An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta
Department of Education and Science
Subject Inspection of Geography
REPORT
Cavan Vocational School
Cootehill Road, Cavan
Roll number: 70380I
Date of inspection: 6 March 2006
Date of issue of report: 22 June 2006
Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in Geography
Subject Provision and Whole School Support
Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations
This Subject Inspection report
This report has been written following a subject inspection in Cavan Vocational School. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in Geography and makes recommendations for the further development of the teaching of this subject in the school. The evaluation was conducted over one day during which the inspector visited classrooms and observed teaching and learning. The inspector interacted with students and teachers, examined students’ work, and had discussions with the teachers. The inspector reviewed school planning documentation and teachers’ written preparation. Following the evaluation visit, the inspector provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the principal and subject teachers.
The board of management was given an opportunity to comment in writing on the findings and recommendations of the report, and the response of the board will be found in the appendix of this report.
Cavan Vocational School is one of four post primary schools within the area of responsibility of Co. Cavan Vocational Education Committee. It is a co-educational school with a total enrolment of 490 students, 260 boys and 230 girls. From documentation supplied during the evaluation process the school is very aware of the socio-economic context in which it operates and is highly commended for it proactive approach in putting in place a significant number of programmes and structures to support its students. There is very good whole school support of the organisation, teaching and learning of Geography.
All students following the standard Junior Certificate programme study Geography in first year where the subject is allocated three class periods per week. In second year students choose to study either Geography or History. Subject teachers and the Career Guidance Counsellor (GC) support students in their choice of subject and parents are also informed. In second and third year Geography is allocated four class periods per week. In junior cycle classes are banded. A selected number of students follow the Junior Certificate Schools Programme (JCSP) and currently Geography is not included as part of this programme. It is recommended that school management consider offering Environmental and Social Studies (ESS) within the JCSP as means of providing for these students’ geographic education.
Before students choose a programme or subject to study at Leaving Certificate level they receive guidance and support from subject teachers and the GC during school assemblies and the school organises an information evening for parents. This facilitates students in making informed choices and encourages parents to be actively involved in their children’s education. Students are offered an open choice of subject before option bands are presented to them from which they make a final choice. It was reported that a very high level of student requests can be accommodated. Documentation provided indicated the commendably collaborative and comprehensive approach adopted by the school to ensuring that the needs of all students were catered for. It is suggested that the geography teaching team help to update some of the information available to students and parents in relation to senior cycle Geography in the light of the Revised Leaving Certificate syllabus with particular focus on the type of assessment and the role of the Geographical Investigation. Geography is allocated five class periods per week at this level and this is in line with syllabus requirements. The school is encouraged to seek ways to increase the uptake of Geography amongst boys at senior cycle.
There are currently four Geography teachers in the school and they form an identifiable subject department. A member of the Geography team acts as convener of department meetings. The in-career development of teachers is encouraged and teachers were facilitated in attending the in-service provided as part of the introduction of the Revised Leaving Certificate syllabus. It was reported that teachers had also availed of in-service in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provided by the school. This is commended and reflects a commitment by teachers to continuing professional development. Teachers have been assigned base classrooms and this has facilitated the development of resources to support teaching and learning. School management has provided a large range of resources including a collection of videos, Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, aerial photographs, weather instruments and rock samples. Classrooms were provided with overhead projectors and screens and laptops and data projectors were also made available. Internet Broadband has recently become available and classrooms have been networked. There are plans to further develop the use of ICT within the school. This level of resource provision is commended and reflects a commitment by school management to provide rich learning experiences for students. Teachers are encouraged to avail of developing ICT facilities to provide resources to support teaching and learning. It is recommended that the geography teachers prepare a comprehensive catalogue of resources available for the teaching of Geography and these resources should be stored in a central and accessible location. This will enable teachers to identify future resource needs and will facilitate school budgeting.
