Resource introduction: what is a country?

During this one hour online CPD session, which is free to all teachers, we will be introducing a Key Stage Two resource called ‘What is a country?’. This activity has been designed to engage students in Years 5 and 6 with issues facing unrecognised states around the world, and to encourage them to think differently about global governance. It explores communities (including Kurdistan; Somaliland; Taiwan; and Tibet) that are excluded from the formal international system and raises questions around statehood.

The resource offers an opportunity for students to develop public speaking skills, group work and critical thinking. The activity is designed for students in in Years 5 and 6 but could be adapted for Key Stage Three students, so KS3 teachers are also welcome to attend. Our speakers will provide an overview of the resource and explain to teachers how the resource and activities can be used with students.

This event is for teachers only.

About the speakers

Dr Fiona McConnell is Professor of Political Geography at the University of Oxford, and tutorial fellow in Geography at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. Her research looks at how communities officially excluded from formal state politics are nevertheless engaging with aspects of statecraft. She has undertaken research on the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in India, and worked with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation on the barriers faced by stateless communities in engaging with diplomacy, particularly at the UN, and the innovative strategies they use to make their voices heard.

Dr Liam Saddington is a Teaching Associate in Human Geography at the University of Cambridge and a fellow and Director of Studies in Geography at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. His research focuses on the geopolitics of climate change concerning small island states and rising sea levels, exploring how the relationship between territory and statehood is being reimagined in low-lying atolls.

Joining information

Delegates will be sent details of how to access the event approximately a week before the event. If this email does not reach you, please contact us before the day of the event.