Making connections between school geography, professional knowledge and young people’s career aspirations
Status: This talk is in preparation - details may change
Status: This talk has been cancelled
Please note this seminar has been cancelled. It will be rearranged for later in the term.
This seminar reports on my contribution to an international project which aims to better connect school geography with future careers in subject-related professions. The first part of the seminar presents findings from an online survey exploring the career aspirations of A level and undergraduate geographers in England. The second part unpacks how research findings were used to inform a curriculum design project which set out to create career-orientated lessons that take heed of the Gatsby Benchmark statements and embed real-world geography knowledge and skills into the school curriculum. I argue that stronger connections are needed between school geography, career education and professional geographers working in real-world contexts. This is particularly important when considering that 96% of GCSE geographers in England do not go on to study geography at university. I conclude that career-orientated lessons are a powerful, yet under-utilised, strategy, which should be integral to all school subjects to enable more authentic real-world learning experiences and support young people to form realistic career aspirations.

To watch online, please contact communications@education.ox.ac.uk.
Date: 2 May 2023, 16:00 (Tuesday, 2nd week, Trinity 2023)
Venue: 15 Norham Gardens, 15 Norham Gardens OX2 6PY
Venue Details: Seminar Room B
Speaker: Dr Emma Rawlings Smith (University of Oxford)
Organising department: Department of Education
Organiser: Dr Gabriel Stylianides (University of Oxford)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Public
Editor: Hannah Freeman