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GTA NSW members' section
The members' section of this website is now open. All members must first register and after verification of their current financial status will be sent a username (email address provided during registration) and a password. Verification may take a short period of time, especially during holiday periods, so your understanding will be appreciated.
The latest issue of the Geography Bulletin is now online as well as Gender Equality: women’s rights a Year 10 Human Wellbeing resource written by Dr. Susan Bliss.
GTA NSW 2012 Annual conference
The Geography Teachers Association of NSW Annual Conference this year will be held on Friday, 27 July at the University of Western Sydney (Werrington Campus). The theme of our conference is “Geography - making a difference for Australia”.
An understanding of Australia’s current domestic and international geographic issues is essential for all Australian students in order for them to make informed decisions about their future. The Conference will focus on providing stimulating Geography for your students to encourage them to continue their study of Geography into HSC and University. We aim to inspire students to realise that an understanding of their world impacts on their lives every day.
Professor Kevin Dunn, Professor in Human Geography and Urban Studies at the University of Western Sydney will be our key note speaker. Susan Caldis from ACARA will also provide an update on the National Curriculum. The Conference will also feature a number of workshops including differentiation in the classroom, using technology in the classroom including iPads, Indigenous and Asian perspectives in Geography and implementing the national curriculum.
Location: University of Western Sydney, (South Werrington Campus)
Date: Friday 27 July 2012,registration from 8:30am
Registration closes: Friday 20 July, one week prior to event.
Limited places available: 160 participants
Cost (inc GST):
Member $200 and non-member $230
Retired/unemployed $75
Student $50
>> Booking form
HSC Student lectures 2012
Once again this year, the GTA has organised lectures for HSC Geography students. The presenters are experienced educators and HSC markers. The sessions cover: Ecosystems at Risk, Urban Places, People and Economic Activity and Skills in Geography.
Dates and Locations
Tuesday 12 June: Hurstville Entertainment Centre, MacMahon Street, Hurstville
Wednesday 20 June: Callaghan Secondary College, Jesmond Campus, Janet St, Jesmond
Thursday 21 June: University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Gwynneville
Wednesday 27 June: St Andrews Cathedral School, Ground Floor, 51 Druitt St, Sydney
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Registration closes: One week prior to event. Attach a list of attendees with your school’s registration
Cost (inc GST): $30 per student for member schools/teacher
$50 per student for non-member schools/teacher
Teacher attending with students admitted free
>> Booking form
HSC Exam review resources
The HSC Review 2011 presentation and resource document are now available to GTA NSW members after logging in to members' area of this website.
Bursaries for Geography Teachers to attend the AGTA Conference in Perth, January, 2013
GTANSW will offer two bursaries covering the registration fees and attendance at the conference dinner for two Geography teachers from NSW or the ACT. Teachers in their first few years in the profession or those who have recently started teaching geography will be given priority. The GTANSW Council will have the final decision in the selection of the two successful applicants. We request that successful applicants prepare a short report on the conference to be published on the website.
Nick Hutchinson
President
Australian Curriculum: Geography
The draft geography F-12 Australian Curriculum: Geography went live on-line for consultation in October 2011 and is available for feedback until 28 February 2012. If you want to have a look at the draft scope and sequence for geography just go to http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ and log-in. The draft includes the Rationale, Aims, Concept definitions, General Capabilities and Cross Curriculum priorities for geography, F-12 content descriptions, elaborations, skills and inquiry sequences and achievement standards.
Conservation: Living in harmony
Details about the Conservation: Living in harmony supplement to be published by the Herald Education are now available. Subscription to the Conservation: Living in Harmony will include:
- Class sets of the supplement - 30 print copies each Monday, March 19 & 26;
- Class sets of The Sydney Morning Herald Digital Edition – 30 logins emailed to the school on March 16.
The population debate
A special issue of Geographical Research looks at the population debate in Australia, a debate mirrored in many other nations around the globe. The special issue has a strong policy focus, and demonstrates how political argument can be interwoven with academic analysis to produce not just an idea for action but an accompanying motivation for aggressive implementation.
