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Lyndal Bimson

Welcome to the Geography 11–12 presentation for School Development Day. My name is Lyndal Bimson, and today I am joined by my colleague Will Burbidge. We'll be taking you through the new Geography 11–12 Syllabus, resources and assessment.

We'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional Custodians of the many lands you may be joining us from today, and of the lands from which we are recording, the Darug Nation here in Parramatta. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining us today.

Our learning intentions for Session 1 are to examine the structure of, and changes to, the Geography 11–12 Syllabus, to understand geographical concepts, tools and inquiry skills as outlined in the syllabus, and we'll know that we've been successful if you can navigate your way through the digital syllabus to locate content, tools, skills and teaching advice, and that you've enrolled in the Geography 11–12 microlearning.

Let's get started by getting to know the syllabus.

Will Burbidge

The Geography 11–12 Syllabus was released in Term 4 2022. There's been significant change to the content and teaching pedagogies required to deliver the content in the new syllabus. Teachers should examine each focus area carefully and ensure that you review the teaching advice provided.

The digital syllabus – this includes a range of functions for filtering and accessing content. It will take some time to become familiar with the platform and how to navigate through the content and tools and support materials. The course overview diagram has been retained and updated. It includes a new focus area. Life Skills can be switched on with a simple click in 2 places on the page. The light blue is the dominant colour on the page when accessing the Life Skills.

Examples and teaching advice are provided. However, these need to be switched on by clicking the box at the top of the page. A glossary has been provided and is consistent across syllabuses. Further functions will be enabled over time. Keep an eye out for these changes.

Microlearning is available to step you through some of the key features of the syllabus, and changes that you will need to be familiar with. It comprises of 3 distinct modules aimed to assist with the Geography 11–12 Syllabus implementation. Modules include an overview of Geography Syllabus, Geographical Investigation in Year 11, Fieldwork Activity in Year 12, and each module is available on demand, offering flexibility in learning as modules can be completed individually.

Additional professional learning is offered through the HSIE Statewide staffroom. Presentations are also developed to support professional learning days, including the upcoming Australian Geography Teachers Association Conference in October 2024. Announcements regarding professional learning opportunities are made in the Statewide staffroom channels, so keep up to date with these spaces. The resources from today will remain accessible so they can revisit your learning.

It's time to pause and reflect and use the activities provided in the workbook to take some time to familiarise yourself with the syllabus.

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Welcome to our second session, where we will be examining the programs of learning, resource booklets designed to support the implementation of Geography 11–12 in your classroom.

Learning intentions for this session – we're going to adapt the department resources to meet the diverse learning needs, including those of students with disability, EAL/D learners, and understand how to make effective adjustments. We're also going to understand the geographical concepts, tools and inquiry skills as outlined in the syllabus and apply them in various contexts.

Our success criteria for this session – we are going to successfully utilise the scope and sequences, programs, resource booklets and learning sequences. We're going to apply geographical tools, skills and various contexts identified in the programs. We're going to reflect on the learning process and make necessary adjustments to adapt the programs for future use.

Let's begin to take a look at the programs and resources.

The resources can be found on the Planning, programming and assessing geography 11–12 webpage. They're organised by both year and focus area. Expanding the Show/Hide feature will reveal the resources available in each area. Resources include scope and sequences to demonstrate the timing and the sequence of focus areas, and provide a broad overview of the plan for learning, assessment schedules to identify the timing and weighting of tasks, programs of learning, a detailed plan of learning, resources and assessment. These all also include space for adjustment and registration, resource booklets and activities and templates to support the program, assessment tasks and sample tasks include marking rubrics, learning sequences, and contain the teaching and learning activities from the program presented in alternative format.

Programs have been developed, which include content and outcomes taken directly from the syllabus. An overview provides a summary of the learning and approximate number of indicative hours covered by the content and related policies and considerations for the delivery of the focus area. Sample learning intentions and success criteria are there to be used and adapted to your needs. They are there to provide a bank of examples and not expected they'll use all or any of these that are provided.

In the Evidence of learning column, some of the products of learning may be used to evidence student achievement. These can be adapted and used appropriate to your context. In the Differentiation and adjustment column, some examples of how you might be able to meet the additional learning needs of your students with a disability, EAL/D learners, and other students who may require adjustments to access the activities.

