Interview with a Geographer: Mr Burdett's sister

This interview is with Mr Burdett's sister. We put a few questions to her to find out why she did Geography...

Why did you take Geography?
I was quite good at Geography and we had a family interest really. All my older brothers had taken geography and my father was very keen.

What did you find useful/interesting during your GCSE Geography course?
I enjoyed the physical geography and understanding the landscapes I went to see. I liked hiking adn we went on lots of fieldtrips that let me do that.

What is your current job?
I'm a regional marketing manager, which means I produce marketing campaigns for an insurance company. These might range from car insurance to specialist yacht insurance.

How much do you earn?
About £35,000 per year.

Would you recommend gegraphy and why?
In geography you do'nt just learn about landscapes, you also learn about socio-economic factors like population demographics and you understand how you manipulate that kind of data. This helps my job because although many people think that marketing is producing adverts, products and press releases, understanding the target markets and the sector of the population of which you are trying to reach is integral to a successful marketing campaign. You need to understand who will buy your products and their reasons for buying them, and Geography helps you find out why people make the choices that they do.

Thanks for taking the time!

Options Evening 31st January 2007

Most of you have already spoken to your teachers about your ability to do geography. Now it's time to find out what you will study and how it will affect your employment chances etc. later in life.
Don't forget that if you don't get to speak to your teacher on Wednesday evening, Mr Burdett will be available and you can speak to him about any issues to do with the course. And you can also speak to your teacher in your next Geography lesson.
Make sure you think of questions you want answered before you go in - think about the final GCSE results, what you want from your course, and where Geography will be useful for you after your GCSE course.
Any questions - just ask!

About the teachers: Mr Burdett

Mr Burdett studied GCSE and A level Geography and then went to the University of Manchester to study for a BA degree in Geography. After getting a 2-1 he went to do his PGCE (teacher qualification) at the University of Plymouth on the Exmouth Campus where he fell in love with the three mile long beach and red sandstone cliffs.

He joined Cromwell Community College in 2002 and became Head of Geography in 2005. He is an GCSE Examiner for OCR Geography B Paper 2 (the same syllabus we do at Cromwell) and has attended numerous examiner and exam feedback meetings.

In 2006 he began teaching, with Dr Peryer, the first ever A level Geography at Cromwell. He is now teaching the Physical Geography part of the A2 course to Year 13 students.

Is Geography for me?

As you get closer to narrowing down your options, you should think about a few things. This applies just as well to any subject, not just Geography.

Step 1: Most important - do you enjoy it?
If you enjoy a subject you will work harder and be more attentive. That will lead to a happier couple of years, and a better grade at the end of it. If you enjoy several subjects, go to step 2...

Step 2: Are you good at it?
If you have several subjects you enjoy, think about which ones you are best at. Remember though, that if you haven't done well recently it doesn't mean you won't do better next year, especially as the people in your group will change which may help you concentrate better. If you are still struggling, go to step 3...

Step 3: The Department
If you haven't made your decisions based on Steps 1 and 2 (and even if you have), take a look at the department you will be working in. Every subject has huge strengths, and you need to decide which are appropriate for you. In last year's GCSE exams, 4 out of 5 Geography students at Cromwell got a grade C or better - and 1 in every 5 got an A or an A*. Is this something that is important to you? You can also think about the classrooms, access to technology, and the staff - but see the word of warning in Step 5!

Step 4: What will you study next year - is it interesting?
If you still can't decide, get details from the Options Evening on Wednesday 31st January about the course you are going to study. You might find Geography more interesting than you thought - from global issues like climate change and fighting poverty, right down to why you live in your house and why there isn't a cinema nearby, geography is an interesting subject. Remember also that some new subjects that sound fabulously exciting might not turn out the way you think they will. This brings us on to the next point...

Step 5: The teachers
You might want to study with the same teacher for the next two years. Or you might want to get away from one you have at the moment! But don't let this be something that influences your decision to do any particular subject. Remember that teachers are unlikely to teach all the groups in your year for GCSE, and even if they do, in all subject areas teachers move on from time to time.

Whatever you decide, make sure it is the right subject for you. The Geography Department naturally wants you ALL to do Geography because we think it is the most important subject you could take (where else will you learn about global warming, rainforest destruction, shopping patterns and coastal erosion?) but we also want you to make the right decision. Ask us at any time if you want more advice.

Interview with a Geographer: Mr Burdett's brother

Surprisingly Mr Burdett's brother is also called Mr Burdett! We put a few questions to him to find out why he did Geography...

Why did you take Geography?
Because I enjoyed learning about things I could see, which meant that I was interested.

What did you find useful/interesting during your GCSE Geography course?
I learned of how other people live, of issues that don't affect me but affect thousands of other people, particularly in human geog.

What is your current job?
I'm a traffic engineer/transport planner,which resulted from me doing a geography degree and focusing on transport

How much do you earn?
Dependent upon the hours I work, just under £40k.

Would you recommend gegraphy and why?
Doing geography makes you aware of your surroundings, makes you consider the needs of others, gain a different aspect on life, inspires you to travel and learn from other cultures, gain more enjoyment from trips to mountains

Thanks for taking the time!

All about field trips

At Cromwell we have several field trips during our GCSE course.

Cambridge - a day visit to Cambridge to study how people's lives and housing changes as you move further from the city centre. Includes (with parental consent) an hour spent shopping in the Grafton Centre!

Norfolk Broads - usually on a lovely sunny day in late June we descend on the Norfolk Broads for a day to see how people are using (and abusing) this precious and unique environment.

Hunstanton - at the start of year 11 we will pack our flip flops and head for a day at the beach! We will walk along the beach noting the problems caused by erosion and what people have done about them. It's not all work though - we head to the chippy for lunch!

GCSE at Cromwell Community College

The GCSE course we study is the widely acclaimed OCR Specification 'B' (Avery Hill).

It is an issues based course, which means you don't just learn about rivers but how they are used by people. Not just about poverty, but the effects on real lives. Not just coasts, but how people's houses are falling into the sea. Not just about the loss of the Amazon Rainforest, but how the lives of native people are having to change.

There are four main parts to your course:

Climate, Environment and People - all about hurricanes, monsoons, drought, rainforests, and more. Includes a visit to the Norfolk Broads in Year 10.

People, Work and Development - the jobs we do and where we do them, plus the problems for people in LEDCs who don't have access to a good source of income.

Water, Landforms and People - coasts (including a field trip to Hunstanton), rivers, floods and drought

People and Place - where we live and why we live there, the problems for people who live in poorer countries, migration. Includes a field trip to Cambridge.