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Department of Education

Emma Rawlings Smith

Departmental Lecturer in Geography Education

Emma Rawlings Smith is Departmental Lecturer in Geography Education. She teaches on the PGCE Geography and MSc in Learning and Teaching programmes, and supervises postgraduate students in the fields of geography education and teacher education.

After completing a first degree in Geography and Biology at the University of Sussex, a Masters in Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy (with Distinction) and a Secondary Geography PGCE both at the University of Sheffield, Emma taught school geography for 15 years in the United Kingdom and abroad. Emma’s disciplinary expertise was recognised by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) when she became a Fellow (FRGS) and Chartered Geographer in 2009. While working in Abu Dhabi, she gained an MA in Education (with Distinction), and became increasingly interested in practitioner research and professional learning. On return to England Emma completed her doctorate exploring the professional capital of authors who recontextualise knowledge about place in geography textbooks.

Emma has worked in Higher Education since 2016. Firstly, at the University of Leicester as PGCE Geography Lead, SCITT Academic Lead and MSc Educational Leadership module lead. She then moved into the role of Postgraduate Research Lead at Bangor University and further supported research as the School Ethics Chair and CaBan ITE Partnership Research Lead. Emma was awarded Welsh Government funding for a Student Transitions to University project in collaboration with colleagues at Cardiff Metropolitan University. She has published widely on geography education and initial teacher education (ITE) and her research interests focus on teacher education, professional development, teacher and teacher educator identity, student transitions, lesson study in ITE, and place pedagogy. Emma is currently working on an edited volume titled Encountering Place in Education to be published by Routledge in 2023.

Emma has been, and continues to be, involved in a range of societies and associations. She is a trustee and sits on the Council of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS- IBG) as Honorary Secretary (Education) and is a Chartered Geographer assessor. Emma is a member of the Geography Education Research Collective, a member of the Geographical Association’s (GA) Teacher Education Phase Committee and Teaching Geography Editorial Board, having previously sat on the Post 16 & Higher Education Committee (2009-2016). Through her consultancy work with the GA, RGS, the Field Studies Council, NASBTT and Durham Education Service, Emma has supported the professional learning of geography teachers on Data Skills, Changing Places, qualitative methods and geographical enquiry and she has co-authored a number of 11-18 school geography textbooks. Emma has examined GCSE and A level geography for AQA and Edexcel and most recently worked as a GCE Geography Examination Author for OCR. Emma has since served as an External Examiner on PGCE programmes at the University of Reading and Liverpool Hope University.

Current professional associations: British Educational Research Association (BERA);
Royal Geographical Association (with IBG); Geographical Association (GA); International Professional Development Association (IPDA); British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS).

Funded Research Projects

Student transitions to university in Wales during COVID-19 Welsh Government funded as part of the National Strategy for Educational Research and Enquiry Collaborative Evidence Network Programme (10/2021-07/2022).

Teacher Drop Out Erasmus+ Programme (2000-2023).

NERC Discipline Hopping (DH) for Environmental Solutions, (12/2021 – 04/2022).

Thesis

Rawlings Smith, E. (2020) An exploration of the professional capital of authors who recontextualise knowledge about place in English A level geography textbooks, PhD Thesis. Leicester, University of Leicester. https://doi.org/10.25392/leicester.data.11806593

  • Subjects Taught

    PGCE (Geography)

    MSc in Learning and Teaching

    MSc in Teacher Education

Publications:

  • Books

    • Rawlings Smith, E., Oakes, S., & Owen, A. (2016). Changing Place: Changing Places. Geographical Association.

  • Book chapters

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2022). Mentoring meetings and conversations supporting beginning teachers in their development as geography teachers. In L. Hammond, G. Healy, S. PUTTICK, & N. Walshe (Eds.), Mentoring Geography Teachers in the Secondary School A Practical Guide (pp. 137-155). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003157120-13
      DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003157120-13

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2022). Mentoring meetings and conversations supporting beginning teachers in their development as geography teachers (G. Healy, L. Hammond, S. PUTTICK, & N. Walshe, Eds.; pp. 137-155). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003157120
      DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003157120

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2021). Population and Cities, The Middle East. In G. Pollard, J. Hopkin, & R. Bircher (Eds.), Geography 11-14: Exploring our Changing World. Geographical Association. https://www.geography.org.uk/Shop/Geography-11-14-Exploring-our-changing-world-Student-Book/9781843775096

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2018). Changing Places. In S. Ross & A. Griffiths (Eds.), International A Level Geography. Oxford University Press.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2017). Post 16 Geography. In M. Jones (Ed.), The Handbook of Secondary Geography (pp. 260-277). Geographical Association.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2016). Tectonic Hazards, Water Resources. In D. Payne (Ed.), GCSE Geography for AQA. Cambridge University Press.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2009). Rural Settlements. In J. Pallister & A. Bowen (Eds.), Understanding GCSE Geography. Heinemann.

  • Journal articles

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2023). Guest Editorial. Teaching Geography, 48(2), 49-49.

    • Rawlings Smith, E., & Hammond, L. (2023). Ethics, data protection and research in geography education. Teaching Geography, 48(1), 18-20. https://www.geography.org.uk/Journals/Teaching-Geography

    • Rawlings Smith, E.-J., & Rushton, E. (2022). Geography teacher educators’ identity, roles and professional learning in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2022.2153988
      https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e9763276-a766-4470-bde1-bff3b26259c6

    • Rawlings Smith, E.-J., Hodgkin, K., & Young, N. (2022). Student transitions to university in Wales: A mixed-method study of the enablers and barriers of first-year engagement. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2022.100216
      https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:5d051f63-c761-406b-abc5-3cc5b3f0b337

    • Rawlings Smith, E., & Oakes, S. (2022). What constitutes a good A-level geography education?. Teaching Geography, 47(1), 32-35.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2021). Guest Editorial. Teaching Geography, 46(2), 5-5.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2021). Spotlight on Maxwell Street. Geography, 106(1), 53-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2020.1862594
      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2020.1862594

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2020). A breath of fresh air for Birmingham. Geography Review, 34(2), 30-33.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2020). Techniques for mentors to support early career teachers’ reflective practice. Teaching Geography, 45(2), 53-55.

    • Rawlings Smith, E., & Wood, P. (2017). Lesson study: a collaborative approach to teacher growth. Geography, 102(2), 91-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2017.12094015
      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2017.12094015

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2015). How can we better represent the Middle East?. Teaching Geography, 40(1), 72-75.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2013). Spotlight on...City: A guidebook for the urban age. Geography, 98(1), 50-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2012.12094346
      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2012.12094346

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2013). My Place Abu Dhabi. Teaching Geography, 38(1), 35-37.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2012). Abu Dhabi Goes Green. Geography Review, 25(4), 2-5.

    • Rawlings Smith, E. (2012). Spotlight on...The God Species: How the planet can survive the age of humans. Geography, 97(2), 105-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2012.12094346
      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2012.12094346

  • Reports

    • Hodgkin, K., Young, N., Rawlings Smith, E., & Singh, S. (2023). Student transitions to university in Wales during COVID-19. Welsh Government. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:d0d95c14-2822-45a8-8b34-64d91326c005
      https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:d0d95c14-2822-45a8-8b34-64d91326c005

    • Rawlings Smith, E., & Kinder, A. (2022). The professional needs and views of teachers of geography: a national report from the Geographical Association (pp. 1-16). Geographical Association. https://geography.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GA_National_Research_Report_2022_WEB_8722.pdf

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