CREATING THE SUCCESSFUL
GEOGRAPHY CLASSROOM
Jane Evans
Geography Facilitator 2013
Team Solutions
Introductions
• Make sure you have signed the roll
• General Administration
• Agenda for day.
AGENDA:
• Part 1: Teaching Geography as Inquiry
• Part 2: Scaffolding towards the externals
• Part 3: Understand requirements in incorporating
geographic concepts
Know Your Learner
• Get into a group of 3/4 people you do not know well
• Using the 2 pieces of string, make the North and South
Island
• Write on the post-its 3 places that have special meaning
to you.
• Place these post-its either in or outside NZ
• Share why this place is important to you to others in the
group
• See if there are any links between these places and
others in the group.
What was the point of this
exercise?
• How can this translate to the classroom?
About Me:
Part 1: Teaching As Inquiry
In groups discuss:
• What do I understand by this term?
• How do I use it in my teaching?
• This is NOT inquiry based learning.
• It is based on the Teacher and how they
approach their teaching.
It is likely to be student centered
as:
• Best Evidence synthesis (BES) says that the
best practice in Social Sciences is based on:
•
•
•
•
Alignment (student outcomes)
Connection (relevant)
Community (relationships)
Interest (variety and experience)
Teaching As Inquiry
Prior to Teaching
-
-
Setting your goals
Course and Unit
design
Differentiate - Know
your student
Evaluating
- Review
effectiveness
Teaching
- Getting
information
across
Learning
-
Consolidating
information
Assessing
understanding
Prior to Teaching
-
Setting your goals
Course and Unit
design
Differentiate - Know
your student
Evaluating
- Review
effectiveness
Teaching
- Getting
information
across
Learning
-
Consolidating
information
Assessing
understanding
Setting Your Goals (group
discussion)
• What does a successful geography classroom
look like?
• What is it you want to achieve?
• These are our outcomes
– Programme Design
• What do my students need to learn?
• - The AO’s should be your starting point
• - Assessment should be the end not the start
• - Decide what you think is important for a
student to cover in a course of geography
A Course should include the
following:
• Physical geography
• Cultural geography
• Applied Geography (People/environment
interactions)
• Skills
• Case Studies at a local / national/ overseas
and global scale.
• Current Geographic Issues
An Easy way to do this is a term of
each:
• Term 1: Physical Geography (ENE, Skills,
global )
• Term 2: Cultural Geography (Pop, Skills )
• Term 3: Applied Geography (sustainable
environments, Current issues)
Alternatively can break it up
according to scale:
• Term 1: My local community (Research,
Current Issue, Skills)
• Term 2: My Country (Pop, Skills,
sustainability)
• Term 3: Further Horizons (Global based on
ENE)
How Effective is your course?
Use this to see the gaps
Once this is established then bring
in other considerations.
Teaching Inquiry – what do I need
to know and do?
Past Data:
• Get to know your students in terms of
interests
• Use data available – NCEA results, e asTTle,
Reports
• Keep updating data – no of credits, how doing
in other subjects.
• Know who to target when doing activities
• Design activities to be inclusive for less able
students.
Remember:
• It is the student you want to understand not
the effectiveness of a course
• If your numbers are low then comparing to
national averages is irrelevant
• You need to understand what it is that hinders
their learning.
• It is also important to understand the entry
point of students so you can see any
difference.
Activities to inform prior
knowledge
• Brainstorm
• Pre-tests
Example of
a Pre-test:
Activities to inform prior
knowledge
•
•
•
•
Brainstorms
Pre-tests
Know-All (what we know, think we know, don’t know)
True / False
Try the activity for Level 3 on Waves. Sort into
True or False
Answers:
• TRUE: 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 12
• FALSE: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 14
• Does anyone use any other effective
techniques?
