Middle school geography involves a lot of mathematical understandings. Whilst studying earth’s physical environment and human habitat, young geographers learn to read map scales, draw maps to scale, tell longitude/latitude, read and analyse statistical data, read and draw various kinds of graphs and study various elements of weather. These are only some of the topics in geography that require mathematical understandings.
Skemp (1986) gave us the terms instrumental methods and relational methods to differentiate between two different approaches to teaching and learning. I have tried to develop both instrumental and relational understandings in the teaching of geography. For example, I have mostly given instrumental understanding to my students
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88) in finding out what our students already know and helping them to ‘use that understanding to construct new knowledge’ (Vacc, 1993, p. 88). I agree with the author that the kind of questions that a teacher asks matter. Rather than asking questions that make students produce the memorised factual information, it will be worthwhile for teachers to focus on asking ‘non-fact seeking questions’ (Vacc, 1993, p. 90) which challenge the student’s thinking. Questioning can be used to provide students an opportunity to talk about what they know and explore this understanding to create novel connections. The article made me critically reflect on the questions that I am posing to my students. The article draws our attention to the power of questioning and what can be achieved through the right kind of questions. The author also made reference to a literature review (Vacc, 1993, p. 88 referencing Watson and Young, 1986) which highlights the difference between the numbers of questions being asked by students as opposed to teachers. Questioning helps students develop a critical and deeper understanding. I will be encouraging my students to ask more
ELL students in particular benefit from the implementation of student questioning during direct teaching as a strategy for active participation because it is so successful at activating prior knowledge. Since activating prior learning is a key component in
In the novel The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster the protagonist Milo does not like school because he cannot understand the use behind learning geography or math. I can understand how he is feeling because before I was in G.A.T.E. I was really bored in school as well. I feel like I hardly learned anything new at Chapman Hills because I spent so many days at school reviewing things I already knew. However, I do not agree with Milo that learning geography and math are “a waste of time.” Geography is important because it helps us to understand our planet better. Understanding geography helps navigate our world when we travel and when we try to make sense of political issues such as war and climate change. Similarly, math is important
Do you care about your education? A good school can help you get that. The physical and human geography of Stafford Middle School is very positive. For instance, one of the major physical features is that we share areas with our neighboring high school, also, the culture is diverse, and finally the interaction among the students and teachers are quite engaged.
The diverse nature of Geography has always attracted me to the subject, and the bridge it forms between the Arts and the Sciences reflects many of my interests. I am greatly enjoying the work which I am doing for the A level syllabus, on both the human and physical sides of the course, and would like to continue to study in both these fields. Geography gives the opportunity to accumulate a valuable range of skills, and I particularly enjoy the variety of analytical, numerical, bibliographical and research skills which I am called upon to use. The study of Geography will enable me to consider complex interactions between the human and physical environments, and the scope for useful research within the subject is very appealing. I have attended a number of Geographical Association lectures organised by my local branch, and look forward to taking responsibility for my own work in response to such stimulus.
Numerous students who have told me that they did not spend much time learning social studies in their elementary school, so to close some of the gap, I have added a unit on basic geography skills. Once they have completed the geography unit, I begin to compare and contrast the ancient world advances in education, religion, politics, and economics with our world today. As we go through each subtopic, we discuss how those achievements have evolved over time and continue to influence our world today.
The Department for Education (2012) states that “a high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key
Gibbs, G (1988) Learning by Doing, A guide to teaching and learning methods. Cheltenham: The Geography Discipline Network. (GDN).
Awareness of history and geography is essential within any society. Acquiring knowledge of these two aspects of humanities is fundamental to understanding ourselves, others and the world in which we live. Through effective teaching of history and geography students begin to develop an understanding of ‘societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped humanity from earliest times’ (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], n.d.). As well as understanding the ‘characteristics of the places that make up our world, using the concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale and change. (ACARA, n.d.)’ All of which aims to nurture positive outcomes for later life.
The last challenge that a beginning teacher may face is designing appropriate assessment to assess students’ critical reasoning. It is not easy to assess students’ critical reasoning as it is not just about having the knowledge of critical reasoning. Willingham (2007) states that “knowing that one should think critically is not the same as being to do” (p. 13). The teacher may be able teach the students critical reasoning and the students are aware of it but without the right assessment, it is hard to know if the students have actually acquired critical reasoning.
Skemp, R (2002). Mathematics in the Primary School. 2nd ed. London: Taylor and Francis .
The state of Hawaii is composed of 132 islands, reefs and shoals that extend for over 1500 miles across the central North Pacific Ocean from the "Big Island" of Hawaii to midway and Kure Atolls. The eight main islands of Hawaiian Archipelago include Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Nihau and Kahoolawe (listed in order of size) which extend for only 350 miles at the south-eastern end of the volcanic mountain chain. Hawaii includes some of the earth’s largest mountains, rising from oceanic depths of greater than 18,000 feet to a height above sea level of nearly 14,000 feet. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island are volcanic mountains with a total relief of 32,000 feet. The entire Island of Hawaii, with its five large volcanoes of Kahala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and kilauea, and Loihi, is less than 450,000 years old. Kauai and Niihau, at five million years, are the oldest of the main Islands (Kauai on line).
Much of my passion for Geography is derived from the fact that it depicts relevance to all aspects of society. It is dynamic in a sense that my perception and understanding is constantly evolving with the growth in understanding and perception. What intrigues my further pursuit of geography is how Geography unlike other subjects has direct links to both human and physical attributes. By further pursuing geography at a higher education level, I wish to enrich my understanding of the wider significance of issues being faced and how it affects society on a local and global level. It is important to identify and understand the interconnecting aspects of the world around us and apply such knowledge towards a more sustainable future. Geography isn’t just the study of issues that are facing use today, it is also a gateway to appropriate and constructive solutions.
Closed ended questions can be used to quiz if students understanding the basic principles behind the learning outcomes. The use of effective open ended questioning should be used during discussions with students to obtain a deeper level of understanding. Marsh (p. 188 – 189, 2010). Petty mentions how questioning should encourage all students to think. He goes on to say that students should be given time to respond to the question asked and praise if correct answers given. (2009, p. 193). But traditional questioning has its limitations as can be hard to include all of the class. Assertive questioning on the other hand is more active and engaging for the students. It is the pair or group work that that make assertive questioning all inclusive. It shares student knowledge on a topic and helps weaker students to learn by doing. (Petty, 2009, p. 282 - 284).
Each discipline has an inimitable nature at their core. History assists with a contextual understanding of culture. It allows for student investigation into personal, family, national, communal and global history. The process of inquiry and analysis of the bias of history (Board of Studies NSW, 2012) helps develop understanding of the world, and when linked with incumbent themes, civics and citizenship it fosters understanding of diversity and cultural difference (Board of Studies NSW, 2012) . On the other hand, Geography involves inquiry-based learning, often using active learning to achieve a sense of place and belonging, a value for environment, and the various interconnections and interdependencies in environments (McInerney, Berg, Hutchinson, Sorensen, & Maude, 2009). It has the potential to realise students as sustainable citizens. Furthermore, Civic citizenship seeks to clarify the processes involved in student transformation from citizen to an informed, participating citizen of society. It is described in a drafted curriculum (ACARA, 2012) as doing so in orde...
Social science curriculum also looks at Geography where students are exposed to ‘the outside world’ one that exists beyond their own realities. Geography looks at physical and human process over space and time which assists in the understanding of the world around us. Students gain an understanding of spatial relations and patterns which is important for a student’s development. Geography also offers as a bridge between human science and physical science.