CREATING THE SUCCESSFUL GEOGRAPHY CLASSROOM Jane Evans Geography Facilitator 2013 Team Solutions

CREATING THE SUCCESSFUL GEOGRAPHY CLASSROOM

Jane EvansGeography Facilitator 2013Team 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

Teaching- Getting information across

Learning-Consolidating information-Assessing understanding

Evaluating- Review effectiveness

Prior to Teaching-Setting your goals-Course and Unit design-Differentiate - Know your student




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-Setting your goals -Course and Unit design-Differentiate - Know your student




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

http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/literacy-and-numeracy/

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 isual• A ural• R eading and writing• K 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=KFZz6ICzpjI

• Use photographs to extract characteristics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFZz6ICzpjI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFZz6ICzpjI

Visual:

Question dice

•1. What•2. Where•3. Who•4. Why •5. When•6. 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-Couse design-Unit design-Differentiate - Know your student




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

http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=ccHrOe_Ss7_HlM&tbnid=8xxn1hQShC4F9M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://vivianeskincare.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html&ei=pfqZUZmJFs6fkgXH5YDABw&bvm=bv.46751780,d.aGc&psig=AFQjCNEXCqNgO9ixzvbiwvTgNmaxP-YteA&ust=1369132035360079

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJlPvH4mKjU

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


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 cakeWhen 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.


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.


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.



• 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.




• The connector words used for ‘explain’

LANDFORMS (connector words for explain)





• The connector words used for ‘explain’• Understanding of ‘pattern’

LANDFORMS (understanding of pattern)


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_detailpage&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.

• [email protected]

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CREATING THE SUCCESSFUL GEOGRAPHY CLASSROOM Jane Evans Geography Facilitator 2013 Team Solutions