Geography What is the nature of Geography in Grades 7 & 8? Geography is a diverse discipline which bridges the arts, social and natural sciences. It is concerned with developing a better understanding of the world we live in, and through this understanding helps us respond to complex and current issues. It is distinctive in its spatial dimension, and it takes advantage of its position to drawn on a wide range of disciplines to examine issues and concepts. The Grade 7 and 8 Geography curriculum seeks to introduce students to a broad range of contemporary issues – such as climate change, water security or inequality – and encourages students to be curious and fascinated about the world and the people within. Students are also systematically introduced to a range of transferrable skills which are progressively strengthened through the two years. At SJII, the Geography curriculum content provides essential context for the service learning and outdoor education programmes, thus enabling students to enrich their learning experiences, improve their understanding, making critically and thoughtfully informed choices and come up with sustainable responses to real-world problems.
What is the approach to learning in Geography? Lessons are dynamic, and planned to engage students and enable them to see the value of understanding places and issues at a variety of scales - from our SJII campus, to areas within Singapore and the broader region and other parts of the world. Students are explicitly taught to explain human and physical geographical processes and the interactions between them. The processes of enquiry and interaction with places is fundamental in geographical learning, so each year, students have the opportunity to engage in fieldwork, where they plan an enquiry within a topic, then collect, present and interpret data. Reasoning and thinking critically are essential elements of enquiry-based learning and decision-making in Geography because students need to draw substantiated conclusions about their findings or opinions Through each unit, students develop and strengthen learning approaches to learning (AtL) skills related to for example research, collaboration, effective communication and self-management. Students also progressively develop their information and literacy skills as well as media literacy skills.
What is the subject content? The Geography curriculum at SJII is developed by the department and draws on a range of sources including the International Baccalaureate. Units of study in Grades 7 and 8 provide students with knowledge and understanding of a selection of contemporary issues and help them develop key skills which are required for IGCSE Geography. In each grade, Geography works in close collaboration with Service Learning and Outdoor Education to provide invaluable context for student initiatives. 20
