Our first GlosGeog (Gloucestershire’s local Geographical Association [GA] branch) event of 2025 welcomed back Dr Liam Saddington, Teaching Associate in Human Geography in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge. Liam has previously spoken to Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 students in Gloucestershire on various occasions. Since the feedback has been so positive and there was further interest from teachers, it was deemed appropriate to see if he could deliver a repeat of last June’s session to those in Years 7 to 9. We decided to offer this as a virtual, interactive session to ensure that it was accessible to as many as possible. As a result, we had more than 730 students and teachers on board today from 22 schools located throughout the UK.
Liam began by asking us to consider the question below (‘Why should human geographers care about climate change?‘) and briefly outlining the structure of the afternoon’s session.
He then discussed the science behind climate change.
Next, students were challenged to three questions, which saw a stream of comments added to the chat feed within minutes.
Liam drew on some of his experiences as a geographer to exemplify various points. This also highlighted to pupils where studying geography might take you; he certainly has youth on his side and is exceptionally well-travelled!
He also introduced the idea that climate change may be inherently racist and talked about climate justice.
Students were asked ‘Who is responsible for climate change?‘ and numerous comments appeared in the chat feed. The mention of Taylor Swift seemed to engage the audience! Having recently been on tour within the UK, and many youngsters attending one of her concerts, made this very relevant. We also thought about the impact of Swifties (her fans) on our planet.
Liam prompted students to define ‘migration‘ and contemplate how this may be linked to climate change. This provoked some lively discussion in classrooms and, again, several comments were inserted into the chat feed.
Next, Liam focused on climate change and low-lying islands, especially Tuvalu in the South Pacific, which he has been fortunate to visit many times over the past few years. This is a case study that features in several Key Stage 3, GCSE and A level textbooks. He also referenced geopolitics at this point (Can you be a country without any land? Can you keep a passport? What are the political consequences of this?). Liam shared first-hand experiences of Tuvalu, explaining how they are adapting to climate change (the Tuvaluan Coastal Adaptation Project and Falesuiti Ecological Island).
Finally, it was time for a degree of reflection. There was much consensus at this point within the chat feed, with some very valid suggestions proposed and justification given.
Liam concluded the session with a list of key points.
We allocated 15 minutes towards the end for a Q&A session. Plenty of questions were added to the chat feed and posed directly to Liam, which he answered confidently and comprehensively.
In the remaining few minutes or immediately after the session, teachers were requested to complete an online form so that we could capture pupil and staff voice, as well as gain some indication as to their wishes for support and events for the remainder of this academic year. Now, time to get planning!
Some of their ‘concluding comments‘ can be viewed below:
Reinforcing what we’re teaching in the classroom. Got students thinking about linking what they knew in new situations.
Interesting; fun; interactive; informative; educational.
Inspiring the next generation to make a change.
A good opportunity to consolidate student’s learning and see how significant climate change can be.
Engaging and informative session on climate change.
Informative, interesting, thought-provoking and lively debates.
Very interesting and thought-provoking.
Thought-provoking and interesting. Engaged our students (and Tuvalu is our KS3 climate change case study).
Interesting; up-to-date; engaging.
Informative and engaging. The students enjoyed learning about new places and the impact of climate change.
Inspiring; educational; innovative.
Great session yesterday.
I just think what you’re doing is brilliant. Thank you for putting it on – for free too!
Many thanks to Liam for giving up his time to inspire and enthuse so many young geographers. They appear to have gained so much in such a short space of time; an insightful, relevant and purposeful afternoon.
If you enjoyed this afternoon’s event, then why not earmark Wednesday 12th February 2025 in your diary? (a GlosGeog speaker session given by Jonny Riggall and Jill Mitchell from Aether, which focuses on ‘green skills and geography’).
