Tuesday, July 9, 2013

GEOGstandards revisited


Worth checking out in light of modelling good geography teaching

Although not a new resource, it is opportune to direct attention to the GEOGstandards resource which went live in 2009. With the focus now on the implementation of the new Australian Curriculum: Geography and the desire to promote the teaching of quality geography, this resource provides valuable ideas, exemplars of practice and direction in relation to geography pedagogy. The initiative conducted by Melbourne University on behalf of the Australian Research Council (ARC), with the the support of the Australian Geography Teachers Association (AGTA), the  Geography Teachers Association of Victoria (GTAV) and the Victorian Institute of Teaching came out of a desire to document 'good geography teaching' in a professional and 'user-friendly' way. As well as providing excellent interviews and videos of teachers and students involved in the lessons, the GEOGstandards resource also involved the development of the very useful 'Professional Standards for accomplished teaching of school geography'.  Although the resource does not directly link to the Australian Curriculum: Geography (the project was completed during the early stages of developing the ACARA geography curriculum), it does provide extremely valid guidance on the content pedagogical knowledge at the core of the teaching of quality geography

The research involved the videotaping of accomplished geography teachers at work in government and non-government schools in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. Each of the ten geography teachers, with a reputation for accomplished practice, were filmed, across two lessons. Interviews were also conducted with these teachers and their students in an attempt to identify features of accomplished geography teaching. 

To take advantage of all that the site offers it is best to work your way through the samples as listed below. There really is a lot of great material to model good geography teaching on this site. 



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