Prior to Teaching
-
Teaching
Setting your goals
Course and Unit
design
Differentiate - Know
your student
Evaluating
- Review
effectiveness
- Getting
information
across
Learning
-
Consolidating
information
Assessing
understanding
The success of Teaching and
Learning is based on literacy?
• IN GROUPS
• What do you understand literacy to be?
• How do you try to promote this in geography?
• Literacy is the written and oral language
people use in their everyday life and work. It
includes reading, writing, speaking, and
listening. Skills in this area are essential for
good communication, active participation,
critical thinking and problem solving.
• Geoliteracy is the ability to use geographic
understanding and geographic reasoning to
make decisions
This has become a new catch
phrase as:
• ALL except (1.4 and 1.8) AS are now literacy
standards. We therefore must take
responsibility to teach them.
•
Numeracy and Literacy NZQA
Providing The core information
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use of film or documentary
A You Tube clip
Use of a power point
Use of visuals – maps / photos/ diagrams
Teacher instruction
Use of a text-book
Use of a newspaper article
Use of internet
Use of manipulatives
Games
Students learn best in different ways
•
•
•
•
V
A
R
K
isual
ural
eading and writing
inesthetic
• You must therefore do a variety of activities
that matches these. Try a combination.
Visual:
• Show a You tube clip or power point as an
introduction that can be followed up by
discussion.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFZz6ICzp
jI
• Use photographs to extract characteristics
Visual:
Question dice
•
•
•
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What
Where
Who
Why
When
How
• Differentiate from basic to higher level.
Aural:
• Complete a dictated diagram
• Teacher reads a passage
• Students draw what they hear
• After teacher finished student goes back and
adds captions to pictures.
• For example what are the effects of an ENE on
people?
Aural:
• Do a running dictation
• Words on the wall – groups have to find the
answer and tell the others who write it down.
(great to introduce terms)
Reading
• What strategies have you tried?
•
•
•
•
Highlighting key words or phrases
Skim and scan
Reciprocal Reading strategies
Paragloss (write down key terms only)
Writing
• For getting notes down scaffold this from:
• Completing a close
• Giving the first few words and getting students
to complete the sentence
• Providing the key ideas and getting them to
put these together
• Providing a graphic organiser or writing frame
Many Activities require students to
engage with text:
Match the task in
your pack to the
appropriate activity
Manipulatives:
• Dominoes – put cards in order
• Matching terms
• Flow charts – put a process in order
Try to combine several of these:
• For example if teaching the processes causing
an ENE to occur:
• 1. Show a DVD clip and get students to identify key
words
• 2. Using the key words see if they can explain how the
ENE was formed in a group discussion.
• 3. Using cards put the processes into order
• 4. Draw diagrams to go with these stages
• 5. Underneath write sentences that explain what the
diagrams show.
Prior to Teaching
-
Teaching
Couse design
Unit design
Differentiate - Know
your student
Evaluating
- Review
effectiveness
- Getting
information
across
Learning
-
Consolidating
information
Assessing
understanding
Consolidation means:
• Ensure understanding of core information
• Expanding on that core and going beyond. A
chance to put information together and make
links. This is where most ‘thinking’ happens.
• Many of the games used are explained in your
pack
Seeds of possibility waiting
for the right conditions
From this you can differentiate
activities:
Students generally learn best in the following
order:
•
•
•
•
Doing / Action / Kinesthetic
Speaking and Listening / Aural
Watching /Drawing / Visual
Reading and Writing
Scaffold
towards
this
Doing / Action
• Act out a process or concept
• Make a video or You Tube clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJlPvH4mKjU
• Use pipe cleaners and play dough to create something
• Have a sand competition
• Write a song, poem or rap
• Use manipulatives ( matching cards)
• Design a game
• Play the fly swat game on key words
Speaking
• Put students in groups and give them a
question to answer together.
• Do paired crosswords
• Play taboo
• Play ‘Who Am I?”
