What is Geography about?
[ Video Resource ]
- Title: Geography
- Description: Geography Subject Expert Group members discuss their experiences in the Review of Achievement Standards
- Video Duration: 5 minutes
- Video URL: https://player.vimeo.com/video/571915920
- Transcript: In conversation with Louise Richards Sam Wallace Rebecca Sweney-McKee Transcript below: My hope as a passionate geographer and educator is that assessment is not going to be the priority and the focus for teaching and learning that happens in the classroom. Yeah
In conversation with
Louise Richards
Sam Wallace
Rebecca Sweney-McKee
Transcript below:
My hope as a passionate geographer and educator is that assessment is not going to be the priority and the focus for teaching and learning that happens in the classroom.
Yeah, that the significant learning will be the main crux of what's going on in the classroom and the assessment will simply fall out of that.
I like how we're going to be able to go broader, and deeper, and spend longer on things. That we're going to be able to interweave ideas. Out of that falls that aspect of assessment. It's going to take a back seat. It's been disheartening, over the last few years, where our geography is referred to in numbers. We talk about Standards. We talk about 2.1, 1.4. That geography, I feel, has been lost in that approach. Which is not the fault of the teacher by any means, but perhaps more the process and the structure of NCEA.
Those changes that we're looking at, I think are going to make a real difference. I think the students, the ākonga, are going to see a change in that approach as well. That they're going to have a more creative license to show their learning. How they go about their learning, a lot more collaborative, aromatawai sort of concepts coming through. That's going to be a big change for a lot of our ākonga.
I think the mana ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori is going to be totally explicit in the language of the Standards, the language of the significant learning. It is going to be front and centre for people to teach. That is exciting.
It's exciting, we had a meeting yesterday, the ākonga team came in. They said they were able to see themselves in the learning. That was a real defining point for me in the process. When the person said, I can see myself in your learning matrix. For me, that was exactly how we need to approach the teaching and learning that we do from now on.
I'm really excited about it. I think it's time. I can see how it's being embedded in everything that we're doing. Not just in the wording and the tasks. Like the pedagogy that we're looking at.
It's been awesome to think of different ways, being creative with how they can present their work, and talk about their experiences. I think with the way that we're trying to interweave everything as well in our learning matrix really reflects those principles, too.
For me being part of the SEG has been hugely rewarding. I feel it's a real privilege to work alongside some of my geography heroes, who before this I knew in name only, in emails, on publications and things.
But it's also been really rewarding to be part of the whole process. It's been amazing professional development for myself. It has been challenging. I don't think any of us will deny that. But what has been absolutely at the forefront for all of us has been our passion for the subject and for our learners.
For me mostly it's a terrifying experience. Because it's so important that we're representing our sector. We're responsible for getting it right.
The pilot scheme is going to be so important in making sure that it's all correct. It's not just the now. It's also thinking about as we move into the future. Will this stand the test of time. We're not just thinking about learners now in 2021. We're thinking long term, and that can be a challenge, definitely.
Be bold, be brave. Be open.
Yeah. Be willing to change. Look at the changes for the positives that are there. We have to go away from "this is the way I've always done things", "and it's always worked for me in the past". Thinking about, my job is to prepare my students to be good citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand. I think these changes we're making are going to allow that to happen.
Teachers need to be brave and bold enough to take that challenge on themselves. Because they're going to have to take on the challenge, we all have to work. They're not alone. No one is going to be alone, we are going to be well supported. We're going to ensure that teachers feel that support, and that they don't feel alone. That we are all here together as a community to support each other.
Subject-specific terms can be found in the glossary.
Geography is about te taiao and the interconnections between the whenua, wai, āhuarangi, and koiora. We ask the question "What Is Where, Why There, and Why Care?" (Gritzner, 2002).
Te taiao is the space you stand in or observe. Features of te taiao are interconnected, including people who live within the space. They also include those made by people, such as buildings, and natural features, such as mountains and climates.
For example, an awa supports the ecosystem that lives around it, and the ecosystem is important for the awa through ways such as holding up the bank and keeping the water clean. People use the awa for resources, which has impacts within te taiao. The granting of legal personhood to several Aotearoa New Zealand awa recognises how all of the parts of te taiao are important, and respects local iwi’s ancestral relationships with their awa.
Ākonga will explore topics like this, developing their ability to Understand, Know, and Do geography. They will learn about how people see and interact with place within te taiao.
Ākonga will learn that both humans and natural processes shape te taiao. Humans shape te taiao through the decisions that are made, which are influenced by perspectives and power.
