An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta

Department of Education and Science

 

Subject Inspection of Geography

REPORT

 

St Louis Secondary School

Monaghan

Roll number: 64820B

 

Date of inspection: 23 January 2007

Date of issue of report:  6 December 2007

 

 

Subject inspection report

Subject provision and whole school support

Planning and preparation

Teaching and learning

Assessment

Summary of main findings and recommendations

 

 

 

Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in Geography

 

 

Subject inspection report

 

This report has been written following a subject inspection in St Louis Secondary School conducted as part of a whole school evaluation. 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 two days 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.

 

 

Subject provision and whole school support

 

There is good whole-school support for the organisation, teaching and learning of Geography with the provision of a wide range of teaching resources and storage facilities for these resources to which all members of the department have access. The range of resources includes a collection of Ordnance Survey (OS) map extracts, aerial photographs, a collection of videos and slides, rock samples, soil test kit, wall maps and charts and recently the provision of fieldwork instruments. A complete catalogue of these resources is included in the subject department plan and this good practice is commended. As a means of further developing resources to support teaching and learning, consideration should be given to identifying and prioritising future resource needs.

 

In the junior cycle Geography is a compulsory subject and is allocated three class periods per week in each of the junior cycle years. Currently the school operates a banding class structure but it was reported that mixed ability classes will be introduced from the beginning of the next school year.

 

At senior cycle Geography is included within the Transition Year (TY) programme and is allocated three class periods per week. A copy of the TY plan for Geography was made available during the evaluation process and discussions were held with the teachers engaged in the delivery of this module. It is recommended that the module on Geography within the TY be reviewed. This review should ensure that a clear differentiation exists between the methodologies used to teach the curricular content of the TY from those methodologies used in other years in the senior cycle. It is further recommended that in writing the plan for the geography module within the TY the format of the plan should conform to the outline provided in the document ‘Writing the Transition Year Programme’ and should contain arrangements for an evaluation of the module by teachers, students and parents.

 

For the Established Leaving Certificate (ELC), Geography is an optional subject and is allocated five class periods per week, consisting of three single and one double class period. This allocation is in line with syllabus recommendations. It was reported that students are offered an open choice of subject before option bands are generated and this good practice is commended. The uptake of the subject at this level is in a healthy state with two class groups in each of the two years.

 

In discussions with teachers it was obvious that they are aware of the particular requirements of the students with special educational needs in their classrooms and the subject department plan contains information on how teachers might support these students. These good practices are highly commended.

 

There are currently six geography teachers in St Louis Secondary School who form a very clearly identifiable subject department. They work collaboratively on a wide range of issues and expressed appreciation for the mutual support and guidance offered to each other. One teacher acts as subject co-ordinator. Teachers have been involved in continuous professional development both during and outside school hours using the facilities offered by the local education centre and this is commended. There was evidence that both students and teachers have begun to use information and communications technology (ICT) in the teaching and learning processes. Teachers had prepared worksheets and had acquired support materials from the internet and TY students had used their ICT skills to research and present a project on the Indian Sub-Continent which was made available during the evaluation process. These good practices are very highly commended and it is recommended that policy and procedures be developed to facilitate the greater integration of ICT into teaching and learning and to exploit more fully the educational potential of this technology.

 

 

Planning and preparation

 

The members of the geography department have worked collaboratively to produce a comprehensive plan for the organisation of teaching and learning in Geography. School management has facilitated this process by providing time for formal planning meetings and informal meetings between members of the department are held on an on-going basis. Planning documentation provided during the evaluation visit included minutes of department meetings, planned teaching programmes for each year group to be delivered within given timeframes and agreed procedures for assessment, recording and reporting on student progress. Collaborative planning had also taken place in preparing for the Geographical Investigation which is part of the Revised Leaving Certificate Geography syllabus. An examination of the planning documents indicated a focus on topics from Physical Geography in first year. This places considerable demands on students at this early stage in terms of technical vocabulary, understanding complex processes and landform descriptions. It is recommended that this focus on the teaching of topics from Physical Geography to first year students should be reviewed and consideration be given to developing map and photograph skills using large scale maps (1:1000) and photographs of the local area.

 

There was clear evidence of effective planning and preparation by individual teachers for all of the lessons observed. The learning intention was clear and was shared with the students at the beginning of each lesson. This good practice is commended as it provides a focus for students’ attention. Individual planning included the preparation of resources to be used during the lesson to support teaching and learning. Resources used included wall charts, OS map extracts, worksheets, maps, past examination questions, supplementary textual material and mind maps. In some cases individual teachers made available folders of teaching resources which they had developed over a period of time. Teachers are commended for the preparation of resource materials as they made a significant contribution to maintaining student interest throughout the lessons observed.

