Lifelong learning in geography
To celebrate the publication of the latest OS education impact report, ‘Lifelong learning in geography and geospatial: the impact of education, promotion and development’, OS Education Account Manager, Darren Bailey, shares the role OS plays in education throughout Great Britain.
"I'm enthusiastic about training teachers how to use maps because it empowers them to enhance their teaching methods and engage students in a more interactive way. Maps provide a visual aid that helps students better understand and retain geographical information, making learning more effective and enjoyable. Upskilling teachers creates a dynamic and engaging classroom environment where students can explore and connect with the world around them."
Darren continues, "We work with over 30 educational establishments, and over 1200 teachers and trainee teachers every year, from primary and secondary schools, to enhance the teaching of geography. We also have a strong culture within OS for Continuous Professional Development – hence the impact report using the term ‘Lifelong learning.’
"Our teacher training programme provides teachers with the appropriate knowledge on how to make best use of both OS mapping and geographic information systems (GIS), in line with the requirements in the National Curriculum and Geography GCSE syllabus. We also provide a full suite of teaching resources to support geography teachers, including award-winning guidance documentation."
The Digimap for Schools service is an award-winning online mapping service that provides access to OS data and numerous scales, for teachers and pupils to gain critical digital and data skills. The service uses OS data and is run by EDINA, based at the University of Edinburgh.
"Working strategically with major stakeholders, we help shape the National Curriculum and exam syllabuses to ensure OS mapping and data is available for the teaching of geography in Great Britain. We also highlight the importance of geography through initiatives such as National Map Reading Week."
This year, National Map Reading Week is running between the 14th and 20th of July, with the theme ‘Love Maps.' Learning map reading skills can help develop confidence in navigating, helping people explore. And the OS Maps App is packed with routes and exciting places to visit.
You can read the report ‘Lifelong learning in geography and geospatial: the impact of education, promotion and development' by clicking below.
Explore the impact report
For further insight into how OS supports geography education, explore the report
Our highly accurate geospatial data and printed maps help individuals, governments and companies to understand the world, both in Britain and overseas.