Sustainability Degrees
The University of New England is offering a number of interdisciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate programmes focusing on sustainability, environmental protection, consultancy and policy and planning.
GTA NSW 2011 Annual conference
Conference presentations are now available.
Forthcoming events
Australia’s Population Challenge: what really counts
Thursday 29 March, 2012 6.00 – 8:00 pm
Riverside Theatres
Corner Church and Market Streets
Parramatta
Adult $15, Full-time students free
Institute of Australian Geographers 2012 Conference
The IAG’s 2012 Conference is being held at Macquarie University, Sydney, on 2–4 July. This is a great opportunity for Geography Teachers to engage with Australia’s leading academic geographers. The Conference program is designed to encouraging wide participation from secondary geography teachers. It will feature a number of education-focused sessions.
Registration: Early-bird registration will close April 27, and full conference registration will close June 25.
Conference flyer :: Conference website
National Close the Gap Day
Date: 22 March 2012
Join with schools and the broader community around Australia in showing your support to Close the Gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Once registered, you will receive the learning resources and materials you need to run a successful event in your school including:
* a Schools Action Kit packed with ideas, activities, a step-by-step event guide and tools for students to take the lead and run the activities;
* classroom and assembly resources including video stories, photos, factsheets and a copy of the National Close the Gap Day DVD.
National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition
In schools 26 March - 4 April; entries close 29 February 2012
The Competition is straight-forward to run. We supply a question booklet and answer sheet for each student; it fits into a normal class period; we mark it and send back the results. Students are graded in three age groups – 13 and younger; 14 and 15; 16 to 18. All students get results and certificates. Prizes include trips to Sydney, Mornington Peninsula and overseas, books and medals. Australia’s teams to the International Geography Olympiad in Kyoto, Japan, and to the National Geographic World Championship in St Petersburg, Russia, will be chosen from students who excel in the 2012 Competition.
Full information is on our website www.geographycompetition.org.au. The Competition is a joint initiative of the Australian Geography Teachers’ Association and the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland.
World Meteorological Day 2012
The Weather Channel wants to celebrate World Meteorological Day 2012 with your students. Tell us what weather project your class have worked on in the past, would really like to develop or perhaps only ever dreamt of making and your school could be getting a visit from The Weather Channel’s very own Chief Meteorologist, Dick Whitaker.
The winning entry will have the opportunity to make their weather project with the aid of Dick Whitaker along with helping him release a weather balloon from your very own school grounds. We will also showcase your weather project on The Weather Channel on World Meteorological Day! Entry details
AGTA News
AGTA 2013 Conference— Call for workshop presenters
Dates: 7-10 January 2013
Venue: Perth College, Perth, Western Australia
Expressions of interest in presenting a workshop at this important national conference are now invited.
>> Please complete the expression of interest form before 24 February 2012.
Geographia — AGTA's newsletter
Read all of the latest news from AGTA in the latest issue of Geographia.
New Resource from AGTA: Exploring 21st Century Geography DVD
An outstanding collection of teaching resources from the Australian Geography Teachers Association includes spatial technologies/GIS units. The DVD contains:
- articles and resources on 21st century Geography
- GIS skills development, GIS in Physical Geography and Historical GIS books – course processes and activities with geographical data
- 21st Century Internet sites
- technology in the geography classroom articles, internet sites and resources
- inquiry project design and work samples.
Australian orders: AUD$95.00 including GST and postage
>> Purchase
>> Brochure
AGTA 2011 keynotes on the AGTA website to view
If you were not able to attend the AGTA conference in January this year, or attended and wish to listen again to the great keynotes, edited versions of the following keynotes are now up on the AGTA site at http://www.agta.asn.au/conf_presentations/index.htm.
The videos are approx 15 minutes in duration and highlight some of the most relevant and interesting sections of the addresses from:
- Dr Rita Gardner "Geography - an education for life"
- Duncan Chessell "Journey to the Roof of the World"
- Tim Costello "AGTA Patron's inaugural speech"
Reports
Teacher Workshop at Parramatta Park
>> Teacher Workshop at Parramatta Park held on 12 October 2011 report
>> Parramatta Park Resource: Extracts from the teaching program – Year 7 History and Geography