big ideas in the australian curriculum: geography, mark easton, oxford university press

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Mark Easton [email protected] Big ideas in the Australian Geography Curriculum

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Are you worried that your favourite topics have become an endangered species? Or that the vital skills that make geography have melted away? As leading author of the upcoming Oxford Big Ideas Geography Australian Curriculum series, Mark has spent many hours picking over the draft curriculum and he believes he has found the missing topics and skills, along with many other new opportunities. He will share with you an approach to teaching and learning geography that embeds the key skills in the key concepts of the subject.

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Page 1: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Mark Easton

[email protected]

Big ideas in the Australian Geography Curriculum

Page 2: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

A quick journey throughthe present and future

geography curricula

What will change?

Page 3: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Place and space• Australian environments are defined by patterns of natural processes, by human activities and by the relationships between them, including climate and natural resource distribution, resourceuse, and settlement patterns• Natural hazards are a result of natural processes, and human activity can affect the impacts of these occurrences• Sustainability requires a balance between using, conserving and protecting environments, and involves decisions about how resources are used and managed• Physical and human dimensions are used to define global environments• Distribution maps, climate zone maps and weather maps have specific features to convey information, including latitude, longitude, eight compass points, scale and distance, a legend and shading and/or symbols.

Page 4: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Place and space• Australian environments are defined by patterns of natural processes, by human activities and by the relationships between them, including climate and natural resource distribution, resourceuse, and settlement patterns• Natural hazards are a result of natural processes, and human activity can affect the impacts of these occurrences• Sustainability requires a balance between using, conserving and protecting environments, and involves decisions about how resources are used and managed• Physical and human dimensions are used to define global environments• Distribution maps, climate zone maps and weather maps have specific features to convey information, including latitude, longitude, eight compass points, scale and distance, a legend and shading and/or symbols.

Page 5: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

• Australia, the Asia–Pacific region and other global settings are defined by a range of natural characteristics and processes, including landforms, vegetation and climatic zones, and human activities, including cultural, economic and political activity.• Interrelationships between human activity and environments result in particular patterns of land and resource use, and can cause environmental problems• Governments and communities need to balance economic, social, political and environmental factors through sustainable development, consumption and production• Physical environments are defined by spatial patterns, including the arrangement of elements on the Earth’s surface, the definable areas of the Earth’s surface, the space between different locations, and absolute and relative location.• Maps, including topographic, political and thematic maps, are developed with particular features, including scale, contour lines and human-created boundaries, and use the specific skills of observing, visualising, estimating, sketching and measuring.

Page 6: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

• Australia, the Asia–Pacific region and other global settings are defined by a range of natural characteristics and processes, including landforms, vegetation and climatic zones, and human activities, including cultural, economic and political activity.• Interrelationships between human activity and environments result in particular patterns of land and resource use, and can cause environmental problems• Governments and communities need to balance economic, social, political and environmental factors through sustainable development, consumption and production• Physical environments are defined by spatial patterns, including the arrangement of elements on the Earth’s surface, the definable areas of the Earth’s surface, the space between different locations, and absolute and relative location.• Maps, including topographic, political and thematic maps, are developed with particular features, including scale, contour lines and human-created boundaries, and use the specific skills of observing, visualising, estimating, sketching and measuring.

Page 7: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Theme 1: Managing the natural environment Focus unit 1: Responding to natural hazards Focus unit 2: Managing catchments Theme 2: Social environments Focus unit 3: Sustaining communities Focus unit 4: Connecting people and places Theme 3: Resources and the environment Focus unit 5: Living with climate change Focus unit 6: Sustaining biodiversity Theme 4: People and development Focus unit 7: Feeding the world’s people Focus unit 8: Exploring the geography of disease

Page 8: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

So these essential learnings and standards became the chapters of our text books and our course content.

1. Geospatial skills2. Australian Environments3. Water4. Endangered species5. Geospatial concepts6. Disasters7. The Asia-Pacific region8. Antarctica

1. Geospatial skills and concepts2. Tectonic hazards3. Coasts4. Pollution5. Climate change6. Consumption7. Megacities8. Tourism

Text book contents

Essential learnings:Place and space (7-9)

Australian environmentsNatural hazardsSustainabilityGlobal environmentsMapsAustralian regionAsia-PacificEnvironmental problemsSustainable developmentPhysical environments

Page 9: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

What’s next?