The subject focuses on Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider Pacific region, so that ākonga can grow their relationship with their communities and environments, and explore knowledge systems and decision-making that matter to them. Ākonga will learn about how Te Tiriti o Waitangi is important in geography. This includes its values, and relevance in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Geographic thinking
Geographic thinking helps ākonga to participate in the world as critical, empathetic, informed, and responsible people. It considers where features of te taiao are, how they interconnect, and how they can change over time. In Geography, ākonga nurture kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga by considering the impact their actions can have within te taiao. To do this, ākonga draw from multiple perspectives, including te ao Māori and Pacific perspectives.
Ākonga can embrace their relationship with te taiao. They use geographic thinking to develop understandings related to patterns, processes, relationships, interactions, change, and systems.
Geography kete
The Geography kete contains tools for understanding and engaging with te taiao. It includes perspectives, knowledge systems, and tikanga. Through wānanga and talanoa, it helps ākonga to have a collaborative approach to geographic inquiry. Ākonga use it to ask questions about te taiao, and their place within it, gaining strong geographic inquiry skills.
Reference:
Gritzner, C. F. (2002). What is where, why there, and why care?. Journal of Geography, 101(1), 38-40.
Subject-specific terms can be found in the glossary.
Geography is about te taiao and the interconnections between the whenua, wai, āhuarangi, and koiora. We ask the question "What Is Where, Why There, and Why Care?" (Gritzner, 2002).
Te taiao is the space you stand in or observe. Features of te taiao are interconnected, including people who live within the space. They also include those made by people, such as buildings, and natural features, such as mountains and climates.
For example, an awa supports the ecosystem that lives around it, and the ecosystem is important for the awa through ways such as holding up the bank and keeping the water clean. People use the awa for resources, which has impacts within te taiao. The granting of legal personhood to several Aotearoa New Zealand awa recognises how all of the parts of te taiao are important, and respects local iwi’s ancestral relationships with their awa.
Ākonga will explore topics like this, developing their ability to Understand, Know, and Do geography. They will learn about how people see and interact with place within te taiao.
Ākonga will learn that both humans and natural processes shape te taiao. Humans shape te taiao through the decisions that are made, which are influenced by perspectives and power.
The subject focuses on Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider Pacific region, so that ākonga can grow their relationship with their communities and environments, and explore knowledge systems and decision-making that matter to them. Ākonga will learn about how Te Tiriti o Waitangi is important in geography. This includes its values, and relevance in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Geographic thinking
Geographic thinking helps ākonga to participate in the world as critical, empathetic, informed, and responsible people. It considers where features of te taiao are, how they interconnect, and how they can change over time. In Geography, ākonga nurture kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga by considering the impact their actions can have within te taiao. To do this, ākonga draw from multiple perspectives, including te ao Māori and Pacific perspectives.
Ākonga can embrace their relationship with te taiao. They use geographic thinking to develop understandings related to patterns, processes, relationships, interactions, change, and systems.
Geography kete
The Geography kete contains tools for understanding and engaging with te taiao. It includes perspectives, knowledge systems, and tikanga. Through wānanga and talanoa, it helps ākonga to have a collaborative approach to geographic inquiry. Ākonga use it to ask questions about te taiao, and their place within it, gaining strong geographic inquiry skills.
Reference:
Gritzner, C. F. (2002). What is where, why there, and why care?. Journal of Geography, 101(1), 38-40.
Big Ideas and Significant Learning
This section outlines the meaning of, and connection between, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning, which together form the Learning Matrix. It then explains each Geography Big Idea.
The Social Sciences Learning Area, including its whakatauākī, inform this subject’s Significant Learning — learning that is critical for ākonga to know, understand, and do in a subject by the end of each Curriculum Level. This covers knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes.
The Learning Area's whakatauākī is:
Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei whea te kōmako e kō?
Whakatairangitia – rere ki uta, rere ki tai;
Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao,
Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!Remove the heart of the flax bush and where will the kōmako sing?
Proclaim it to the land, proclaim it to the sea;
Ask me, “What is the greatest thing in the world?”
I will reply, “It is people, people, people!”Nā, Meri Ngāroto, Te Aupōuri (1830s)
For Geography, the whakatauākī means that our understanding of ourselves, our communities, and our cultures is inextricably connected to the whenua through whakapapa. In te ao Māori, ngā tangata are part of te taiao, and key features of the whenua are considered to be living beings. This philosophy informs our geographic knowledge and understanding of places.
