magazine
editorial team. My aim will be to present the
latest developments in a practical way. If you’ve
got any great ideas, I’d love to hear from you.

Comments

High Impact, Low effort

This month is the start of the #29daysofwriting challenge. I enjoyed this last year and will be using my Staffrm account to post. I'll also be reporting here, both to give a little more detail and to keep a log of what I have written. The challenge developed a great sense of community last year, which is why I'm choosing to write on Staffrm. What I would say to those who are new to writing or don't want to run out of ideas is: Write for yourself. Clarify an idea, write something out loud. The process of distilling thoughts into writing is immensely beneficial to your practice. If other read, comment and respond, that's a bonus. Ignore the muppets who know nothing of your context, style or students. Mix it up - I like to read about real stuff from real classrooms and schools and also about other stuff. If we always write about school, how does that work for workload? If you've nothing nice to say, don't say it. So, the following has been

What makes a learning experience profound? Personal reflections and possible implications for classroom practice.

I have recently begun a Leadership Pathways journey. As part of the first core day, we were asked to reflect on a profound learning experience. This got me thinking about how many profound learning experiences I have both been involved in, and how many I have been able to give to others. Our group came up with a huge long list, but these are my five. Emotional Connected Demanding Reflective Collaborative As always, these are personal thoughts and quite mixed up. I put them here so that I can look back on them (plus they’d get lost inside my world-cup-free brain) 1. Emotional I can’t think of a time where deep learning hasn’t engaged my emotions. From being awe inspired to that tingle feeling when a student gets a light bulb moment. From this-is-the-happiest-day-ever, to I-think-I’m-about-to die. How often do we engage the emotions of those we teach? Here, I would argue that having a safe learning environment is not always conducive to profound

The danger of Teaching and Twitter conversations: poorly formed bipolar arguments.

Sometimes in life, there really are only two options. Get the wrong one and you can look like a muppet. Take this useful sign for the toilets in Morocco. I successfully navigated it, choosing the right option. The result? No egg on my face. As a mountain leader, there are many right or wrong decisions that I’ve faced, as there are all over life. It’s not a good idea to let inexperienced young people walk themselves down Snowdon. They may die or be seriously injured. If someone is showing the signs and symptoms of hyperthermia, you need to treat it fast in a specified way. There is no real arguing with this sign: Other options are less obvious. Take this sign recently spotted near to where I live: Now, I wouldn’t consider sleeping in a bin. However, faced with a sub-zero night, I could see the appeal. The danger? Being tipped into one of those huge lorries with a compactor. (by the way, I only really considered all of this thanks to questions from my four year old boy).

David Rogers

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