About the Award
The Ray Y Gildea Jr Award is the Society’s first endowed award to support innovation in teaching and learning in higher and secondary education. Applications can be made for projects to research, develop and/or pilot innovations in teaching and learning in any field of geography in higher or secondary education. The outcomes of the grant should show direct benefit to students of geography.
Deadline: 30 November
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Please read the grant guidelines and send your application by email to grants@rgs.org.
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Previous recipients
2019: Dr Daniel Hammett (University of Sheffield). 'Developing best practice in ethical research in the global south'
Through a partnership between the University of Sheffield, the Sheffield Institute for International Development (SIID), and the Sheffield Methods Institute (SMI), this project will develop a set of resources to tackle current weaknesses in research ethics training due to an implicit bias towards work conducted in the global north. The project will consist of a live-streamed workshop on research ethics, the development of an online depository of teaching materials for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and the publishing of an Essential Guide to Research Ethics in the Global South.
2017: Jonathan Reades (King’s College London). 'Geopyter: Geographical Python Teaching Resources'
Geopyter seeks to benefit students of geography by providing a hub for sharing 'best practice' in computational and spatial analytic instruction, enabling instructors to flexibly remix contributed content to suit their individual needs and delivery frameworks, and encouraging users to contribute ideas about how to teach everything from individual concepts to whole courses.
2017: Fiona McConnell (University of Oxford). 'Model UNPO’ simulation exercises: Debating global governance'
This project aims to educate secondary school geography students about issues facing some of the most marginalised communities in the world. Teaching materials will be developed that will enable teachers to run role play exercises and debate issues around environmental injustice, human rights, sustainable development and conflict resolution.
2011: Alex Singleton (University of Liverpool). 'Examining the geography of Geographers' - examining the flow of Geographers' into higher education from across the UK'
Through interrogation of national coverage, individual level schools and Higher Education data, the project examined the flow of geographers into Higher Education from across the UK.
2009: Nicola Rowland (John of Gaunt School, Wiltshire). 'A virtual journey across Greenland' (PDF)
The purpose of the expedition was to send four teachers of different disciplines to carry out scientific experiments, in the harshest of polar conditions, with the aim of encouraging and inspiring their students by creating material and resources that meets the needs of the National Curriculum.
2008: Monica Biagioli (University of the Arts, London). 'There are Echoes'
A sound as cartography exhibition, around the London 2012 Olympic site. The project brought mentors and students together to map the space by visiting the site around the time of construction and gathering materials, both visual and sound-based, to create visual maps and soundscapes.
2007: Ruth Hollinger (Tapton School, Sheffield). 'A virtual fieldtrip to discover Union Glacier in Antarctica' (PDF)
To mark the 50th anniversary of the first crossing of Antarctica, four geography and science teachers travelled to the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica to conduct scientific research. The main aim of the expedition was for the teachers to use their experiences to encourage more young people to take an interest in geography and science.
2006: Dr Rupert Perkins (Cardiff University). 'Interactive live video imaging of conservation work through e-learning'
This project used WiFi cameras to image aspects of live marine conservation work in the Greek Aegean, for use within the Marine Geography degree scheme at Cardiff University. Theproject provided students with live examples of conservation in action.