The subject's Big Ideas and Significant Learning are collated into a Learning Matrix for Curriculum Level 6, 7, and indicative learning for Level 8. Teachers can use the Learning Matrix as a tool to construct Teaching and Learning Programmes that cover all the not-to-be-missed learning in Geography.
There is no prescribed order to the Learning Matrix within each Level. A programme of learning might begin with a context that is relevant to the local area of the school or an idea that ākonga are particularly interested in. This context should relate to at least one Big Idea and may also link to other Big Ideas.
There are four Big Ideas in Geography. The nature of this subject as a discipline means aspects of Significant Learning often cross over multiple Big Ideas, and vice versa. This means that there are multiple opportunities to engage with the Significant Learning throughout the year. Ākonga can approach the same piece of Significant Learning with different tools to gain deeper understanding.
At Level 7, the Significant Learning can be selected and grouped to explore local and global geographic issues such as climate change, hazard management, urbanisation, development, and inequality.
This section outlines the meaning of, and connection between, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning, which together form the Learning Matrix. It then explains each Geography Big Idea.
The Social Sciences Learning Area, including its whakatauākī, inform this subject’s Significant Learning — learning that is critical for ākonga to know, understand, and do in a subject by the end of each Curriculum Level. This covers knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes.
The Learning Area's whakatauākī is:
Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei whea te kōmako e kō?
Whakatairangitia – rere ki uta, rere ki tai;
Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao,
Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!Remove the heart of the flax bush and where will the kōmako sing?
Proclaim it to the land, proclaim it to the sea;
Ask me, “What is the greatest thing in the world?”
I will reply, “It is people, people, people!”Nā, Meri Ngāroto, Te Aupōuri (1830s)
For Geography, the whakatauākī means that our understanding of ourselves, our communities, and our cultures is inextricably connected to the whenua through whakapapa. In te ao Māori, ngā tangata are part of te taiao, and key features of the whenua are considered to be living beings. This philosophy informs our geographic knowledge and understanding of places.
The subject's Big Ideas and Significant Learning are collated into a Learning Matrix for Curriculum Level 6, 7, and indicative learning for Level 8. Teachers can use the Learning Matrix as a tool to construct Teaching and Learning Programmes that cover all the not-to-be-missed learning in Geography.
There is no prescribed order to the Learning Matrix within each Level. A programme of learning might begin with a context that is relevant to the local area of the school or an idea that ākonga are particularly interested in. This context should relate to at least one Big Idea and may also link to other Big Ideas.
There are four Big Ideas in Geography. The nature of this subject as a discipline means aspects of Significant Learning often cross over multiple Big Ideas, and vice versa. This means that there are multiple opportunities to engage with the Significant Learning throughout the year. Ākonga can approach the same piece of Significant Learning with different tools to gain deeper understanding.
At Level 7, the Significant Learning can be selected and grouped to explore local and global geographic issues such as climate change, hazard management, urbanisation, development, and inequality.
Big Idea Body:
Ākonga of Geography investigate connections between people and place at local, regional, national, and global scales. Connections within te taiao are dynamic and reciprocal — te taiao shapes people as we shape te taiao.
Different places have different experiences, opportunities, and obstacles for people within te taiao. They connect people to each other and te taiao. In Aotearoa New Zealand, tangata whenua hold strong relationships with te taiao. It is the geographer’s role to know, understand, and show the interconnections between people and te taiao.
Through geographic investigation, we can make sense of differences in how people interact with te taiao. We seek to understand the causes and effects of interactions. This includes understanding the causes and effects of environmental change. Our understanding of how people interact with te taiao can be used to make responsible, informed decisions.
Te taiao is interconnected with ngā tangata and ngā tangata are interconnected within te taiao
Ākonga of Geography investigate connections between people and place at local, regional, national, and global scales. Connections within te taiao are dynamic and reciprocal — te taiao shapes people as we shape te taiao.
Different places have different experiences, opportunities, and obstacles for people within te taiao. They connect people to each other and te taiao. In Aotearoa New Zealand, tangata whenua hold strong relationships with te taiao. It is the geographer’s role to know, understand, and show the interconnections between people and te taiao.
Through geographic investigation, we can make sense of differences in how people interact with te taiao. We seek to understand the causes and effects of interactions. This includes understanding the causes and effects of environmental change. Our understanding of how people interact with te taiao can be used to make responsible, informed decisions.
Big Idea Body:
Understanding how natural processes can shape te taiao deepens our understanding of, and connection to, the whenua. Investigating natural processes helps ākonga to know what these phenomena are, how they occur, and the impacts they have on people in different places. Ākonga also investigate how te taiao have evolved spatially and temporally. They explore pūrākau and science to understand how te taiao is formed.
