The Australian Curriculum: Geography empowers students to shape change for a socially just and sustainable future. Geography inspires curiosity and wonder about the diversity of the world’s places, peoples, cultures and environments. Through a structured way of exploring, analysing and understanding the characteristics of the places that make up our world, Geography enables students to question why the world is the way it is, and reflect on their relationships with and responsibilities for that world. The subject helps students to develop information and communication technology skills; an appreciation and respect for social, cultural and religious diversity and different perspectives; an understanding of ethical research principles; a capacity for teamwork; and an ability to solve problems and to think critically and creatively. Geography helps students to be regional and global citizens capable of active and ethical participation.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
The Science of 'Being Social'...The Australian Curriculum: Geography aims to ensure that students develop: a sense of wonder, curiosity and respect about places, people, cultures and environments throughout the world a deep geographical knowledge of their own locality, Australia, the Asia region and the world the ability to think geographically, using geographical concepts the capacity to be competent, critical and creative users of geographical inquiry methods and skills as informed, responsible and active citizens who can contribute to the development of an environmentally and economically sustainable, and socially just world.
The Australian Curriculum: Geography empowers students to shape change for a socially just and sustainable future. Geography inspires curiosity and wonder about the diversity of the world’s places, peoples, cultures and environments. Through a structured way of exploring, analysing and understanding the characteristics of the places that make up our world, Geography enables students to question why the world is the way it is, and reflect on their relationships with and responsibilities for that world. The subject helps students to develop information and communication technology skills; an appreciation and respect for social, cultural and religious diversity and different perspectives; an understanding of ethical research principles; a capacity for teamwork; and an ability to solve problems and to think critically and creatively. Geography helps students to be regional and global citizens capable of active and ethical participation.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
The Science of 'Being Social'...The Australian Curriculum: Geography aims to ensure that students develop: a sense of wonder, curiosity and respect about places, people, cultures and environments throughout the world a deep geographical knowledge of their own locality, Australia, the Asia region and the world the ability to think geographically, using geographical concepts the capacity to be competent, critical and creative users of geographical inquiry methods and skills as informed, responsible and active citizens who can contribute to the development of an environmentally and economically sustainable, and socially just world.
As part of the Linguistics Roadshow, we put together a short survey on some Australian English vocabulary. We invited people to fill it in and tell us which words they prefer for particular things, like potato cakes/scallops/fritters. The responses are fed directly into a map, so that we can see if there are any interesting differences depending on where…
Maree Whiteley's insight:
What a wonderful provocation for an inquiry - What do you SEE? How do you THINK this has happen? What does it make you WONDER? #geography #culture #heritage #vocabulary #population #migration
THE devastation left by the deadly firestorm that ripped through Yarloop can be seen from space, with NASA releasing a satellite image of the towns burn scar.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Amazing images... capturing the extent of the bushfire damage, with unburnt vegetation appears red, scorched vegetation appears brown while buildings, roads and other developed areas appear light grey and white.
Have you defined your park or historic site's essence of place? Can you identify what makes it absolutely, irreplaceably unique?
Maree Whiteley's insight:
A very insightful article about 'sense of place'..."We know what our place is—and what it isn’t—and we understand how all of its wonderful qualities (its landscape, its history, its community, its sights and smells) add up to foster an ineffable feeling of place. We live and breath it every day."
A very insightful article about 'sense of place'..."We know what our place is—and what it isn’t—and we understand how all of its wonderful qualities (its landscape, its history, its community, its sights and smells) add up to foster an ineffable feeling of place. We live and breath it every day."
Brief Description of this Post First, this post provides a summary of definitions of place as a noun (not as a verb) in general dictionaries. It does not include discipline specific dictionaries. ...
Maree Whiteley's insight:
'Placeness'- an interesting website by Edward (Ted) Relph exploring the concept of place, sense of place, spirit of place, placemaking, placelessness and non-place, and almost everything to do with place and places...who would have thought?
'Placeness'- an interesting website by Edward (Ted) Relph exploring the concept of place, sense of place, spirit of place, placemaking, placelessness and non-place, and almost everything to do with place and places...who would have thought?
The Australian Curriculum for Geography provides a number of opportunities for students to learn explicit content about Asia. It 'enables students learn about the ways in which Australia and Asia are interconnected, both environmentally and socially, and how transnational collaboration supports the notion of shared and sustainable futures within the Asia region.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Another fabulous addition to the suite of rich resources from the Asia Education Foundation. Sample map of Asia opportunities View or download the A3 sample map of Asia opportunities in the Australian Curriculum: Geography (PDF 207 KB).Identify the Asia content being implemented in your classroom to address the Asia priority. As part of the audit, identify new opportunities as provided by the Australian Curriculum to incorporate Asia across year levels.
Another fabulous addition to the suite of rich resources from the Asia Education Foundation. Sample map of Asia opportunities View or download the A3 sample map of Asia opportunities in the Australian Curriculum: Geography (PDF 207 KB).Identify the Asia content being implemented in your classroom to address the Asia priority. As part of the audit, identify new opportunities as provided by the Australian Curriculum to incorporate Asia across year levels.
We've pulled together our favorite Skype lessons and put them into handy collections based on subject. Choose a subject, browse the lessons and get involved
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Meet Teachers and Students from around the world...in THEIR classroom, from YOUR classroom.