 

 

Teaching and learning

 

In the lessons observed the topics being studied included: the population cycle, identification of physical regions, a revision class on the Indian Sub-Continent, the work of the sea, factors affecting population change and world trade with a focus on the Fair Trade movement. In all of the lessons observed clear classroom routines had been established; lessons began with a roll call and this was followed by the monitoring and correction of homework. These good practices are commended as they create a sense of order and prepared students for the introduction of new subject matter.

 

Very high quality teaching and learning was observed in all of the classrooms visited; teachers used a variety of teaching methods which actively engaged students in the learning process. The use of pair or group work was a feature of all the lessons observed. Teachers provided stimulus materials, allowed time for students to engage in decision-making activities and then brought the whole class together to share and discuss findings and decisions. These were further developed through question and answer sessions where the teacher guided the discussion and provided further insights into the topic. Teachers encouraged students to develop higher-order thinking skills by challenging them to offer explanations for geographic phenomena and not just provide descriptions. The results of the discussions were frequently recorded on the board and this was most effective where the teacher created a mind map as a means of highlighting and summarising the topic under discussion. Students were then allowed a ‘quiet time’ to copy the summary into their copybooks. The provision of such time is good practice as it adds variety to the teaching methodology and allows students time to reflect on and to assimilate the new subject matter. As students worked in groups or on their own the teacher usually moved around the classroom offering support and affirmation. This good practice is commended. 

 

Teachers have adopted a visual approach to the teaching of Geography in St Louis Sec ondary School by using wall charts, diagrams drawn on boards and the overhead projector. This good practice is commended. Teachers also paid attention to teaching the language appropriate to Geography. New terms were introduced, clearly explained and student understanding was checked through focused questioning. The familiarisation of students with the language of Geography would be further facilitated by the development and display of lists of key words in the classrooms. During discussion with the inspector students showed themselves to have a good grasp of their courses and willingly engaged in discussion. One lesson in particular concluded with the students engaging in ‘a game’ which was used to reinforce the planned learning outcomes and which was obviously enjoyed by the students. Teachers were aware of the importance of integrating skills into the lesson plan. Reference was made to photographs and statistical diagrams in textbooks and OS maps were also used during lessons. Student understanding of geographic concepts was facilitated by frequent references to the local environment, world events or to the students’ personal experiences. These very good practices are highly commended. There was an appropriate focus on examination preparation at this time of year and students received guidance on developing their answering techniques.

 

In all of the lessons observed a positive, supportive, affirming and mutually respectful atmosphere was evident between students and their teachers. Classrooms had displays of maps, charts and in some cases student project work. This helped to create a stimulating learning environment and to acknowledge and celebrate student effort and is praiseworthy. The introduction of a GeoNews notice board in classrooms where photographs and articles from the print media could be displayed would help to further establish a link between the study of Geography and the world outside the classroom. Students should be encouraged to contribute materials for such a display and this would further develop the idea of co-operative learning. 

 

 

Assessment

 

Student progress is assessed on an on-going basis using a variety of methods. Students in some classes had answered past examination questions and had received constructive feedback from their teachers. Formal assessment takes place before Christmas and at the end of the school year, while students preparing for Certificate Examinations sit pre-examinations in the second term. Reports are issued after each formal assessment and student progress is also reported on at parent teacher meetings. The subject department plan indicated that teachers had been engaged in analysing the results of the Certificate Examinations and this good practice is commended.

 

During the lessons observed student understanding was assessed through careful questioning and where necessary further clarification was provided by the teacher. Class tests are held on a regular basis and records are kept by teachers of students’ grades, their homework and attendance. In some year groups students also undertook small scale project work and the further extension of this method of assessment is encouraged as a means of developing students as independent learners. The good practice of setting common examinations has begun in some instances and teachers are encouraged to build on this good practice by extending this to all year groups. An examination of students’ copybooks indicated that most of their work was well presented with headings underlined and carefully drawn and coloured maps and diagrams. Work in copybooks had also been monitored by teachers and in a number of cases comments to support and affirm students were made.

 

It is recommended that the members of the geography teaching team extend the range of assessment strategies being used to include the integration of assessment for learning principles into the subject department plan on assessment and consider the use of ‘comment only’ marking as appropriate.  Resources to support this were provided during the evaluation visit and further support is available on the website of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) at www.ncca.ie.  Teachers are encouraged to access this site.

 

 

Summary of main findings and recommendations

 

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

 

 

 

As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:

 

 

A post-evaluation meeting was held with the teachers of Geography and with the principal at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.