IGU-CGE 2024 Research Symposium in Galway, Ireland

In the spirit of the 2024 IGU Congress theme “Celebrating a World of Difference”, the IGU Commission on Geographical Education is organizing a pre-Congress symposium in Galway, Ireland to evince ways in which geography educators can more productively account for the full diversity of students and their educational needs in primary, lower, and upper secondary schools and institutions of higher learning. We view this as a timely opportunity to revisit and reimagine what geography education entails and what this implies about future praxis in geography education.

Participants in the symposium will present research and consider international perspectives on topics at the heart of understanding and recognizing various aspects of difference in geography education.

Major topics will include:

• Teaching geography with artificial intelligence and other modern technologies.
• Making powerful geographic knowledge accessible for different groups of learners.
• Preparing students for varied geography opportunities and career pathways.
• De-colonizing the geography curriculum.
• Transformative learning in formal and informal geography education.
• Reducing inequality in student outcomes in geography education.
• Promoting gender, cultural and racial equity in geography curriculum.
• Practicing culturally attuned and community responsive pedagogies in geography classrooms.
• Developing young people’s geographical thinking: curriculum, pedagogical strategies, and tools (textbooks, maps, apps etc.)
• Diversity in key geographical concepts and geographical curriculum
• Geography education for resilient society
• Recontextualization of geography and curriculum-making in various curriculum contexts

All of these topics carry ramifications for the initial training and continuous professional development of geography teachers, the design and development of geography curriculum, how “future 3” curriculum making is conceived and enacted, and the geography learning experiences and career intentions of diverse youth around the world. By sharing research and experiences with international colleagues, symposium participants will engage in forward-looking dialogue aimed at improving efforts by teachers, researchers, academic geographers, and geography organizations to advance geography’s status as a school subject, academic discipline, and career field in a world of difference.

Prior to arriving in Galway, participants will be organized into writing groups of 4-6 members with a mix of senior and early career scholars including postgraduate students. Group membership will be determined on the basis of an application in which prospective participants rank their preferred topics. Each group will communicate via email and online in the months leading up to the symposium under the guidance of a member of the Commission’s steering committee.White papers (3-5 pages) will be posted in an online community forum for review and comment approximately three months before the symposium. During the proceedings in Galway, each working group will consider the feedback on their white paper, discuss their topic with other symposium participants, and begin to prepare a manuscript for submission to the Commission’s journal International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. The symposium will also feature roundtable discussions and short research presentations related to the symposium topics. All symposium sessions and related communications will be conducted in English.

Schedule

August 22, 2024: Participants arrive in Galway for a reception and dinner at a local restaurant beginning at 6:00 p.m.

August 23, 2024: Full-day symposium at the University of Galway. Participants will have the evening free to explore Galway individually or in groups.

August 24, 2024: Half-day symposium at the University of Galway. Participants depart for IGU Dublin Congress or other destinations in the afternoon.

Venue, accommodation, and registration fee

The University of Galway has been selected as the symposium venue. Accommodation options will be announced in the near future.

The workshop registration fee of EUR 120 (waived for graduate students and scholars from countries eligible for AAG membership under the AAG Developing Regions Membership Program) will include an opening night reception and dinner on August 22; breakfast and lunch on August 23 and 24; and the use of A/V equipment and facilities. Participants will be responsible for their own accommodation costs and evening meals apart from the symposium dinner. Participants are encouraged to book accommodation as soon as possible after notification of acceptance into the workshop.

 Application 

To ensure consideration for a place in a symposium, please complete and submit the application form by December 1, 2023.The Commission seeks the participation of academic geography educators from a diverse range of institutions and areas of specialization. Capacity is limited to 50 participants. Individuals from developing regions are especially encouraged to apply. 

In addition to the registration waiver, funding is available to provide a USD 400 travel subsidy for a limited number of postgraduate students and scholars from Developing Regions. Those eligible for this support should provide a brief statement of financial need when submitting the application.The Commission will select participants to ensure the working groups reflect demographic, geographic, and research diversity.

Individuals will be notified of their acceptance into the symposium by February 1, 2024. Upon acceptance into the symposium, participants will receive instructions for how to register and pay the registration fee online. Payments by credit card will be processed on receipt; refunds will only be available if notice is given more than 30 days in advance of the symposium. Please do not send deposits or payments by other means.

Organizers

Michael Solem and Chew-Hung Chang (CGE co-chairs) will oversee the academic program for the symposium. Members of the Commission’s steering committee will participate as facilitators in each writing group. Local arrangements are being handled by Valerie Ledwith and Kathy Reilly (University of Galway).Please direct any questions about the Galway symposium program and application to Michael Solem (msolem@txstate.edu) and Chew-Hung Chang (chewhung.chang@nie.edu.sg).