GeogEd: A new research group founded on the reciprocal relationship between geography education and the geographies of education

Abstract

In November 2019, the Higher Education Research Group (HERG) of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) (RGS-IBG) formally changed its name to the Geography and Education Research Group (GeogEd). This revision was a response to an initiative, led by Matt Finn (University of Exeter) and Itta Bauer (University of Zurich), which involved consultation across different Research Groups, before and during the 2018 RGS-IBG Annual International Conference (AIC). Matt and Itta wanted to explore the possibility of a space for researchers with an interest in the geographies of education and non-HE geography education. Discussions at the 2018 AIC were followed

Looking ahead to the future of GeogEd: Creating spaces of exchange between communities of practice

“…Learning and debates about (geography) curriculum and pedagogy are set, through this research, into a wider context attentive to the interplay of structures and agencies that frame education and learning. We hope to see continued evidence of co-organising and research in this area across the sub-disciplines of geography within both the RGS-IBG and international research groups (West et al, 2022).…”

“…While conceptualising the relationships between geography and education through the lens of geography education is valuable -for example, in considering transitions between different educational phases, and examining how knowledge is recontextualised between different spaces and the role of different actors in this process -it also has limitations. First, it fails to explicitly consider the geographies of education, and the relationships between geography education and the geographies of education (Dorling, 2020;West et al, 2022). Examining the relationships and intersections between these two areas is significant in understanding students' lifeworlds; examining the broader social, cultural, political, and economic structures in play; and addressing (educational) inequalities (Holloway et al, 2010).…”

“…First, the change from HERG to GeogEd signalled two moves that were in continuity with HERG but that were made explicit and have led to new ways of framing the group's history (Healey et al, 2022;West et al, 2022). That is the expansion to provide named space for those who research the geographies of education (Kraftl et al, 2022) and for those in non-HE geography education.…”

Re‐naming and re‐framing: Evolving the “Higher Education Research Group” to the “Geography & Education Research Group”

“…At the HERG AGM on 29 August 2018, just moments after we were elected to the positions of Chair (Ruth) and Secretary (Harry) of the Research Group, Matt Finn (University of Exeter) presented a proposal (co-authored with Itta Bauer, University of Zurich) that the Research Group might consider broadening its remit to consider a wider context of geography education and formally include the geographies of education. It was noted by long-standing HERG Committee Members and former Chairs that in the past, as evidenced through sponsored RGS-IBG Annual International Conference sessions (explored in more detail in Healey et al, 2022;West et al, 2022), HERG had frequently gone beyond its HE applied pedagogic research focus and explored both geographical education beyond HE (and transitions between educational levels) and the geographies of education. Throughout these "explorations" beyond HE geography, there was an understanding of the integrally linked nature of geography at all levels of education (and transitions in between), and the geographies of education.…”

The history of the Higher Education Research Group of the UK Royal Geographical Society: The changing status and focus of geography education in the academy

“…At the HERG AGM in 2018, newly under the leadership of Ruth Healey, it was proposed by Matt Finn and Itta Bauer that the HERG's remit might be expanded to formally include educational spaces and pedagogies beyond higher education. 9 Other papers in this special section discuss the rise of the geographies of education (Kraftl et al, 2022), and explore the reciprocal relationship between geography education and geographies of education leading to the decision to rename the Group the Geography and Education Research Group (GeogEd; West et al, 2022). The formal ratification of this change by the Research and Higher Education Committee of the RGS-IBG in October 2019, the Geography and Education Research Group (re)launch event in December 2019, and this special section represent the beginning of the fifth phase in the Group's development.…”