Planning to teach geography K–10

This course has no prerequisites, but has been designed assuming you are familiar with the BOSTES NSW Geography K–10 syllabus.

It will be helpful to have completed the Your school and the Geography K–10 syllabus² course (3 hours).

At the completion of this course, participants will have:

become familiar with the BOSTES NSW syllabuses for the Australian curriculum³ website.
reflected upon the planning process for structuring a stage of learning for the BOSTES NSW Geography K–10 syllabus.
developed an implementation plan for one focus area of the BOSTES NSW Geography K–10 Syllabus.

Summary of course requirements
Section	Indicative time	Description	Activities
Overview	5 minutes	identify the purpose and scope of the course. identify professional teaching standards addressed by the course
Planning	30 minutes	discusses the aims of curriculum planning and programming for geography examines the geographical inquiry process as best practice for teaching geography looks at a scope and sequence for geography	Activity 1: School context
Geography K–10	45 minutes		Activity 2: Stage statements Activity 3: Objectives and outcomes Activity 4: Geographical concepts Activity 5: Geographical inquiry process
Stage content	30 minutes	leads participants through a detailed examination of content material for their chosen stage	Activity 6a: Concepts Activity 6b: Inquiry skills Activity 6c: Tools Activity 7a: Outcomes Activity 7b: Key inquiry questions Activity 7c: Teaching and learning frameworks
Implementation	60 minutes	outlines the tasks necessary to complete the course deliverable, an implementation plan using the Geography K–10 planning template.	Deliverable task a: Case studies Deliverable task b: Inquiry questions Deliverable task c: Learning experiences Deliverable task d (K–6): Tools Deliverable task d (7–10): Tools/Skills/Concepts Deliverable task e: When
Wrap up	10 minutes	Teachers will complete the deliverable for accreditation purposes.	complete the course checklist submit the deliverable.

This course has been developed to cater for the diverse needs of teachers. Readings are recommended to increase participants’ knowledge and understanding of how to plan quality teaching and learning for geography K–10.

Decide on one stage you would like to concentrate on throughout the course. Activities will frequently ask you to refer to your chosen stage. Each activity is designed to assist you in constructing an implementation plan for one focus area of the Geography K–10 Syllabus.

Download the Activity booklet (.docx 382kB) from the Course materials section below to record responses to each activity.

Throughout this course you will find the following icons:

Read

Document

View

Internet activity

Activity booklet

Collaborate

This DoE course (code RG00441) is registered professional development under the terms of the BOSTES Professional Learning Policy 2013⁴.

Completion of this course will contribute three hours of QTC Registered PD addressing the standard descriptors in the table below from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.
Standards/descriptors addressed by course	Description of course content and how it addresses the standard/descriptor
Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it Descriptor 2.2.2 Organise content into coherent, well sequenced learning and teaching programs.	Participants will apply knowledge of the purpose, structure and content of the Geography K–10 Syllabus to create a course deliverable entailing an implementation plan for one geography focus area.
Standard 3: Plan and implement effective teaching and learning Descriptor 3.2.2 Plan and implement well-structured learning and teaching programs or lesson sequences that engage students and promote learning.	Participants will examine the concepts, skills, tools, objectives, outcomes and content for one stage of learning in the Geography K–10 Syllabus and enhance their understanding of the overall progression of geographical learning from K–10. This learning will be applied in the activities leading up to and involved in the preparation of the course deliverable.
Standard 6: Engage in professional learning Descriptor 6.3.2 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve professional knowledge and practice.	Participants will: ● engage in discussion, activities, reflection and answer questions designed to strengthen their understanding of how the Geography K–10 Syllabus can be used to plan teaching and learning to meet the needs of all students ● complete the course deliverable in consultation with colleagues.

In order for new scheme teachers accredited at Proficient to have these hours added to their professional learning log at BOSTES⁵, the following steps must be taken:

Before commencing the course, advise your supervisor of your intention to do so and discuss the course requirements.

Your supervisor/course deliverer will need to:

Schedule an event against this course (course code RG00441) on My PL@Edu⁶. For information on scheduling an event see DELIVERERS: Scheduling a professional learning event via My PL@Edu⁷. Include the developer of the course as the Manage Event Support Person.
After the participant has enrolled, confirm their enrolment on the event’s Enrolment tab on My PL@Edu.

Participants will need to:

Enrol in the scheduled event in My PL@Edu using your DoE portal username and password. For more details see PARTICIPANTS: Searching for and enrolling in professional learning events via My PL@Edu⁸.
Check your enrolment on the event’s Enrolment tab on My PL@Edu after the course deliverer has confirmed it.
Complete all course activities and deliverables.
Provide the completed deliverable as evidence to your supervisor for approval.
Complete the online evaluation in My PL@Edu.
Have a follow-up discussion with your supervisor when you have completed the course and deliverable.
Your supervisor/course deliverer will then be able to verify that you have met all requirements for the course and will ensure completion is recorded on the event’s Participation tab on My PL@Edu.
Allow at least 7–10 working days for your details to be passed on to BOSTES.
Within three months of completing the course, log in to your account on the BOSTES Teacher Accreditation⁹ website to complete the online evaluation so that the participation hours are recorded.

Activity booklet

Download and save the Activity booklet (.docx 382kB) and add to it as you work through the course.

Geography K–10 planning template

The Geography K–10 planning template (.docx 164kB) provides the scaffold for preparing the course deliverable.

Course completion checklist

The Course completion checklist (.docx 56kB) will help to ensure all course activities are completed. It requires supervisors to check and sign off on work completed in order for participants to gain recognition for the course.

Presenter notes

The Presenter notes (.docx 328kB) contain advice about how to manage the delivery of this course, including a detailed description of what each tab is about, delivery strategies and advice for completing the activities.

Links