Geography Department
At St. Columba's the experience of geography provides students with an understanding of the world and how it changes. The subject allows students to understand processes in the physical and human world and to focus particularly on their local environment.Geography student study issues as diverse as migration, traffic management urban sprawl and soil erosion. These and many other topics are synthesised within a number of overarching themes including sustainable development positive attitudes to the physical and human environment and active and informed citizenship.
The Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate syllabus have contextualised geography in the life experience of the Irish, European and global citizen. The skills used and affected are skills for life. No longer do we concentrate on the answering of the traditional geographical question of, Where? But now confidently ask the questions What? Why? And Why not?
Geography is concerned with the patterns and processes in the physical and human environment. Students learn about these patterns and processes by understanding a number of essential concepts and by using and applying geographical skills.
The Junior and Leaving Certificate syllabuses exemplify these concepts through a range of local, national and global settings. These geographical skills are applied in the classroom and through engaging in geographical investigations and fieldwork.
The revised Junior Certificate was first examined in 1992 while the revised Leaving Certificate was examined in 2006. This syllabus was structured to build on the Junior Certificate syllabus. It comprised of a series of core, elective and optional unites and included a compulsory geographical investigation. As a result of these revisions students now experience a structured, layered and linked geographical education as they advance through their primary and secondary level schooling.
Subject organisation within the school:
Junior Certificate
Geography is a compulsory subject up to the end of the Junior Certificate examination. Two lessons per week are taught to Form I with the number of lessons increasing to three per week in Forms II and III. The classes are non streamed and of mixed ability. Student study the subject with a view to taking the higher level paper in the Junior Certificate excamination. Nationally 80% of students sit higher level while at St. Columbas the figure is usually in the region of 98% with the results far exceeding the national average.Over the three year cycle the syllabus s broadly divided into there categories;
a) The Human Habitat – Processes and Change
b) Population Settlement Patterns and Urbanisation
c) Patterns in Economic Activity
Transition Year – European Studies
This is a one year stand alone option for Form IV Transition year students. Four Lessons are allocated per week with a double lesson in the computer room being included where timetabling makes it possible.The European Studies course taught at St.Columbas os approved by the European Studies board and regular inspections of pupils work, assessment procedures and skills analysis are monitored over the year.
Teachers of European Studies meet once a year in conference and sign an agreement ofr coursework to be wxchangerd over the year. The college is linked to;
a) Belfast Royal Academy, Northern Ireland
b) Wallace High School, Lisburn, Northern Ireland
c) Ole-Vig Gymnasium, Norway
d) Stentus Gymnasium, Denmark
e) St. Patrick’s Comprehensive, Shannon, Ireland.
One of the primary aims of the syllabus is to make young people aware of being members of a wider international community. Within the classroom groups are formed and communicate with our linked schools using planned exchange material. Research presentation and exchange of material is done by computer and electronic mail.
Leaving Certificate
Geography is chosen as a subject for Leaving certificate and allocated 5 lessons per week ( including a double lesson). Classes are of mixed ability and the majority of pupils take the higher level paper at Leaving Certificate.Student have ample opportunity to aquire the practical skills of a geographer in observing, presenting and interpreting evidence from a wide variety of sources. A four day residential fieldwork course takes place eacy year to allow for the preparation of the geographical investigation, 20% of the total examination marks.
Prep:
Junior Cycle Programme:
Prep should be set on a nightly basis and should normally include at least one prep of written material and one of a learning nature. All pupils have workbooks, exercise books and past Junior Certificate exam papers, which form the basis for written answers.European Studies:
A prescribed topic as listed on the syllabus and course of study must be completed on a weekly basis. There projects are required, one each term and these must be completed by the date published in the College Green Book. Leaving Certificate Programme:Pupils should be presenting at least one fully developed answer each week. The questions/topics set should reflect the style and format of Leaving Certificate questions. At this level learning a d preparation of topics will form the basis of learning preps.
Examinations:
Junior Cycle termly examinations should be a minimum of 1 ˝ hour’s duration with the exception of a trial exam at the end of Hillary Term in Form III, which should be of a similar two-hour length as the Junior Certificate examination.
Senior Cycle exams may be of a two-hour maximum duration with the Hillary Term Trial examination in the Vita Form Being an exception. This will be 3 hours in duration.
Where possible, the examinations, as set in Trinity Term, should reflect the prescribed topics of study covered over the course of the school year.
Class records/Grades:
For the purpose of weekly effort marks, all pupils’ grades of assessment should be recorded in a mark book. Sample of record sheets can be obtained from the Head of Department.
Exam percentages, place in set, term place in class averages are required for order cards at the end of each term. These must duplicate the report entries and comments.
Lesson Plans/Term Plans:
The Teaching Schedule for each term is laid out on the schedule of work. Weekly class planning can be recorded on the two page weekly teaching schedule available in the geography room.Members of the geography department are invited to share examples of best practice/methodology, which would have obvious benefits for the teachers and pupils involved. If teachers feel comfortable they should encourage other members of the department to observe and comment on teaching methods and classroom presentation.
Pupil Feedback:
Constructive comments on prep and examinations answers are encouraged. In the Michaelmas and Hilary terms, post examination lessons should be used to demonstrate the type of style of answering expected in the exams.Geography by its very nature, as a course of study, provides opportunities to visit and study a wide and diverse range of activities. The visits should be focussed and of benefit. Care should be taken in planning visits/expeditions that too much disruption to the college routine (and games) is avoided.
Resources:
A wide-ranging variety of teaching resources is stored in the geography room. Videos, maps, puzzles, games, texts and magazines/periodicals are all available.Prizes:
Richard Hayes-Crofton Senior Geography Prize is based on the presentation of two fieldwork studies following the 4-day residential fieldwork expedition to the Burren, Co Clare.
The Junior Prize is based on the presentation of a piece of work/project from the published list of prize topics as displayed on the academic notice board.
Staff:
All the teaching members of the Geography Department are encouraged to become active members of The Association of Geography Teachers of Ireland
Mr. D. Sherwood (Head of Department)
Mrs. S-J. Johnson
Mr. R. Swift
Mrs. F. Heffernan