Te taiao can be shaped by natural processes
Understanding how natural processes can shape te taiao deepens our understanding of, and connection to, the whenua. Investigating natural processes helps ākonga to know what these phenomena are, how they occur, and the impacts they have on people in different places. Ākonga also investigate how te taiao have evolved spatially and temporally. They explore pūrākau and science to understand how te taiao is formed.
Big Idea Body:
In this Big Idea, tikanga refers to a te ao Māori concept that can mean Indigenous best practice around the protection and regeneration of te taiao. The relationship that ngā tāngata have with other parts of te taiao can be informed by tikanga. Following tikanga helps to maintain balance within te taiao.
Weaving tikanga into geographic inquiry brings understanding and respect for people, their values, and their perspectives to the forefront. In Geography, tikanga includes kaitiakitanga to ensure sustainable use and regeneration of te taiao. Mana whenua may bestow the kaitiaki title on others to protect the mauri and mana of the whenua.
By understanding how te taiao can be protected and regenerated, ākonga can appreciate and consider different solutions that can be brought to geographic issues.
Tikanga informs the relationships between ngā tangata and te taiao
In this Big Idea, tikanga refers to a te ao Māori concept that can mean Indigenous best practice around the protection and regeneration of te taiao. The relationship that ngā tāngata have with other parts of te taiao can be informed by tikanga. Following tikanga helps to maintain balance within te taiao.
Weaving tikanga into geographic inquiry brings understanding and respect for people, their values, and their perspectives to the forefront. In Geography, tikanga includes kaitiakitanga to ensure sustainable use and regeneration of te taiao. Mana whenua may bestow the kaitiaki title on others to protect the mauri and mana of the whenua.
By understanding how te taiao can be protected and regenerated, ākonga can appreciate and consider different solutions that can be brought to geographic issues.
Big Idea Body:
In Geography, ākonga explore how differences in perspectives and power influence decision making, which has consequences within te taiao. Perspectives shape our ways of looking at the world and how we make sense of it. Understanding them typically involves consideration of values and beliefs. Perspectives influence people's actions and responses to geographic issues. Power differences mean that groups have varying levels of ability to exert their perspective.
Perspectives and power influence te taiao
In Geography, ākonga explore how differences in perspectives and power influence decision making, which has consequences within te taiao. Perspectives shape our ways of looking at the world and how we make sense of it. Understanding them typically involves consideration of values and beliefs. Perspectives influence people's actions and responses to geographic issues. Power differences mean that groups have varying levels of ability to exert their perspective.
Key Competencies in Geography
Developing Key Competencies through Geography
Learning in Geography provides meaningful contexts for developing Key Competencies from The New Zealand Curriculum. These Key Competencies are woven through, and embedded in, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning. Each discipline has its own processes, practices, and ways of knowing and interpreting meaning.
Geography provides learners with opportunities to develop critical and relational thinking, and temporal and spatial awareness. Students of Geography will develop understanding of geographic skills and will explore different perspectives and worldviews.
Thinking
Students of Geography will:
- use critical thinking to make informed decisions and judgements about land use
- think about possible, probable, and preferred outcomes from a geographic perspective
- find connections within and between natural and cultural environments
- explore te taiao using a tikanga lens
- understand the relationship between geography and Indigenous knowledges
- use understanding of global geographic practices to explore how te taiao shapes people and people shape te taiao
- use relational thinking to analyse how places are shaped, including the effect of power differences
- consider differences in decision-making due to perspectives and viewpoints
- understand differences in development and progress, and in how people interact with natural environments
- practise thinking collaboratively
- use creativity to predict the future of environments
- consider different approaches to solve geographic challenges.
Using language, symbols, and texts
Students of Geography will:
- use language, symbols, and text to make and understand maps, graphs, visuals, tables, and texts
- develop spatial and temporal awareness
- communicate ideas using geographic terminology
- use maps to process information
- use data to draw conclusions about how natural and cultural processes shape te taiao.
Relating to others
Students of Geography will:
- use inquiry approaches and collect data in groups
- work with others to identify geographic solutions and possibilities
- follow and work with communities at the frontline of climate change
- understand and respect relationships of tangata whenua with place and space as fundamental to the discipline of geography in Aotearoa New Zealand
- develop awareness of different understandings of place and environment
- understand their own and biases and those of other people
- expand their worldview through knowledge of local to global geography
- question geographic perspectives and decision-making and how these impact people, place, and environments.