The Good Country Index is pretty simple: a measure of what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity
Maree Whiteley's insight:
This is so interesting! A fabulous collection of data to analyse, compare/contrast, question and discuss...and so many layers of data to explore...love it����
Editorial: It used to be a Cinderella subject. Now, in a world that increasingly values people who can work across the physical and social sciences, geography’s all the rage
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Social Science and the science of 'being social' is at the core of Geographical thinking. This is a very timely article that reminds us of the importance of Who we are are Where we are in our global landscape. Geography IS a subject for our times. It is inherently multidisciplinary in a world that increasingly values people who have the skills needed to work across the physical and social sciences.
Virtual field trips let you take students all over the world to unique experiences they wouldn't get otherwise. Here are 10 to check out.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Virtual field trips let us take students to places they likely wouldn’t visit otherwise — and often for free. No matter what you teach, there’s someone in the world with experience, expertise or perspectives that your students can benefit from. Here are 10 virtual field trips you and your students can take for free. Some virtual field trips are seasonal and others are available year-round.
Getting students out of the classroom and conducting their own investigations increases engagement and interest in Geography.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
' Wise words about the value of fieldwork into your geographical inquiry....'Caldis says inquiry-based learning is not new to a lot of teachers, but doing it geographically and incorporating fieldwork may be. 'You can do inquiry without fieldwork, but you shouldn’t be doing fieldwork without inquiry, otherwise you don’t know why you’re out there investigating stuff! 'For [Geography], fieldwork is fundamental'
This site contains a vast range of dynamic and effective teaching and learning resources suitable for geography students aged 11 - 18 years old. Fantastic photo collection, free for classroom use.
This site contains a vast range of dynamic and effective teaching and learning resources suitable for geography students aged 11 - 18 years old. Fantastic photo collection, free for classroom use.
"Geo-literacy is a new term for a long-standing idea consisting of three components: interactions, interconnections and implications. It is the ability to use geographic understanding and geographic reasoning to make far-reaching decisions. Whether we are making decisions about where to live or what precautions to take for natural hazards, we all make decisions that require geo-literacy throughout our lives. This video illustrates what geo-literacy means to individuals, and to our shared global community. Share it with your friends, family, and colleagues, to help spread the word."
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Stop for 3:51 minutes...Geo-literacy extends far beyond knowing where places are on a map. National Geographic Education has put an emphasis on geo-literacy, which entails spatial thinking skills and understanding systems in addition to content knowledge about locations and places.
Stop for 3:51 minutes...Geo-literacy extends far beyond knowing where places are on a map. National Geographic Education has put an emphasis on geo-literacy, which entails spatial thinking skills and understanding systems in addition to content knowledge about locations and places.
The Nature of Geography Most everyone knows that history is the study of events through time. Basically, historians ask "What happened when and why then?" But many people, it seems, have a problem defining geography. One reason why geography has languished in the curricula ...
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Some very interesting definitions about 'Geography' and 'Why Geography?' in this article..." all geographic teaching and learning should relate to the human need to know, emphasizing "Why care?" The definition presented here identifies in simple, easily taught, and easily learned terms the extreme complexity of geography.
A Brief Visual History of Travel: gapyear.com presents the epic journey of the human race, from the plains of Africa to the beckoning universe, and beyond.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Amazing...definitely a few worthwhile lessons (if not a whole year of content!) here to explore...History and Geography links to AC and beyond!
Using a clever combination of virtual reality and brain imaging, researchers have located a “homing signal” in the human brain, revealing why some of us are always getting lost while others navigate with ease. It all depends on signal strength and reliability (like wi-fi). The work was published in Current Biology this week.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Do you ask for directions or prefer to struggle with a map and frustrate your travelling companions? Is it a matter of gender or do we have an inbuilt navigation system in our brain?
Below are tweets from the first and second day of the Geography Teachers Association Victoria. Fantastic resources and ideas were shared. Thank you to all for making it such a valuable and interesting event.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Thanks Ilja @vanweringh for collating this great conversation and resources from the GTAV Conference...especially for those of us who couldn't be there in person :-)
Google unveiled a fun new game called "Smarty Pins" that tests players' geography and trivia skills.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Google previously released other games, including Santa Maps Dive and Spell Up. For its part, Smarty Pins is similar to a game called GeoGuessr, which challenges players to identify a photo by clicking its location on Google Maps.
A long-term project like writing to a penpal is a great way to consistently work on reading and writing.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
A great Human Geography activity...so many cross-curricula opportunities for Reading, Writing and even ICT if you combine a visit via @SkypeClassroom...
Letter-writing, addressing an envelope and checking the letterbox...did you have a Penpal? Perhaps add a @SkypeClassroom hook-up for a 21st Century twist...
A great Human Geography activity...so many cross-curricula opportunities for Reading, Writing and even ICT if you combine a visit via @SkypeClassroom...
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The Science of 'Being Social'...The Australian Curriculum: Geography aims to ensure that students develop: a sense of wonder, curiosity and respect about places, people, cultures and environments throughout the world a deep geographical knowledge of their own locality, Australia, the Asia region and the world the ability to think geographically, using geographical concepts the capacity to be competent, critical and creative users of geographical inquiry methods and skills as informed, responsible and active citizens who can contribute to the development of an environmentally and economically sustainable, and socially just world.