2 Way Dictation:
Visuals:
• Drawing a poster to summarise information
• Drawing a mind map to summarise
information
• Play pictionary on geographic terms
Written:
• Play ‘spot the mistake”
• Complete an A-Z of terms
• Write a letter or diary entry to give a
perspective.
Prior to Teaching
-
Couse design
Unit design
Differentiate - Know
your student
Evaluating
- Review
effectiveness
Teaching
- Getting
information
across
Learning
- Consolidating
information
Evaluation
•
•
•
•
Quick quiz
Traffic lights
Learning logs
Effective Questioning
• This will only be beneficial if you use to direct
your teaching.
Use Entry or Exit Cards
Part 2: Scaffolding Students into
Externals
Assessment of Understanding
• While we do not teach just for assessment this
is an important part of the programme.
• This is done mainly through writing so it is
essential that this is taught well.
Writing: What is needed?
• Need to unpack standards:
• Subject specific words
• Instruction words
• Use a highlighter to show each of these in the
AS provided.
For the subject specific words:
• Get them to keep a glossary of terms and concepts to
use. You can choose 3 per lesson to concentrate on.
• Keep applying key concepts to any section of work
• Learn about 10 facts for each case study as specifics
• Highlight the terminology and concepts and specifics in
an answer
For Instruction words:
• Do not assume they
know these
• Match the instruction
word to the meaning
DESCRIBE
Say WHAT occurs
DESCRIBE IN DETAIL
Say WHAT happens with elaboration
EXPLAIN
Say WHY something happens
EXPLAIN IN DETAIL
Say WHY something occurs with some elaboration
COMPARE
Looking at both the similarities and differences
EXPLAIN COMPREHENSIVELY
Say WHY something occurs with elaboration and
use of geographic terminology and concepts.
EVALUATION
Weighing up the importance/significance of one
element/process/feature compared to others.
Describing eating a piece of chocolate cake
When you first bite into a piece of chocolate cake,
what does it taste, smell, feel like?
• Smooth
• Sweet
• Moist
• Rich
• Dark
• Crumbly
• Dry
Can you explain why it’s like that?
Suggest how the piece of chocolate cake
could be made better
• Didn’t rush cake making process
• Used electric beaters
• Had the right sized cake
tin
• Added decorations
Justify how this would make the piece of
chocolate cake better...
Evaluate how this cake compares to other
cakes you have tasted?
From this move onto using
sentences in context – try the
matching activity
DESCRIBE
In countries such as Malawi there are many signs of a lack of development. This has the characteristics
of have large families, little opportunity for education and a low life expectancy.
DESCRIBE IN DETAIL
In a less developed country like Tanzania education is not very good. This is seen by facts like only
43% of the children attending school, few education resources and a large teacher: student ratio.
EXPLAIN
In a country like Malawi they have high infant mortality (large number of babies dying in their first
year). This occurs because the people do not have sufficient money to pay for adequate health care or
suitable housing.
EXPLAIN IN DETAIL
In regions like Dar Es Salaam 93% of children are educated. A reason for this is more education
opportunities and better facilities. As a result this leads to them getting good jobs to aid development.
JUSTIFY
I have chosen the HDI model as the best indicator of development because this is based on a
combination of social and economic factors rather than basing it on only one idea of development.
EXPLAIN
COMPREHENSIVELY
In urban areas such as Dar Es Salaam literacy rates are much higher than in rural areas like Kigoma.
Here there are few opportunities to become literate due to 30% children not able to go to school. As a
consequence they lack the skills necessary to promote future development.
EVALUATION
The most important factor that will reduce the differences in development is education. If children
gain the necessary skills they are able to earn higher wages that would then lead to an increase in
living standards
Next get them to identify the
connector words and highlight
them:
DESCRIBE
In countries such as Malawi there are many signs of a lack of development. This has the characteristics
of have large families, little opportunity for education and a low life expectancy.