Managing self
Students of Geography will:
- manage themselves effectively while doing fieldwork and research
- reflect on skills and knowledge systems to add to their Geography kete
- collect primary data through group work to learn from other ākonga and engage with a range of worldviews
- understand that individuals and groups have differing views of land management, sustainability, and regeneration.
Participating and contributing
Students of Geography will:
- engage in debate and discussion about geographic questions and challenges
- grow partnerships, relationships, and connections to explore differing geographic understandings
- acknowledge climate and environmental advocacy movements
- raise awareness of natural and cultural geographic changes through different ways of communicating
- understand how kaitiakitanga is being embedded in the geography discipline within Aotearoa New Zealand.
Key Competencies
This section of The New Zealand Curriculum Online offers specific guidance to school leaders and teachers on integrating the Key Competencies into the daily activities of the school and its Teaching and Learning Programmes.
Developing Key Competencies through Geography
Learning in Geography provides meaningful contexts for developing Key Competencies from The New Zealand Curriculum. These Key Competencies are woven through, and embedded in, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning. Each discipline has its own processes, practices, and ways of knowing and interpreting meaning.
Geography provides learners with opportunities to develop critical and relational thinking, and temporal and spatial awareness. Students of Geography will develop understanding of geographic skills and will explore different perspectives and worldviews.
Thinking
Students of Geography will:
- use critical thinking to make informed decisions and judgements about land use
- think about possible, probable, and preferred outcomes from a geographic perspective
- find connections within and between natural and cultural environments
- explore te taiao using a tikanga lens
- understand the relationship between geography and Indigenous knowledges
- use understanding of global geographic practices to explore how te taiao shapes people and people shape te taiao
- use relational thinking to analyse how places are shaped, including the effect of power differences
- consider differences in decision-making due to perspectives and viewpoints
- understand differences in development and progress, and in how people interact with natural environments
- practise thinking collaboratively
- use creativity to predict the future of environments
- consider different approaches to solve geographic challenges.
Using language, symbols, and texts
Students of Geography will:
- use language, symbols, and text to make and understand maps, graphs, visuals, tables, and texts
- develop spatial and temporal awareness
- communicate ideas using geographic terminology
- use maps to process information
- use data to draw conclusions about how natural and cultural processes shape te taiao.
Relating to others
Students of Geography will:
- use inquiry approaches and collect data in groups
- work with others to identify geographic solutions and possibilities
- follow and work with communities at the frontline of climate change
- understand and respect relationships of tangata whenua with place and space as fundamental to the discipline of geography in Aotearoa New Zealand
- develop awareness of different understandings of place and environment
- understand their own and biases and those of other people
- expand their worldview through knowledge of local to global geography
- question geographic perspectives and decision-making and how these impact people, place, and environments.
Managing self
Students of Geography will:
- manage themselves effectively while doing fieldwork and research
- reflect on skills and knowledge systems to add to their Geography kete
- collect primary data through group work to learn from other ākonga and engage with a range of worldviews
- understand that individuals and groups have differing views of land management, sustainability, and regeneration.
Participating and contributing
Students of Geography will:
- engage in debate and discussion about geographic questions and challenges
- grow partnerships, relationships, and connections to explore differing geographic understandings
- acknowledge climate and environmental advocacy movements
- raise awareness of natural and cultural geographic changes through different ways of communicating
- understand how kaitiakitanga is being embedded in the geography discipline within Aotearoa New Zealand.
Key Competencies
This section of The New Zealand Curriculum Online offers specific guidance to school leaders and teachers on integrating the Key Competencies into the daily activities of the school and its Teaching and Learning Programmes.
Connections
Geography connects naturally with a wide variety of Learning Areas and individual subjects. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of Geography, kaiako can easily form bridges across and between subjects. This means that ākonga can transfer their learning from Geography to other subjects, and vice versa.
Some examples of links to other subjects are:
Economics
- Understanding of, and skills in, decision making within te taiao, including people’s perspectives, their activities, and impacts within te taiao, is important in both Economics and Geography.
Mathematics and Statistics
- Statistics conventions for collecting, processing, and analysing data are important for many geographic inquiry approaches. Mathematics conventions are important for identifying and interpreting patterns.
Earth and Space Science
- Tools for inquiry and geographic thinking, including the impact of human activities, can complement learning in both Geography and Earth and Space Science.
Outdoor Education
- Growing connection with te taiao, and understanding how natural environments are formed and how they are used by people.
Pacific Studies
- Learning about te taiao, especially in Pacific contexts in Geography learning, can help ākonga to grow their sense of place and understanding of Pacific cultures and environments.
