Planning Strategies

Based on the above guiding principles, planning for the junior secondary geography should focus on (a) making learning more meaningful, (b) developing the curriculum in a logical sequence to ensure a smooth interface between primary, junior secondary and senior secondary education, and (c) catering for students with different learning abilities and inclinations. The adoption of an enquiry approach and the incorporation of geographical issues and problems into this curriculum aim to fulfil all these considerations.

3.2.1 Making learning more meaningful

One possible way of making learning more meaningful is to connect students’ learning to their life experiences, and help them to derive meaning from them. To achieve this, teachers are advised to draw on students’ experience of the real world and connect what they have learnt in the classroom with their daily life. In short, that means the promotion of “learning in life” and “learning for life”, which is one of the key purposes of adopting an enquiry approach and incorporating geographical issues and problems into this curriculum.

In addition to the provision of real-life contexts which make the learning of geographical concepts and knowledge more meaningful for students, enquiry approach also offers more opportunities for the cultivation of positive values and attitudes, and the development of a global perspective and civic awareness. It facilitates the development of students’ geographical competencies, generic skills and general intellectual capacity better than other curriculum approaches. Its greater flexibility and stronger social relevance also help to cater for a wider range of students with more diverse abilities, interests and needs.

3.2.2 Interface with primary and senior secondary education

Geography is a new subject to most students first entering the junior secondary level. However, students should have acquired some preliminary concepts relating to geography in their primary education. Therefore, teachers should ensure continuity in the learning experiences of the students.

Continuity can be summarised as a feature of course design which:

• maps out and links students’ experiences;

• enables students to build on previous experiences and learning; and

• helps students acquire and develop geographical knowledge, understanding and skills, as well as values in a structured way.

In their primary education, in particular the study of General Studies, students should have acquired some basic concepts relating to geography, such as conservation, people and environment, interdependence of living things and their environment, etc. Most of these concepts are included in Strand 2 of the Primary General Studies curriculum. Junior secondary geography teachers can plan their S1-3 curriculum based on this foundation knowledge. On the other hand, teachers should note that the S1-3 Geography curriculum shares the responsibility of preparing students to study geography in the senior secondary level. To provide a smooth interface, the curriculum should:

• cover the essential learning elements (refer to Section 2.5);

• adopt the enquiry approach in learning and teaching;

• emphasise the development of the core skills; and

• stress the nurturing of positive values and attitudes.

3.2.3 Catering for learner diversity

Since every learner has his/her own unique style of learning, there will always be variations in the ways students learn, the speed of learning, what they find difficult, and their level of attainment.

Curriculum planning can be one of the interventions that help all students to maximise their potential. The following are principles that should be considered in planning the junior secondary Geography curriculum to cater for learner diversity:

• Clear learning objectives and learning outcomes in terms of the pupil’s knowledge, understanding and skills need to be defined in advance;

• A variety of teaching and learning strategies is required to differentiate the learning experiences of pupils;

• A variety of tasks and activities is required to provide different opportunities for pupil learning and for different outcomes;

• Opportunities which vary in the pace and depth of learning are needed;

• Different strategies for the assessment of pupil learning are to be introduced;

• Effective feedback on the pupils’ learning outcomes should be given, and targets for students’

future learning should be set.

This curriculum has included in its design possible mechanisms for teachers to cater for learner diversity. Teachers can tailor this curriculum to suit the different needs, abilities, and interest of different classes of students by varying the content, the scope and the depth of teaching. For students who need more intensive care, teachers can reduce the curriculum content to cover only the six core modules. The prime concern should be ensuring every student should have ample opportunity to acquire and master the essential learning elements listed in Section 2.5 of this Guide. For the majority of students, teachers can stick to the original proposal of this Guide to cover 9 modules within 3 years, that is, the 6 core modules and 3 elective modules of their choice. For students with better learning motive and ability, teachers can consider including extra elective modules if teaching time allows. However, teachers should pay careful attention to whether it is really beneficial to their students to study extra modules. In the end, it is the quality and effectiveness of learning, not the number of modules taught, that really matters.

Another possible way of tailoring this curriculum is to reduce or extend the scope of teaching.

In view of the ability of students, teachers can limit the scope to the minimum by covering only the Hong Kong cases for modules of Section A, only the China cases for modules of Section B and only one specific example for each of the modules of Section C. The following table summaries different possible variations that can be introduced.

Variations in Scope of Teaching For Section A modules • only the case of Hong Kong

• the case of Hong Kong + specific example of China • the case of Hong Kong + specific example of China

+ specific example of Asia

• the case of Hong Kong + specific example of China

+ specific example of Asia + specific example of the World For Section B modules • only the case of China

• the case of China + specific example of Asia • the case of China + specific example of Asia

+ specific example of the World

For Section C modules • only one specific example

• two specific examples

• all three specific examples

Teachers can also tailor this curriculum by regulating the depth of teaching. Suggestions on this aspect are provided in the two introductory paragraphs developed for each module. Take the module

“Taming the Spreading Sand” as an example, the introductory paragraphs stated that the major foci of this module include:

• Knowledge and understanding

- global pattern of desertification and major regions affected by sandstorms - the causes and impact of desertification and sandstorms in North China - the measures to tame the spreading sand

• Skills

- describing a distribution pattern on a map - interpreting satellite images

- conducting a geographical enquiry in the field - using GIS for geographical analysis

• Values and attitudes

- develop a sense of belonging to our nation

- appreciate the importance of sustainable development and - be willing to take appropriate actions for a better environment

The above are the learning elements that should be acquired by all students. As for the more able students, it is suggested that teachers can include more in-depth case studies of how the spreading of desert dust and sands affects the inhabitants of Australia and the Sahara. They can also guide their students to examine the similarities and differences on how less developed countries and more developed countries manage their spreading sand problems. Teachers are advised to make good use of these introductory paragraphs to tailor the curriculum to suit the abilities, interests and needs of their different classes of students.

3.2.4 Considerations for offering elective modules

Schools are encouraged to offer elective modules that cater for the needs and interest of the students, that provide a smooth progression of study and a strong coherence between the core and the elective modules, as well as that suit the school context including teachers’ expertise and the availability of facilities, equipment and other resources. The best strategy will be one that strikes a balance among the above factors.

In selecting the elective modules, teachers should be clear about the purpose and focus of each module, in particular the key concepts and knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that are included, so that the study of the elective modules can supplement what the students have acquired in the core modules to achieve the learning objectives of the curriculum.

Another important consideration would definitely be the interest, the ability and the need of the students. For active learners who favour new ideas and experience and who are more inquisitive in learning, modules like “tourism geography” and “the geography of disease” will be a good choice.

For those who need more intensive care from teachers and who will take geography in their senior education, those modules like “climate change” and “desertification”, which have a strong spiral coherence with the senior secondary Geography curriculum and provide more direct and concrete experience, may be more appropriate to these students.

Teachers are reminded that a good curriculum plan should be forward-looking, knowing that our students will be facing challenges which are brand new to us. In addition to providing the basic foundation in knowledge and skills, it is also crucial to enable our students to have the chance to explore the new territory of knowledge and understand new trends of development. This should always be in teachers’ mind when considering which elective modules to offer.

3.2.5 Integrating assessment with learning

Assessment is an integral part of the learning and teaching process. It provides a further opportunity for learning in addition to measuring achievement. Formative assessment provides students with immediate feedback on their performances, as well as indicating their progress to date and helping them to determine the focus of their future studies. Teachers can also make use of these data to make judgment about students’ progress (what the students know, understand and can do) so as to plan for the next stage of students’ learning.