Registration and evaluation programs are dynamic documents and should reflect both the intended learning and also the actual activities and resources that have been used. This is a place to record notes on adjustments that were made in the delivery of the program, additional information and the notes on how you might amend the program before using the activities in the future. Registration through the use of dates and signatures is not mandated for frequency, however, should provide significant detail to demonstrate when and by whom the program was implemented.

You'll notice that the geographical tools and skills have been embedded throughout the programs and are identified within the program using the pink highlighted box. These are examples of the tools and skills that can be taught within the content and are not an exhaustive list. The use of the sample programs is not mandatory. Please feel free to adapt and adopt any part of the resource that may be useful in your context.

The resource booklets have been developed to support the teaching and learning activities included in the programs. They include detailed instructions for more complex tasks, graphic organisers and tables for collating data, case studies, additional stimulus materials. Each activity in the resource booklet is referenced in the relevant place in the associated program. Teachers may choose to print or provide the information in the resource booklet directly to students.

It is now your opportunity to pause and reflect and use the activities provided in the workbook and take some time to familiarise yourself with the programs and resources available to you to support the delivery of Geography 11–12.

[gentle music]

Lyndal Bimson

Welcome to Session 3, Assessment in Geography 11–12. In this session, we will examine the changes to assessment in Year 11 and Year 12, including the new format for the HSC examination. We will also take a look at the role of inquiry and fieldwork in geography assessment, and the sample resources that are available for you to utilise.

Our learning intentions for this session include to understand the importance of assessment in Geography 11–12, including geographical concepts, tools and inquiry skills, to develop knowledge of conducting fieldwork activities and applying geographical concepts in real-world settings, to understand the new requirements and structure of the HSC examination in Geography 11 and 12, including the introduction of a fieldwork activity task, and a structured extended response question.

Our success criteria include that you can successfully assess and articulate key geographical concepts, tools and inquiry skills in Geography 11 and 12, that you can articulate the role and relevance of geographical tools, concepts and inquiry skills in assessments, and that you can plan fieldwork activities demonstrating the application of geographical concepts and tools in real-world settings.

So let's examine assessment requirements and changes in the Geography 11–12 Syllabus.

Assessment enables evaluation of a student's learning through observation and collection of evidence and data. Effective assessment can enhance student engagement and motivation, particularly when it incorporates interaction with teachers, other students, and a range of resources.

As assessment is often linked to fieldwork and geographical inquiry skills, this provides opportunities for learning beyond the classroom through fieldwork and other interactive learning experiences. Twelve hours of fieldwork activities must be completed in both Year 11 and Year 12, in addition to those hours completed as part of the Geographical Investigation. Assessment in geography includes evaluation of knowledge and understanding of geographical concepts, geographical skills and tools, geographical inquiry, communication using geographical terminology.

The Geographical Investigation replaces the senior geography project as a mandatory task for students in Year 11. This focus area provides opportunities for all students to apply geographical concepts, skills and tools through practical research in their local area, or an area that is accessible for the purpose of primary data collection. As the Geographical Investigation is student driven, the area of focus for the investigation should be one of interest to the students involved.

Sample assessment tasks have been developed which demonstrate one way that students may be assessed for fieldwork. These tasks include outcomes which are taken directly from the syllabus, suggested weightings and formats for the submission of the students' work, a marking criteria, which is a sample only and teachers will need to modify and adjust these as required. The use of the sample assessment tasks is not mandatory. Please feel free to adapt and adopt any part of the resource that may be useful in your context. You can find sample assessment tasks for Year 11 Earth's natural systems focus area, which is a fieldwork task, the Year 11 Geographical Investigation, which is aligned to the teaching and learning activities embedded in the integrated teaching and learning program, and for the Year 12 Rural and urban places focus area, which is a scaffolded extended response.

There have been changes to assessment in Geography 11 and 12. This includes a requirement for fieldwork activity to be part of a school-based assessment and a new structure to the HSC examination. The introduction of the fieldwork activity task provides students with the opportunity to investigate geographical characteristics, processes or impacts at a local scale and their management. It must relate to a focus area studied in the Year 12 course. It is important to note that while the fieldwork activity is one task with a weighting of 20, 30%, it must have a single submission date.

