Geography: Shaping Australia’s future was prepared by the National Committee for Geographical Sciences and presents the state of play of geography as a discipline in Australia. It provides a unified vision for Australian geography over the next decade. The plan offers a framework for engaging research, teaching and industry that aligns strategically with contemporary social, economic and environmental challenges of our region. Download decal plan summary Download the decal plan
The ‘Towards a national geography curriculum for Australia’ project was an initiative of the
Project team members Rob Berry and Roger Smith undertook extensive consultation with geography teachers in all States and Territories prior to writing a draft report. After a review by the project’s Steering Committee the final Position Paper was published. It was generally acknowledged that the process and preparation of the Position Paper made a positive contribution to the work that followed in the writing of the Australian Curriculum: Geography.
Citation: Berry, R. & Smith, R. (2009). Towards a National Geography Curriculum for Australia: Background report – June 2009. Melbourne: Australian Geography Teachers Association Ltd, Brisbane: Royal Geographical Society of Queensland Inc & Canberra: the Institute of Australian Geographers Inc.
Geography is vital to the education of every young Australian in the 21st century. It is the study of places – their environments, populations, economies and communities – and how and why these places are changing. Geography gives students a holistic view of the world, combining the natural and social sciences.
Students of Geography gain the understanding, knowledge and skills to make sense of complex issues such as climate change, drought, ageing populations, urban growth, ethnic conflicts and globalisation.
Including Geography in the core curriculum to Year 10, and teaching it as a distinct subject in secondary school, is the best way to give students the framework to understand the world around them. Download Australians Need Geography (2.17 MB PDF).
A clear and user-friendly guide setting out the place of Geography in the curriculum. The booklet aims to
Topics covered include:
The full document published by the Geography Teachers Association of Victoria is available here. Links within the document are hyperlinked to supporting documents.
A Study into the Teaching of Geography in Years 3-10: Maps state and territory syllabus and curriculum documents and draws on interviews with representatives from key organisations. Further details here. A copy of the report can be obtained here.
‘True Blue Geography’, is an Op-Ed article from Bill Pritchard and Nick Hutchinson.
History and geography are the warp and woof of the social sciences. Our personal, community, national and global lives are the outcome of interconnections between time and space. To understand why and who we are, we need to understand both where we have come from (our history) and what places we’re in (our geography).
In the spirit of reconciliation, the Australian Geography Teachers Association acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
The Australian Geography Teachers Association is a member of Australian Alliance of Associations in Education.