The entire school community has been involved in fundraising for an aid project for Zambia and a number of teachers and students will visit that country in the summer. The funds raised to date are very considerable. The school is also involved in the Green Schools Project. These developments are very highly commended as they give a very practical expression to the aims of the Geography syllabuses
The Geography teaching team have begun the process of long term collaborative planning. An agreed written plan for teaching and learning in Geography for the first three years was provided. This plan included areas of the Junior Certificate syllabus to be taught within agreed time frames, resources available, textbooks, and details on project work to be undertaken by students. It is recommended that teachers review the focus on the teaching of Physical Geography to first year classes and consider developing map and photograph skills using large scale maps and the local environment. The plan also indicated that teachers had reviewed school examination results in the light of data provided by the State Examinations Commission. Minutes of department planning meetings were also provided. It was reported that all members of the Geography department had worked together to support the organisation and planning for the Geographical Investigation for Leaving Certificate. It is recommended that teachers build on these good practices by continuing to work collaboratively to produce a more formal and comprehensive plan for the Geography department. Within this plan consideration should be given to developing an agreed programme for the senior cycle, active learning methodologies, fieldwork policy, plans for the further integration of ICT, the introduction of a greater variety of assessment modes and the future development of teaching resources. In working together to develop this plan the teachers will continue to benefit from sharing their individual expertise. The use of the ‘Guidelines for Teachers’ relating to the Revised Leaving Certificate syllabus and resource materials provided during the evaluation process could provide support for long term planning. Further evidence of long term planning was the extensive range of resource materials developed by teachers. The planned development of ICT facilities by the school will provide further opportunities for teachers to develop extra resources to support teaching and learning.
There was clear evidence of very good short term planning for all the lessons observed. All lessons had a clear purpose and were developed from previously taught subject matter or were used to provide feedback to students from the recently completed pre-examinations. In all lessons students were provided with resource materials that were effectively used to support learning and helped to maintain student interest. These resources included supplementary reading material, OS maps and aerial photographs, crosswords and newspaper articles. The use of newspaper articles is commended as they provide a link between the study of Geography and the world outside the classroom. Consideration could be given to providing students with worksheets in conjunction with such resources and opportunities for pair/group work be fully explored.
In the classes visited the topics being taught included: a study of the Indian Sub-Continent, the development of aerial photograph skills, a review of sketch map drawing from OS maps and a review of the work of rivers.
There was high quality teaching and learning in evidence in all of the Geography lessons observed. All had clear aims and teachers generally shared the planned learning outcomes with their students at the beginning of the lesson. This good practice is commended as it provides students at the outset of the lesson with a clear focus for their attention and helps to promote a sense of fulfilment when the lesson is completed successfully. Homework, which was frequently assigned, was generally corrected at the start of the lesson, and often provided the context for the introduction of new subject matter or for continued focus on the revision of a topic. There was appropriate focus on examination technique or on revision at this stage of the school year as the pre-examinations had just been completed. Teachers used questioning both to check students’ knowledge and to elicit from students their knowledge of a topic before introducing new subject matter. These good practices are commended as they help students to more clearly grasp and understand geographic concepts. Questioning challenged students to reflect on their knowledge and to offer explanations for geographic phenomena. This is good practice as it promotes the development of higher order thinking skills.
In all of the lessons observed a determined effort was made to teach the language of Geography and to develop student’s literacy. As a means of further promoting literacy levels it is recommended that formal links between the Learning Support department and the Geography teachers should be established as a means of providing a more comprehensive level of support for students. The Geography teachers could advise on syllabus requirements and provide lists of key words and the Learning Support department could advise on appropriate teaching methodologies.
A variety of teaching methods was used in the lessons observed. ICT was used very effectively in revision to clarify and further deepen students’ knowledge. Students were presented with a series of slides, using a data projector and laptop, showing fluvial landforms and through a question and answer session the description and processes involved in the formation of landforms were discussed. The focus on the processes of formation is very much in line with syllabus requirements. The good practice of making connections with the local environment and between Physical and Human Geography was in evidence throughout the presentation. Two students had recorded a list of key terms used in the lesson on acetate sheets and these provided the teacher with a valuable resource with which to conclude the lesson and to reinforce the language of Geography. Students were then supplied with a crossword related to the content of the lesson. This visual approach and the variety of stimuli used made a significant contribution to engaging students and they willingly participated in the planned activities.