Page 10: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Australian Curriculum

• Now: we have a draft curriculum

• August 6th, revised draft will be released but not available for public comment

• By Christmas (2012) final curriculum released• 2013: some schools• 2014: all schools

Page 12: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Geographical knowledge and understanding

Year level Unit 1 Unit 2

7 Environmental resources Why people live where they do

8 Landscapes Personal and community geographies

9 Biomes and food security

Navigating global connections

10 Environmental challenges and geography

Global well-being

11 The changing biophysical cover of the Earth

Sustaining Places

12 Environmental risk management

A World in the making

Page 13: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Geographical enquiryand skills

Observing and questioning

Planning, collecting & evaluating

Processing, analysing, interpreting & concluding

Communicating

Reflecting & responding

Page 14: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

So what’s in and what’s out?

1. Geospatial skills2. Australian Environments3. Water4. Endangered species5. Geospatial concepts6. Disasters7. The Asia-Pacific region8. Antarctica

1. Geospatial skills and concepts

2. Tectonic hazards3. Coasts4. Pollution5. Climate change6. Consumption7. Megacities8. Tourism

Text book contents

Essential learnings:Place and space (7-9)

Australian environmentsNatural hazardsSustainabilityGlobal environmentsMapsAustralian regionAsia-PacificEnvironmental problemsSustainable developmentPhysical environments

Page 15: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

So what’s in and what’s out?

1. Geospatial skills2. Australian Environments3. Water4. Endangered species5. Geospatial concepts6. Disasters7. The Asia-Pacific region8. Antarctica

1. Geospatial skills and concepts

2. Tectonic hazards3. Coasts4. Pollution5. Climate change6. Consumption7. Megacities8. Tourism

Text book contents

Essential learnings:Place and space (7-9)

Australian environmentsNatural hazardsSustainabilityGlobal environmentsMapsAustralian regionAsia-PacificEnvironmental problemsSustainable developmentPhysical environments

Page 16: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

SOME INITIAL RESPONSES

“Just ignore it, we’ll just carry on doing what we’re doing”

“Who writes this stuff? They don’t know what they’re doing!”

“I’ll change what I teach if I get given more time to make the changes”

“I hate it when they take away my favourite topics. No wonder kids don’t choose geography.”

“If that’s the way it’s going to be I’d better just get on with it.”

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

and

Acceptance:

The five stages of grief!

Page 17: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

So, some of our favourite topics/units have disappeared or moved elsewhere, but don’t throw it all out just yet. It might be just a matter of looking more closely at the curriculum document.

Page 18: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

An example: Natural disasters

Page 19: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

An example: Natural disasters

Nowhere to be seen in the AC:

Year level Unit 1 Unit 2

7 Environmental resources Why people live where they do

8 Landscapes Personal and community geographies

9 Biomes and food security Navigating global connections

10 Environmental challenges and geography

Global well-being

11 The changing biophysical cover of the Earth

Sustaining Places

12 Environmental risk management

A World in the making

Page 20: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

An example: Natural disasters:

‘Hasn’t it all gone to Science’?

Page 21: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

An example: Natural disasters:

‘Hasn’t it all gone to Science’?

Year 8: Sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks contain minerals and are formed by processes that occur within Earth over a variety of timescalesYear 9: The theory of plate tectonics explains global patterns of geological activity and continental movement

So where is it?

Page 22: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Natural disastersYear 7, Environmental resourcesEnvironmental hazards such as droughts, or storms, or floods have different causes, frequencies and distributions.There are differences and similarities in the ways that communities manage or adapt to the chosen environmental hazard

Year 8, LandscapesThere are a variety of landscapes throughout the world, which are produced by geomorphic, biotic and cultural processes over time (explaining that landforms are produced by a combination of tectonic (folding, faulting, volcanism), gradational (weathering, erosion and transportation) and depositional processes)

The causes, location, frequency and effects of one or more landscape hazards affects the ways that communities manage or adapt to the chosen hazard(investigating landscape hazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal erosion, beach rips, landslides and avalanches)

Page 23: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

My advice #1:

Look closely at the curriculum documents, don’t listen to the

doomsayers!

