Enrichment opportunities in Geography
‘If geography itself has any significance, it is that we are made to lift our eyes from our small provincial selves to the whole complex and magnificent world’.
Richard Burton (1821 – 1890) to the Royal Geographical Society.
Geography enables us the see the world through different eyes.
Not only is it dynamic and relevant, it is one of the most exciting and rewarding subjects that you could study. Geography teaches us about the awe-inspiring natural and man-made world and why they are inextricably linked and mutually dependent. Geography takes us from the microscopic to the colossal, the past to the future, and helps us to make sense of the present.
@Berkogeo is our personal Geography Twitter feed. Here students can access the most up to date information about what is happening in the world around them. Links to news articles and excellent resources allow students to be autonomous in their learning.
Fieldtrips
Students can explore other cultures and look at Geography from a wide range of perspectives. Trips for Years 9-10 in the past few years have gone to the Azores and Morocco. Norway is planned for October 2020. IGCSE students will also head to a Field Studies Centre to conduct there Human and Physical fieldwork.
Competitions
Students can enter a range of exciting and challenging competitions run Nationally in the UK. In the past, Berkhamsted students have fared very well and we have produced several winners from various competitions. Examples include the RGS Young Geographer of the Year, the Geographical Association Student Photo Competition.
Sixth Form
‘Geography helps us understand the world. It gives us the science, the data and the insights to plan for the future; and it’s an incredibly exciting subject.” Nick Crane highlights the knowledge and transferable skills you will gain if you’ #choosegeography
For Geography A level, students grapple with contemporary issues such as economic transition, environmental management, global interdependence and natural hazards to name but a few. Enrichment opportunities are designed to broaden your geographical understanding and to prepare you for the challenges of Geography at undergraduate level. Students develop a wealth of skills including reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, data manipulation, computer literacy and the art of communication.
Fieldtrips
Students can explore other cultures and look at Geography from a wide range of perspectives. Next year we plan to run a trip to Copenhagen at the end of the academic year.
COMPETITIONS
Students can enter a range of exciting and challenging competitions run Nationally in the UK. Examples include the RGS Young Geographer of the Year, the Geographical Association Student Photo Competition and the Financial Times School Essay Competition. Students are also encouraged to submit work to be published nationally in the Geography Routes Journal.
Geographical Association Lectures
As a regional centre for the Geographical Association, biannually, students are invited to attend guest lectures. Lectures are chosen to compliment the A level course and to give students first-hand experience of studying Geography at Undergraduate level. Recently, we enjoyed an inspirational lecture on the impacts of climate change given by Dr David Thornalley from UCL. Also, Dr Ian Bartholomew (OB) gave a fascinating lecture on glacial melting in Greenland and new models for flood insurance.
Virtual Micro Lectures
Recently we have invited lecturers to give a virtual lecture to our students. Professor Stefan Doerr from Swansea university gave our students a real insight into the fantastic work that they do on Wildfires. The students then prepared and had a Q & A session with him after studying Wildfires further. Some feedback from the students is below:
“I think it was really inspiring to hear from somebody working in a specific geographical field and would be great if we had a variety of different people from different fields to hear from!”
“Enjoyed getting an insight into what a job in geography would look like”.
Geographical Society (Available Years 7-9 + 11-13)
In clubs and societies, we offer a range of activities, such as Mini Model United Nations debates on contentious global issues and students have helped map areas of the world which have not yet been mapped working with Missing Maps to save lives. We expect our A Level geographer to take a leading role in the organisation of this club helping to enrich every student path in geography.