Senior Geography

Why Study Senior Geography? What Do Students Study? How Is Geography Studied?
How Are Students Assessed?
How Can Parents Help? Careers

Why Study Senior Geography?

 

Senior Geography is concerned with people in varied environments around the world. Environments are the surroundings we live in, including such things as landforms, climates, settlements, and our social organisation. Studies in geography help us live our day to day lives by informing us about our local area and other parts of the world. For example, knowing about
the world helps us understand (i) differences in quality of life among the people of the world, and (ii) the impact of human activities on Earth's varied environments. Understanding these things about people and environments enables the student of Geography to think carefully about how the quality of human life might be improved, about effective use of resources, and about ways in which environments might be protected. Students are also shown how they might participate in helping to achieve these things.

Senior Geography students develop many useful skills. An important skill is making decisions, for example, about where to locate things. This skill may be used to choose the use of a future home or business. Moreover, in pursuing enquiries in geography, students undertake such activities as fieldwork; computing; working with maps, statistics, photographs and satellite images; and presenting reports.

If people are to participate effectively in Australian society, they must come to terms with rapid technological and social changes. Geography offers students the opportunity to draw on a wide range of knowledge from the natural and the social sciences. This breadth helps students of geography to interrelate human activity and rapidly changing environments.

 

What Do Geography Students Study?

 

What Do Geography Students Study?

The Senior Geography Course consists of four semester units. Each provides a meaningful and valuable program.

1. Managing the Natural Environment

  • Responding to natural hazards
  • Managing catchments
  • Managing marine ecosystems- North West Island study

2. People and Development

  • Contrasting development
  • Feeding the world's people
  • Frontier development

3. Social Environments

  • Planning places
  • Sustaining urban and rural communities
  • Urban redevelopment


4. Resources and the Environment

  • Living in physical systems
  • Managing resources
  • Managing mangrove ecosystems
  • The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

 

How Is Senior Geography Studied?

 

Learning in Geography takes place in a variety of settings, including the classroom, the library, the school grounds, the local community, and in distant environments (during excursions). Fierldwork is especially important in Geography because it enables students too develop skills in order to find out about environments at first hand.

Generally, geographers ask and seek to answer the following key questions about whatever they are studying:

  • What and where is it? (Observation and perception)
  • How and why is it there? (Comprehension, analysis and application)
  • What impact does it have on people and the environment? (Synthesis and evaluation)
  • How ought it be treated in the future? (Evaluation and decision making)

In addressing questions such as these, students use a wide range of data as the basis of their studies. Students are encouraged to extend their geographical inquiries into the Earth's patterns and processes through classrooom studies, library research and fieldwork.

 

How Are Students Assessed?

 


Criteria which are consistent with the objectives of the course of study are used to determine standards of student work. This work is based on learning experiences in the classroom, resource centre and field. Student performance is recorded on a profile, thereby providing information to students and parents.

 

How Can Parents Help?

 

The development of geographical knowledge and abilities requires learning at home as well as at school and in the community.
Parents can help by:

  • discussing current events, issues and news items
  • attending public events such as book displays, annual festivals, and cultural activities to provide enjoyable educational and social times for the family
  • travelling and visiting places such as museums, libraries and environmental parks
  • showing a personal interest in finding out about different places, people, customs and problems in the world.

 

Where Might Geography Lead?

 

Geographical knowledge and skills may aid students wishing to enter various tertiary courses including:
Anthropology
Architecture
Environmental Studies
Engineering
Economics and Commerce
Geography
Geology
Journalism
Psychology
Social Work
Surveying
Town Planning
Teaching
Tourism

Studies in Geography may assist a young person to gain employment, for example, as:
Town Planner
Surveyor
Travel Agent
Cartographer
Journalist
Teacher
Real Estate Agent
Meteorologist
Flight Attendant
Public Servant
Public Relations Officer

 

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