Geography connects naturally with a wide variety of Learning Areas and individual subjects. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of Geography, kaiako can easily form bridges across and between subjects. This means that ākonga can transfer their learning from Geography to other subjects, and vice versa.
Some examples of links to other subjects are:
Economics
- Understanding of, and skills in, decision making within te taiao, including people’s perspectives, their activities, and impacts within te taiao, is important in both Economics and Geography.
Mathematics and Statistics
- Statistics conventions for collecting, processing, and analysing data are important for many geographic inquiry approaches. Mathematics conventions are important for identifying and interpreting patterns.
Earth and Space Science
- Tools for inquiry and geographic thinking, including the impact of human activities, can complement learning in both Geography and Earth and Space Science.
Outdoor Education
- Growing connection with te taiao, and understanding how natural environments are formed and how they are used by people.
Pacific Studies
- Learning about te taiao, especially in Pacific contexts in Geography learning, can help ākonga to grow their sense of place and understanding of Pacific cultures and environments.
Learning Pathway
Geography offers ākonga the opportunity to acquire a range of skills and knowledge which they can use in their everyday lives, no matter what level they begin their Geography studies. Being able to use geographical thinking and draw from the Geography kete will help ākonga to make informed, ethical, and responsible decisions about themselves, their communities, and their environment. Understanding of, and respect for, different perspectives is a vital and increasingly acknowledged skill across different pathways.
Beyond school, Geography can be a pathway to further education and training related to a range of sectors such as:
- primary industries
- services
- social and community
- manufacturing and technology
- construction and infrastructure
- creative industries.
At university level, pathways are available in a range of areas. Ākonga might concentrate on Physical Geography, Social and Political Sciences, Development Studies, Migration Studies, Resource and Environmental Management, Geographic Information Systems, Geology, or Urban Planning. Ākonga with a base in Geography can use their knowledge to support a career in engineering, science, law, management, commerce, or technology.
Geography is a foundation for any pathways that focus on connections within te taiao.
Geographers work in a wide range of fields, including:
- urban and regional planning
- land management
- industrial location and marketing
- environmental monitoring and resource management
- community development at home and abroad.
They work as researchers, analysts, consultants, technologists, and planners.
Being able to work with data is increasingly important in geography, mostly due to technology and innovation. For example, a lot of our information about where things are located comes from satellites that continuously beam coordinates to global positioning devices on Earth.
Government and commercial satellites greatly increase the accuracy and amount of geographic data available. At the same time, new Geographic Information System (GIS) software can process that data with greater speed and flexibility. This technology creates new career possibilities for people who understand geography and who can process and use geographic information.
A few geographic jobs are based almost entirely on the study of location. Remote sensing specialists, photogrammetrists, and surveyors gather data about where things are on Earth. GIS analysts review this data and sometimes use it to make maps. Planners help to figure out where buildings and roads should be located.
Many maps rely on photographs or other data taken from aeroplanes, drones, and satellites. Remote sensing specialists oversee the collection of this information and interpret satellite images. Photogrammetrists interpret the more detailed data.
Skills developed in Geography that employers are looking for are:
- adaptability
- communication
- critical thinking
- digital literacy
- leadership
- collaboration
- problem solving
- engagement with others
- relationship building.
Geography offers ākonga the opportunity to acquire a range of skills and knowledge which they can use in their everyday lives, no matter what level they begin their Geography studies. Being able to use geographical thinking and draw from the Geography kete will help ākonga to make informed, ethical, and responsible decisions about themselves, their communities, and their environment. Understanding of, and respect for, different perspectives is a vital and increasingly acknowledged skill across different pathways.
Beyond school, Geography can be a pathway to further education and training related to a range of sectors such as:
- primary industries
- services
- social and community
- manufacturing and technology
- construction and infrastructure
- creative industries.
At university level, pathways are available in a range of areas. Ākonga might concentrate on Physical Geography, Social and Political Sciences, Development Studies, Migration Studies, Resource and Environmental Management, Geographic Information Systems, Geology, or Urban Planning. Ākonga with a base in Geography can use their knowledge to support a career in engineering, science, law, management, commerce, or technology.
Geography is a foundation for any pathways that focus on connections within te taiao.
Geographers work in a wide range of fields, including:
- urban and regional planning
- land management
- industrial location and marketing
- environmental monitoring and resource management
- community development at home and abroad.
They work as researchers, analysts, consultants, technologists, and planners.
Being able to work with data is increasingly important in geography, mostly due to technology and innovation. For example, a lot of our information about where things are located comes from satellites that continuously beam coordinates to global positioning devices on Earth.
