King's Ely NEWS
Mr Parkinson's new role at Royal Geographical Society
August 2nd, 2024
Congratulations to Mr Alan Parkinson on his new role as Vice President: Education of the Royal Geographical Society!
Mr Parkinson, who is our Head of Geography at King's Ely Prep, started the four-year vice presidency this summer. The society's new President is Professor Dame Jane Francis, who is Director of the British Antarctic Survey.
The society was founded in 1830 and it has a long association with exploration. It supported the expeditions of many famous explorers and scientists, including Charles Darwin, David Livingstone, Robert Falcon Scott, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, as well as Hillary and Tenzing’s successful ascent of Everest in 1953. The society’s education work includes an annual conference, numerous resources on its website, teacher and student events, exhibitions and archives, and other support for Geography educators.
Mr Parkinson will serve on Council - the society’s governing body - guiding educational policy and getting involved in a range of projects at the society’s Kensington headquarters, which are known as “The Home of Geography”. Through this work, students at King’s Ely will be connected with people and projects which will enhance the Geography curriculum at all levels.
Mr Parkinson, who was previously President of the Geographical Association in 2021-22, said:
“The work of the RGS-IBG is founded on many of the greats in global exploration, but there has always been a desire to connect young people to the lessons learned from these great exploits and support their Geographical education and imagination. Although we might think that there are no undiscovered places left, the uncertain future our planet faces will produce challenges which will need as many Geographers as possible to solve. I am excited and honoured to be taking on this role, and the responsibility that comes with it.”
Mr Parkinson has taught Geography for over thirty years, and has written and edited numerous textbooks and children's books. He is a Chartered Geographer, a Fellow of the RGS-IBG, and has won numerous awards for his writing, innovative teaching, and support of other colleagues. These include the RSGS’s Joy Tivy Education Medal in 2013, which has only been awarded nine times: one fellow awardee is the late education guru, Sir Ken Robinson.
Along with Daniel Raven Ellison, Mr Parkinson was the co-founder of Mission:Explore. He writes many blogs including LivingGeography, which has had over seven million page views. Recent work includes being an author and reviewer for the Oak National curriculum project, and textbooks for GCSE and international qualifications.
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