DESCRIBE IN DETAIL
In a less developed country like Tanzania education is not very good. This is seen by facts like only
43% of the children attending school, few education resources and a large teacher: student ratio.
EXPLAIN
In a country like Malawi they have high infant mortality (large number of babies dying in their first
year). This occurs because the people do not have sufficient money to pay for adequate health care or
suitable housing.
EXPLAIN IN DETAIL
In regions like Dar Es Salaam 93% of children are educated. A reason for this is more education
opportunities and better facilities. As a result this leads to them getting good jobs to aid development.
JUSTIFY
I have chosen the HDI model as the best indicator of development because this is based on a
combination of social and economic factors rather than basing it on only one idea of development.
EXPLAIN
COMPREHENSIVELY
In urban areas such as Dar Es Salaam literacy rates are much higher than in rural areas like Kigoma.
Here there are few opportunities to become literate due to 30% children not able to go to school. As a
consequence they lack the skills necessary to promote future development.
EVALUATION
The most important factor that will reduce the differences in development is education. If children
gain the necessary skills they are able to earn higher wages that would then lead to an increase in
living standards
Do a list of connector words:
• DESCRIBE: This has the characteristics of, this looks like ….
• EXPLAIN : because, as, this is the result of ..
• EVALUATE: this is most important because…, this is better
than this because…this has the most influence because….
• JUSTIFY: I think that ….., in my opinion this is ….
• Make students use these and identify in answers.
Teach The Essay Skills
• It is important they see a good answer
• Sequencing – which comes first? (try the
exercise provided)
• Answers: 4, 10, 3, 11, 5, 8, 7, 9, 6, 1, 2
• Scaffolding – you provide the plan and intro
• Group Activity – do a plan together and then
divide the tasks
• Writing Frames
• Work on Google Docs and come up with
examples they peer mark
Now Put it all together:
• Teach the students what is expected by
markers in assessment.
• Look in your pack for the exemplar.
Read the question:
• Read it twice and ask ‘what does it ask you to
do?”
• Highlight the key words here.
•
Fully explain the pattern created by EACH characteristic from (a) on your large natural
environment. Support each answer with detailed evidence.
• Now put it in words you can understand.
• Name a pattern (occurs here but is different
there)
• Give reasons for the pattern (because, due to
etc)
• Give depth to your answer and use geographic
terminology and concepts
• Name specific places /statistics / names /dates
of your environment throughout the answer.
Now we will highlight these 4
requirements.
• Choose 4 colours (highlighters best)
•
•
•
•
1. Identifies pattern
2. Uses connector words for reasons
3. Uses geographic terminology and concepts
4. Uses specific names and/or statistics or
dates.
• Read the answer first for a ‘gut feeling’.
We will start with the easiest so
work backwards:
• Highlight any specific information provided.
LANDFORMS
Different area of SICH have different range of landforms. Western High
country have steep slopes with V shaped valleys (valleys carved by
rivers) and lots of scree due to it being the zone of deposition (sediment
from Southern Alps) and a high amount of erosion due to high rainfall of
4000mm. The Southern Alps have high horn peaks such as Mt Cook,
arêtes, cirques ie the armchair and glaciers such as the Fox and Tasman
glacier. The weathered peaks are due to the Alps being a zone of erosion
to being exposed and because of brittle rock such as schist and
greywacke. The area has also been greatly affected by glacier action. The
Eastern high country has a range of landforms such as intermontane
basin ie McKenzie Basin and rocky bluffs. The area has gentler slopes and
U shaped valleys with rivers. This is due to past glacier action which
creates the valleys and river erosion which continues today. The fiordland
area contains U shaped valleys and steep slopes as well as other glacial
features due to past glacier action and the resistant gneiss and schist of
the area.