Government and commercial satellites greatly increase the accuracy and amount of geographic data available. At the same time, new Geographic Information System (GIS) software can process that data with greater speed and flexibility. This technology creates new career possibilities for people who understand geography and who can process and use geographic information.
A few geographic jobs are based almost entirely on the study of location. Remote sensing specialists, photogrammetrists, and surveyors gather data about where things are on Earth. GIS analysts review this data and sometimes use it to make maps. Planners help to figure out where buildings and roads should be located.
Many maps rely on photographs or other data taken from aeroplanes, drones, and satellites. Remote sensing specialists oversee the collection of this information and interpret satellite images. Photogrammetrists interpret the more detailed data.
Skills developed in Geography that employers are looking for are:
- adaptability
- communication
- critical thinking
- digital literacy
- leadership
- collaboration
- problem solving
- engagement with others
- relationship building.
Introduction to Sample Course Outlines
Sample Course Outlines are intended to help teachers and schools understand the new NCEA Learning Matrix and Achievement Standards. Examples of how a year-long Geography course could be constructed using the new Learning Matrix and Achievement Standards are provided here. They are indicative only and do not mandate any particular context or approach.
Sample Course Outlines are intended to help teachers and schools understand the new NCEA Learning Matrix and Achievement Standards. Examples of how a year-long Geography course could be constructed using the new Learning Matrix and Achievement Standards are provided here. They are indicative only and do not mandate any particular context or approach.
Assessment Matrix
Conditions of Assessment for internally assessed standards
These Conditions provide guidelines for assessment against internally assessed Achievement Standards. Guidance is provided on:
- specific requirements for all assessments against this Standard
- appropriate ways of, and conditions for, gathering evidence
- ensuring that evidence is authentic.
Assessors must be familiar with guidance on assessment practice in learning centres, including enforcing timeframes and deadlines. The NZQA website offers resources that would be useful to read in conjunction with these Conditions of Assessment.
The learning centre’s Assessment Policy and Conditions of Assessment must be consistent with NZQA’s Assessment Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess. This link includes guidance for managing internal moderation and the collection of evidence.
Gathering Evidence
Internal assessment provides considerable flexibility in the collection of evidence. Evidence can be collected in different ways to suit a range of teaching and learning styles, and a range of contexts of teaching and learning. Care needs to be taken to allow students opportunities to present their best evidence against the Standard(s) that are free from unnecessary constraints.
It is recommended that the design of assessment reflects and reinforces the ways students have been learning. Collection of evidence for the internally assessed Standards could include, but is not restricted to, an extended task, an investigation, digital evidence (such as recorded interviews, blogs, photographs, or film), or a portfolio of evidence.
Effective assessment should suit the nature of the learning being assessed, provide opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students, and be valid and fair.
Ensuring Authenticity of Evidence
Authenticity of student evidence needs to be assured regardless of the method of collecting evidence. This must be in line with the learning centre’s policy and NZQA’s Assessment Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess.
Ensure that the student’s evidence is individually identifiable and represents the student’s own work. This includes evidence submitted as part of a group assessment and evidence produced outside of class time or assessor supervision. For example, an investigation carried out over several sessions could include assessor observations, meeting with the student at a set milestone, or student’s use of a journal or photographic entries to record progress.
These Conditions provide guidelines for assessment against internally assessed Achievement Standards. Guidance is provided on:
- specific requirements for all assessments against this Standard
- appropriate ways of, and conditions for, gathering evidence
- ensuring that evidence is authentic.
Assessors must be familiar with guidance on assessment practice in learning centres, including enforcing timeframes and deadlines. The NZQA website offers resources that would be useful to read in conjunction with these Conditions of Assessment.
The learning centre’s Assessment Policy and Conditions of Assessment must be consistent with NZQA’s Assessment Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess. This link includes guidance for managing internal moderation and the collection of evidence.
Gathering Evidence
Internal assessment provides considerable flexibility in the collection of evidence. Evidence can be collected in different ways to suit a range of teaching and learning styles, and a range of contexts of teaching and learning. Care needs to be taken to allow students opportunities to present their best evidence against the Standard(s) that are free from unnecessary constraints.
It is recommended that the design of assessment reflects and reinforces the ways students have been learning. Collection of evidence for the internally assessed Standards could include, but is not restricted to, an extended task, an investigation, digital evidence (such as recorded interviews, blogs, photographs, or film), or a portfolio of evidence.
Effective assessment should suit the nature of the learning being assessed, provide opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students, and be valid and fair.
