GEOGRAPHY

Geography is a compulsory subject in all of Years 7 to 10 as the NSW Board of Studies requires all students to sit a School Certificate examination in Geography, Civics and Citizenship at the end of Year 10. It is taught for one semester in Year 7. It then becomes a full-year course in Years 8, 9 and 10.

HSC Geography students conducting a dairy farm field study

In Years 7 and 8 it is mandatory to teach the Global Geography Course.

Year 7 introduces the concept of citizenship and focuses upon the rights and responsibilities of students amongst their peers and in the wider global community. It examines the nature and role of Geography and the geographical processes that influence global environments and generate issues of concern.

Year 8 follows with more detailed studies of specific environments together with the management of related geographical issues. These issues enable the promotion of active and informed citizenship. The specific environments chosen for study are tropical deserts, mountains, as well as tundra and polar lands. An understanding of ecological sustainability is developed by an example of indigenous peoples' knowledge of the land and their relationship with the environment.

In Years 9 and 10 it is mandatory to teach the Australian Geography Course. However, the Geography Department has been granted an extra 25% of time to enable it to teach beyond the mandatory syllabus requirements. Accordingly Year 9 places an emphasis upon basic Australian Geography and the processes that shape our distinctive environments together with issues of concern. Year 10 focuses more upon Australia in its regional and global context. This allows us to focus upon topics that include:

• Australia's evolution as a nation state and our global links through tourism, trade, sport, defence and multilateral relations;

• our population growth including migration and minority group issues;

• variations in the development geography of our neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region;

• Australia - moving to a better future through human rights issues and ecologically sustainable development.

Embedded within the School Certificate programmes are:

• the provision of opportunities for the gifted and talented students;

• the promotion of differentiated learning to meet the needs of individual students;

• the use of information and communication technology resources, including the school intranet and geographic information systems, the development of skills, values and attitudes that generate an informed and active citizenship.

HSC Geography students conducting a dairy farm field study

Additional elective extension work in Geography is available in Year 10. This elective geography course provides students with a broader understanding of the discipline of the subject and the processes of geographical enquiry. The elective geography course studies topics from the syllabus focus areas entitled:

• Environments at Risk

• Australia's Neighbours

• World Political Geography

• Communities, Work and Settlement

• Development Geography

In Years 11 and 12 Geography is an optional subject taught to the Higher School Certificate. The subject commands strong support with four specialist geographers working in adjacent classrooms. Ten of its students have topped the NSW State HSC Courses in Geography within recent times. The first three terms of Year 11 comprise the Preliminary HSC Course. Emphasis in this segment of the senior course is on:

• the nature of geographical inquiry and its application to a practical fieldwork research project. This engenders the development of key competencies (see list below) considered essential for the acquisition of skills for life;

• the changing nature, rate and distribution of the world's population.

• an understanding of the functioning of the natural environment and global challenges such as cultural integration and ecologically sustainable development.

• spatial patterns and consequences of the distribution and consumption of natural resources at a global scale.

The Year 12 HSC Course continues the processes of geographical inquiry and fieldwork through three topic areas:

• the functioning, protection and management of ecosystems at risk such as intertidal wetlands and coral reefs.

• the nature, character and spatial distribution of major cities and the impacts of urban change upon one large city - Sydney

• the geography of dairying as an economic activity within both local and global contexts.

Embedded within all the topics are the use of geographical skills and fieldwork based research activity.

Key competencies are:

• collecting, analysing and organising information

• communicating ideas and information in the processes of geographical inquiry

• planning and organising research working with others in teams

• using mathematical techniques, technology and problem solving