LANDFORMS
(specific information)
Different area of SICH have different range of landforms. Western High
country have steep slopes with V shaped valleys (valleys carved by
rivers) and lots of scree due to it being the zone of deposition (sediment
from Southern Alps) and a high amount of erosion due to high rainfall of
4000mm. The Southern Alps have high horn peaks such as Mt Cook,
arêtes, cirques ie the armchair and glaciers such as the Fox and Tasman
glacier. The weathered peaks are due to the Alps being a zone of erosion
to being exposed and because of brittle rock such as schist and
greywacke. The area has also been greatly affected by glacier action. The
Eastern high country has a range of landforms such as intermontane
basin ie McKenzie Basin and rocky bluffs. The area has gentler slopes and
U shaped valleys with rivers. This is due to past glacier action which
creates the valleys and river erosion which continues today. The fiordland
area contains U shaped valleys and steep slopes as well as other glacial
features due to past glacier action and the resistant gneiss and schist of
the area.
We will start with the easiest so
work backwards:
• Highlight any specific information provided.
• Next highlight geographic terminology used
LANDFORMS
(geographic terminology)
Different area of SICH have different range of landforms. Western High
country have steep slopes with V shaped valleys (valleys carved by
rivers) and lots of scree due to it being the zone of deposition (sediment
from Southern Alps) and a high amount of erosion due to high rainfall of
4000mm. The Southern Alps have high horn peaks such as Mt Cook,
arêtes, cirques ie the armchair and glaciers such as the Fox and Tasman
glacier. The weathered peaks are due to the Alps being a zone of erosion
to being exposed and because of brittle rock such as schist and
greywacke. The area has also been greatly affected by glacier action. The
Eastern high country has a range of landforms such as intermontane
basin ie McKenzie Basin and rocky bluffs. The area has gentler slopes and
U shaped valleys with rivers. This is due to past glacier action which
creates the valleys and river erosion which continues today. The fiordland
area contains U shaped valleys and steep slopes as well as other glacial
features due to past glacier action and the resistant gneiss and schist of
the area.
We will start with the easiest so
work backwards:
• Highlight any specific information provided.
• Next highlight geographic terminology used
• The connector words used for ‘explain’
LANDFORMS
(connector words for
explain)
Different area of SICH have different range of landforms. Western High
country have steep slopes with V shaped valleys (valleys carved by
rivers) and lots of scree due to it being the zone of deposition (sediment
from Southern Alps) and a high amount of erosion due to high rainfall of
4000mm. The Southern Alps have high horn peaks such as Mt Cook,
arêtes, cirques ie the armchair and glaciers such as the Fox and Tasman
glacier. The weathered peaks are due to the Alps being a zone of erosion
to being exposed and because of brittle rock such as schist and
greywacke. The area has also been greatly affected by glacier action. The
Eastern high country has a range of landforms such as intermontane
basin ie McKenzie Basin and rocky bluffs. The area has gentler slopes and
U shaped valleys with rivers. This is due to past glacier action which
creates the valleys and river erosion which continues today. The fiordland
area contains U shaped valleys and steep slopes as well as other glacial
features due to past glacier action and the resistant gneiss and schist of
the area.
We will start with the easiest so
work backwards:
•
•
•
•
Highlight any specific information provided.
Next highlight geographic terminology used
The connector words used for ‘explain’
Understanding of ‘pattern’
LANDFORMS
(understanding of pattern)
Different area of SICH have different range of landforms. Western High
country have steep slopes with V shaped valleys (valleys carved by
rivers) and lots of scree due to it being the zone of deposition (sediment
from Southern Alps) and a high amount of erosion due to high rainfall of
4000mm. The Southern Alps have high horn peaks such as Mt Cook,
arêtes, cirques ie the armchair and glaciers such as the Fox and Tasman
glacier. The weathered peaks are due to the Alps being a zone of erosion
to being exposed and because of brittle rock such as schist and
greywacke. The area has also been greatly affected by glacier action. The
Eastern high country has a range of landforms such as intermontane
basin ie McKenzie Basin and rocky bluffs. The area has gentler slopes and
U shaped valleys with rivers. This is due to past glacier action which
creates the valleys and river erosion which continues today. The fiordland
area contains U shaped valleys and steep slopes as well as other glacial
features due to past glacier action and the resistant gneiss and schist of
the area.