Ensuring Authenticity of Evidence
Authenticity of student evidence needs to be assured regardless of the method of collecting evidence. This must be in line with the learning centre’s policy and NZQA’s Assessment Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess.
Ensure that the student’s evidence is individually identifiable and represents the student’s own work. This includes evidence submitted as part of a group assessment and evidence produced outside of class time or assessor supervision. For example, an investigation carried out over several sessions could include assessor observations, meeting with the student at a set milestone, or student’s use of a journal or photographic entries to record progress.
Assessor involvement during the assessment event is limited to providing general feedback which suggests sections of student work that would benefit from further development or skills a student may need to revisit across the work. Student work which has received sustained or detailed feedback is not suitable for submission towards this Achievement Standard.
Evidence for all parts of this assessment can be in te reo Māori, English, or New Zealand Sign Language.
Assessors should ensure student evidence at any achievement level includes data that has been processed and presented by the student into an appropriate visual. They should also ensure the visual has been processed and presented in an accurate format.
Assessor involvement during the assessment event is limited to providing general feedback which suggests sections of student work that would benefit from further development or skills a student may need to revisit across the work. Student work which has received sustained or detailed feedback is not suitable for submission towards this Standard.
Evidence for all parts of this assessment can be in te reo Māori, English, or New Zealand Sign Language.
This section provides guidelines for assessment against internally assessed Standards. Guidance is provided on:
- appropriate ways of, and conditions for, gathering evidence
- ensuring that evidence is authentic
- any other relevant advice specific to an Achievement Standard.
NB: Information on additional generic guidance on assessment practice in schools is published on the NZQA website. It would be useful to read in conjunction with these Conditions of Assessment.
Collection of evidence
Teachers may:
- provide sufficient assessment resources for ākonga to achieve at all levels
- determine when the assessment will be conducted in class and the submission date
- allocate 4 hours of class time for the assessment.
Ākonga may:
- work on assessment responses in class for four hours
- present their evidence for assessment in any medium that allows them to demonstrate their understanding of Indigenous participation in geographic planning and decision making in the Pacific.
If providing a written response, ākonga may write between 900–1000 words. Oral responses should be between 4-5 minutes in length.
Ensuring Authenticity of Evidence
Evidence for this Standard should be collected in class over a period of 4 hours.
Teachers should have ākonga sign authenticity forms to verify their work.
Teachers may monitor the progress of ākonga closely.
Teachers may use oral questioning to confirm understanding, if doubts over the authenticity arise.
If ākonga present their evidence digitally, by video, or by blog, it is best to disable access to this after marking and moderation have occurred. This helps to ensure that ākonga cannot plagiarise the work or ideas of those who have already completed the assessment for this Achievement Standard.
This section provides guidelines for assessment against internally assessed Standards. Guidance is provided on:
- appropriate ways of, and conditions for, gathering evidence
- ensuring that evidence is authentic
- any other relevant advice specific to an Achievement Standard.
NB: Information on additional generic guidance on assessment practice in schools is published on the NZQA website. It would be useful to read in conjunction with these Conditions of Assessment.
Collection of evidence
Teachers may:
- decide to use a single taiao or nga taiao to demonstrate mitigation methods that build resilience to the same natural process
- provide guidance to ākonga if they choose a different context
- provide sufficient assessment resources for ākonga to achieve at all Levels
- determine when the assessment will be conducted in class
- determine the timing of the assessment period. This should be based on the anticipated length of time the assessment task should take to be completed in class time.
- provide a list of suitable methods and platforms, where appropriate, that allow the student to suitably demonstrate their understanding.
Ākonga may:
- decide to use a single taiao or nga taiao to demonstrate mitigation methods that build resilience to the same natural process, if selecting their own context
- work collaboratively in groups to plan, gather, and share additional resource material and discuss mitigation methods prior to working on their response. Their submitted response must represent their own work.
- present their evidence for assessment in any medium that allows them to demonstrate their understanding of a method taken to mitigate the impacts of a natural process
- if providing a written response, write between 900–1000 words. Oral responses should be between 4-5 minutes in length.
Ensuring Authenticity of Evidence
Teachers may have ākonga sign authenticity forms to verify their work.
Teachers may monitor the progress of ākonga closely.
Teachers can use oral questioning to confirm understanding, if doubts over the authenticity arise.
If ākonga present their evidence digitally, by video, or by blog, it is best to disable access to this after marking and moderation have occurred. This helps to ensure that ākonga cannot plagiarise the work or ideas of those who have already completed the assessment for this Achievement Standard.