Page 24: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Even better news!

1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures

and histories

2. Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

3. Sustainability

That’s us,we’re good

at that stuff!

The new curriculum gives geography a new, fresh relevance: just look at the cross-curricula priorities for a start:

Page 25: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

And the general capabilities

literacynumeracy

competence in ICTcritical and creative

thinkingethical behaviour

personal and social competence

intercultural understanding

Page 26: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Intercultural understanding

Page 27: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

My advice #2:

Embrace change, see it as an opportunity to renew and refresh

your courses and reclaim the rightful place of geography in your school

Page 28: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

And then there are the new opportunities:

Global connections

Personal and community geographies

Food security

Environmental resources

Page 29: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Case study: environmental resources.

This unit focuses on environmental resources, using water as a case study. It examines water as an essential, renewable resource and its role in natural hazards. There is also a study of a non-renewable resource. The unit provides a context for examining different types of resources, the varying issues arising from their nature, distribution and use, perceptions by people, and approaches to managing resource issues. Unless specified, the case studies chosen can be from within Australia and other countries across the region.

Page 30: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Issues for teachers

• There is no equivalent unit in the current course

• The new curriculum is more than a list of topics, it also includes new skills, priorities and capabilities

• This seems a pretty tough introduction to geography for kids

• What happens to my mapping unit?

Page 31: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Making sense of the demands of the new curriculum

Geographical knowledge

and understanding

Geographical enquiry and

skills

Concepts for geographical

understanding

Cross Curriculum Priorities

General capabilities

Page 32: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

LiteracyNumeracy

ICT competenceCritical and creative

thinkingPersonal and social

competenceEthical behaviour

Intercultural understanding

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and

historiesAsia and Australia’s engagement with

AsiaSustainability

Making sense of the demands of the new curriculum

ResourcesPopulationLandscapes

Personal geographyBiomes

Global connectionsEnvironmental

challengesGlobal well-being

Observing, questioning

Planning, collecting, evaluating

Processing, analysing, interpreting, concluding

CommunicatingReflecting, responding

PlaceSpace

EnvironmentInterconnection

SustainabilityScale

Change

Page 33: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

So where do I find some solutionsto these issues,

problems and challenges?

Page 34: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press
Page 35: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

One of the key objectives of the Australian Curriculum is deep learning:

‘Successful learners are able to think deeply’‘Promoting a world class curriculum and assessment ... Deep knowledge, understanding, skills and values that will enable advanced learning and an ability to create new ideas and translate them into practical applications’

Page 36: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

The process of geographic inquiry

Observing and questioning

Planning, collecting & evaluating

Processing, analysing, interpreting & concluding

Communicating

Reflecting & responding

Page 37: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

A geographic enquiry therefore begins with a question and then seeks to answer that question through a series of clearly defined steps. This is enquiry learning.

Essential questions, enquiry learning ,deep learning, translating ideas...What does all of this look like?

Mount Chimborazo flora, topography and altitude mapping,source: Alexander von Humboldt, Geography of Plants, 1807

The answer is more than 200 years old!

Page 38: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Source: National Geographic magazine , October 2010

Page 39: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

My advice #3:

Deep learning, not wide learning.Use the process of geographic

enquiry and essential questions to develop successful learners.

Page 40: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Geographical enquiry and skills

Remember that:

The draft Australian Curriculum: Geography is organised into two interrelated strands: Geographical Knowledge and Understanding and Geographical Inquiry and Skills.

‘The process of geographical inquiry and the associated geographical skills are described in the curriculum under five headings, which represent the stages of a complete investigation. Over each two-year band, students should learn the methods and skills specified. Every investigation need not follow every step; the inquiry process may follow loops, in which students go back to an earlier stage to ask more questions or to undertake more analysis.’

Page 41: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

The process of geographic inquiry

Observing and questioning

Planning, collecting & evaluating

Processing, analysing, interpreting & concluding

Communicating

Reflecting & responding

Page 42: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

My advice #4:

Don’t rush in too quickly: be alert, not alarmed!

Page 43: Big Ideas in the Australian Curriculum: Geography, Mark Easton, Oxford University Press

Mark Easton

[email protected]

Big ideas in the Australian Geography Curriculum