Because this student fulfilled all 4
• This gained Excellence
Next use the same approach for
the other 2 examples
• Sample 2:
• Uses specifics but not throughout
• Uses some geographic terminology but basic
and not explained
• Reason given is not appropriate
• No pattern is mentioned. Only one small area
discussed
• Is a Not Achieved
Sample 3:
• Good use of specific information
• Uses geographic terminology but not
explained
• Is only one reason provided
• Pattern is inferred – these occur here as it is
coldest so does not occur there.
• Is an Achieved
A good activity to answer
questions well:
• 1. Download the 4 exemplars on TKI at N,A,M and E.
• 2. Cut off the question in each case.
• 3. Put students into groups with the 12 samples and question
paper.
• 4. They have to first sort out which question is being
answered and then which level each question is and why.
• 5. Get students to write their own example afterwards.
Afternoon Session
• Issues
• Concepts
• L3 alignment
Latest Issues:
• Wording of some standards does not match L1 to 2 to
3. eg contemporary Issue and ‘assess’. We must be
ready for review.
• L3 Exemplars are based on the first draft of standard
not the final ie do not have to critically evaluate.
• Issues comparing Geography and History have been
accepted by NZQA and are being ‘investigated’.
• Issues concerning number of credits in geography L3 for
UE also being looked at.
Part 3: Geographic concepts
• What is a concept? Discuss this in groups
• The big ideas in geography you want students
to take away with them.
What different type of concepts
are there?
• Key concepts: Are 7 of these that come out
of the AO’s for Geography. These are:
• Process, pattern, interaction, environment,
perspectives, change and sustainability.
At the next level are:
• Important Geographic Concepts: these
include the big ideas not in the AO’s. They can
include the old IGI’s as well as the Maori
concepts.
• Location, distance, accessibility, culture,
system, globalisation + 18 Maori terms in the
glossary.
Beneath this lies the concepts you
cover through a specific unit of work:
• Extreme Natural Events: Subduction, rehabiitation,
mitigation.
• Population: Density, migration, distribution
• Large Natural Environment: Denudation, Zonation
• Differences in Development: Development
• In many cases these are specific examples of the Key
concepts such as a process or pattern.
Teaching The Key Concepts
• These are an important part of your
geography programme anyway.
• Complete the exercise matching the aspect of
standards to a concept.
How to teach them
• First differentiate between definition,
identification and application.
To Define:
• Show a power point
• Do matching cards (play pairs)
To identify and apply:
• Watch a movie / movie trailer or You tube Clip
and get students to identify the key concepts
in it and then write about them.
• Look at photographs or cartoons and identify
concepts and write about them
• Look at articles and identify concepts and
write about them.
Thinking like a Geographer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpag
e&v=YIPcOSNwVjw
What, why
and so
what?
To use them in answers:
• Get students to identify the concepts they will
use in an answer first.
• Then get them to highlight these in their
answers to show they are there.
Start each lesson with a
‘geographic interest’ story
• Ask what concepts they can apply?
To consolidate:
• Get students to make posters that identify a concepts and
apply it geographically.
• Get students to make power points or films on a concept.
• Use pipe cleaners and play dough to express a geographic
concept
• Set a homework exercise where they have to find articles that
demonstrate a particular concept.
Try the newspaper activity
• Discuss ways you have taught concepts or will
use from this to teach it in the classroom
Do you have any questions that
have not been answered today?
• Please ensure you have completed an
evaluation form
•THANK YOU!!
• Please get in touch at any time if you have
any questions or issues to raise.
• jane.evans@auckland.ac.nz