Geographical Skills are the techniques that geographers use in their investigations, both in fieldwork and in the classroom. Students learn to think critically about the methods used to obtain, represent, analyse and interpret information and communicate findings. Key skills developed through Australian Curriculum: Geography include formulating a question and research plan, recording and data representation skills, using a variety of spatial technologies and communicating with appropriate geographical vocabulary. Geographical Skills are described in the curriculum under five sub-headings representing the stages of a complete investigation. Over each two-year stage students should learn the methods and skills specified for that stage, but it is not intended that they should always be learned in the context of a complete inquiry. Teachers could, for example, provide students with data to represent or analyse rather than have them collect the information themselves. Inquiry does not always require the collection and processing of information: the starting point could be a concept or an ethical or aesthetic issue that can be explored orally. Many inquiries should start from the observations, questions and curiosity of students. Inquiry will progressively move from more teacher-centred to more student-centred as students develop cognitive abilities and gain experience with the process and methods across the years of schooling. The stages of an investigation are: Observing, questioning and planning Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing Interpreting, analysing and concluding Communicating Reflecting and responding Relationship between Strands The two strands are integrated in the development of a teaching and learning program. The Geographical Knowledge and Understanding strand is developed year by year and provides the contexts through which particular skills are developed. Following the Foundation Year the Geographical Inquiry and Skills strand has common content descriptions for each two-year band of schooling, but with elaborations specific to each Year to support the changing content of the Geographical Knowledge and Understanding strand. Concepts for Geographical Understanding Seven major concepts underlie a geographical way of investigating and understanding the world. These are high level ideas or ways of thinking that can be applied across the subject to identify a question, guide an investigation, organise information, suggest an explanation or assist decision making. They are the key ideas involved in teaching students to think geographically. The key concepts in the P-10 Australian Curriculum: Geography can be remembered by the acronym ‘SPICESS: space, place, interconnection, change, environment, sustainability, and scale.
Geographical Skills are the techniques that geographers use in their investigations, both in fieldwork and in the classroom. Students learn to think critically about the methods used to obtain, represent, analyse and interpret information and communicate findings. Key skills developed through Australian Curriculum: Geography include formulating a question and research plan, recording and data representation skills, using a variety of spatial technologies and communicating with appropriate geographical vocabulary. Geographical Skills are described in the curriculum under five sub-headings representing the stages of a complete investigation. Over each two-year stage students should learn the methods and skills specified for that stage, but it is not intended that they should always be learned in the context of a complete inquiry. Teachers could, for example, provide students with data to represent or analyse rather than have them collect the information themselves. Inquiry does not always require the collection and processing of information: the starting point could be a concept or an ethical or aesthetic issue that can be explored orally. Many inquiries should start from the observations, questions and curiosity of students. Inquiry will progressively move from more teacher-centred to more student-centred as students develop cognitive abilities and gain experience with the process and methods across the years of schooling. The stages of an investigation are: Observing, questioning and planning Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing Interpreting, analysing and concluding Communicating Reflecting and responding Relationship between Strands The two strands are integrated in the development of a teaching and learning program. The Geographical Knowledge and Understanding strand is developed year by year and provides the contexts through which particular skills are developed. Following the Foundation Year the Geographical Inquiry and Skills strand has common content descriptions for each two-year band of schooling, but with elaborations specific to each Year to support the changing content of the Geographical Knowledge and Understanding strand. Concepts for Geographical Understanding Seven major concepts underlie a geographical way of investigating and understanding the world. These are high level ideas or ways of thinking that can be applied across the subject to identify a question, guide an investigation, organise information, suggest an explanation or assist decision making. They are the key ideas involved in teaching students to think geographically. The key concepts in the P-10 Australian Curriculum: Geography can be remembered by the acronym ‘SPICESS: space, place, interconnection, change, environment, sustainability, and scale.
geography_lap_year_7-10_september.docx