Geographers investigate and interpret the places that make up our world by exploring, analysing and understanding their characteristics and the processes that shape them. Geographers use a number of concepts in this process. Concepts are the big organising ideas which, together, uniquely belong to Geography as a subject or a field of study.

Geography in F–10 in Victoria and Australia is underpinned by seven interrelated key geographical concepts. These concepts guide you and your students in thinking, describing, analysing, synthesising and communicating in Geography. The concepts are used in conjunction with skills and are applied in topics of study to create a uniquely geographical way of investigating and understanding the world.

The Geography curriculum identifies seven concepts to develop a geographical understanding and to help students think geographically. To help remember them, it may be useful to use the acronym SPICESS where:

S               Space

P               Place

I                 Interconnection

C               Change

E                Environment

S               Scale

S               Sustainability

This module will begin with the concept of Place rather than Space.

The formal assessment task requires you to produce a folio of exercises for Geography students based on the seven geographical concepts.

Winner: 2019 Australian Geography Teachers Association (AGTA) Award
Category: Geography education resource

Concepts course summary

1. The concept of Place

2. The concept of Space

3. The concept of Interconnection

4. The concept of Change

5. The concept of Environment

6. The concept of Scale

7. The concept of Sustainability

8. Formal Assessment

Time required

This module has been designed to be completed over 8 to 10 weeks. Participants can choose to complete one component each week which will take between 1.5 and 2 hours to read and finish the tasks. The formal assessment will take about five hours to complete.

These suggested timings are a guide only and teachers can complete the module more quickly if they wish and have the time to do so.

Assessment

Each weekly component includes self-assessment tasks. The formal assessment task at the end of the course will draw on the knowledge and skills gained throughout the module. This final task will be emailed to the GTAV for formal assessing.

A certificate of completion will be awarded on the successful completion of the formal assessment task.

Cost

This module costs $250.

Note: All current GTAV members will receive a 20% rebate after each course has been purchased.