There was a clear focus on the teaching of geographic skills in all of the lessons observed. Particular attention was devoted to aerial photographs and OS maps. Students were observed being given a very visual outline, using the overhead projector, on how to draw a sketch map from an OS map. The structured approach adopted catered very effectively for the wide range of student abilities present and the use of a mnemonic was a novel way of providing students with an aide memoire. It is recommended that consideration be given to developing a greater variety of teaching methodologies with a clear focus on ways to more actively engage students in their own learning. Accessing the website of the Association of Geography Teachers of Ireland (AGTI) at www.agti.ie and resource materials provided during the evaluation process should support this approach.
Project work forms a significant part of the teaching plan for Geography in Cavan Vocational School. Students had undertaken projects and these were made available during the evaluation visit. Teachers had provided headings for students to use and this supported student learning. Students had taken care with the presentation of their work and the good practice of celebrating student effort was obvious as projects were displayed on classroom notice boards. The availability of internet broadband could be used by students for research and students should be encouraged to use their ICT skills in the presentation of project work. Fieldwork also forms part of the teaching programme. Leaving Certificate students focus on Urban Geography and it was reported that junior cycle classes had undertaken Land-use Surveys and Traffic Counts. This good practice is commended and teachers are encouraged to further develop investigative skills using the 1:1000 OS map and photographs of the local area.
In all of the classrooms visited there was a positive and focused atmosphere. Students were engaged by the learning activities, were affirmed by their teachers and this created a mutually respectful attitude between teacher and students. Documentation provided indicated that some teachers had prepared a class profile for their classes outlining the needs of particular students. This good practice is commended and indicates a commitment by teachers to catering for the needs of all their students. Students remained on task and were supported by their teachers who moved around the classroom affirming them and clarifying issues. Classrooms had a map rich and print rich environment and this provided a stimulating learning environment for students. Teachers are encouraged to provide a notice board for ‘GeoNews’ where photographs and articles of a topical nature could be displayed. Students could be encouraged to contribute items for display and this will help to further develop a connection between the Geography class and the world outside the classroom.
A variety of forms of assessment is used in Cavan Vocational school. Formal examinations are held for non-examination classes at Christmas and in summer, while examination classes sit pre-examinations in January or February. The good practice of setting standard tests for year groups is well established, and this is commended. Student progress is reported on by the issuing of reports following formal examinations and at parent teacher meetings. In one of the lessons observed students were receiving appropriate feedback on recent pre-examinations and the teacher indicated areas for improvement and offered advice on examination technique to students. This good practice is highly commended as if enables students to learn from their mistakes and to prepare effectively for Certificate Examinations. Teachers should further develop the use of ‘Assessment for Learning’ methods as a means of encouraging greater personal responsibility amongst students for their own learning. Information relating to Assessment for Learning is available on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) website, www.ncca.ie and teachers are encouraged to access this site.
Throughout all the lessons observed teachers frequently checked student understanding by focused questioning. Questions were directed to named students or were open to the entire class group. Students showed a good knowledge of their courses, willingly engaged in discussions and in a number of lessons sought clarification from their teachers. Class tests are set after sections of the syllabus have been completed and results of these tests are recorded by teachers. Teachers are also using novel ways to assess student learning; in one lesson observed, a crossword puzzle was used to check student revision of a particular topic. Teachers are encouraged to develop this further and to avail of ICT developments in the school to access suitable web sites. Student progress is also assessed where teachers monitor work in copybooks and the wider use of this good practice is advocated. It is recommended that teachers review the number of students taking the Ordinary Level papers in Certificate Examinations and encourage as many students as possible to take higher-level papers.
The following are the main strengths and areas for development identified in the evaluation:
As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:
Post-evaluation meetings were held with the principal and with the teachers of Geography at the conclusion of the evaluation at which the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.
Appendix
Submitted by the Board of Management
Area 1: Observations on the content of the inspection report
Area 2: Follow-up actions planned or undertaken since the completion of the inspection activity to implement the findings and recommendations of the inspection