The HSC examination will now consist of 4 sections. Section I comprises 15 objective response questions with a total value of 15 marks. Section II has 4 to 6 short answer questions with a total value of 45 marks. Section III contains one structured extended response question on either Rural and urban places or Ecosystems and global biodiversity. The structured extended response question will have either 2 or 3 parts. There will be one unstructured extended response question on either Rural and urban places or Ecosystems and global biodiversity in Section IV, whichever focus area is not examined in Section III. Questions from all sections may require students to refer to the stimulus booklet. One significant difference is the inclusion of a structured extended response in Question 3. This question will be on either Rural and urban places or Ecosystems and global biodiversity. Structured extended response questions may have 2 or 3 parts, and may require students to reference parts of the stimulus booklet.

Now it's time to pause and reflect. Use the activities provided in the workbook to take some time to review and reflect on assessment in Geography 11–12.

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Welcome to Session 4, a deep dive into case studies and fieldwork.

Learning intentions for this session include to understand the use of case studies and the interplay between location, geographical processes, and the character of rural and urban places, like Broken Hill and Wollongong, to understand and apply ethical practices when conducting fieldwork, particularly when it involves interaction with people and Aboriginal sites.

Our success criteria for this session will include your ability to apply case studies to your context, and that you can use and apply ethical practices when conducting fieldwork.

So let's get started taking a deep dive into case studies and fieldwork.

The programs and learning sequences provided include examples of ways schools can embed fieldwork, inquiry skills, and geographical tools. The resources can be adapted to your school individual context, and the case studies you have selected for your students. Fieldwork activities enable students to connect theoretical knowledge with real-world applications. It enhances their critical thinking, problem solving, and observational skills, while also promoting a sense of stewardship for the environment.

It is important to note that when conducting fieldwork involving people, ethical practices must be adhered to, including respecting intellectual property rights. For example, if students are gathering data from community members, informed consent should be obtained and participants should be made aware of how their information will be used. Copyrighted materials or resources must also be appropriately cited and used with permission. Fieldwork involving Aboriginal sites or focused on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples and cultural heritage requires special consideration of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights. Students and teachers should familiarise themselves with cultural protocols for working with Aboriginal communities and establish respectful and mutually beneficial relationships. For more information, refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander principles and protocols.

In the Rural and urban places program, you will delve deeper into a study of a rural setting, Broken Hill, and a larger urban settlement, Wollongong. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic interplay between location and character of the place, geographical processes, links to other places, changes, responses and strategies affecting the urban and rural places. This includes undertaking fieldwork activity, including using fieldwork data in completing an assessment task. The use of the case study in the program is not mandatory and the fieldwork can be applied and changed to suit your context. Please feel free to adapt and adopt any part of the case study and resources, including your fieldwork study that may be useful in your context.

Geography fieldwork for the Broken Hill and Wollongong case study aims to provide teachers and students with an in-depth understanding of rural and urban places through an immersive, hands-on learning experience. The fieldwork will enhance teacher and student understanding of geographical concepts and improve analytical, critical thinking, and geographical inquiry skills for both teachers and students in a rural and urban context.

Activities include field sketching, oblique angle photographic analysis, environmental testing and readings, and conducting surveys and interviews to gather information and data on the economic, cultural, social and political links to other places. It is important to note that the case study fieldwork for Rural and urban places focus area will engage stakeholders including local residents, businesses, government agencies, environmentalists, tourists and educational institutions.

There are pre and post activities for the fieldwork that are embedded in the program and learning sequence. These include teacher notes, resources, examples of how to collect primary and secondary information, and scaffolds. These tasks are key in ensuring that students understand the purpose and aim of the fieldwork activity prior to undertaking the tasks, and then to provide a summary of findings and interpret the data that has been collected.

Now it is time for you to use the activities provided in the workbook to take some time to consider how fieldwork can be included in your program and assessment activities. There are 2 options for you to choose from.

For further assistance and support during your implementation and delivery of Geography 11–12, please access the Geography 11–12 Syllabus and read through the overview, teacher advice, and support materials.

Review the Planning, programming, and assessing geography 11–12 web pages for teaching resources, and get in touch with the team at hsie@det.nsw.edu.au.

The Statewide staffroom continues to be the place where you can access professional learning and collaborate with teachers across the state.

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