Understanding and Teaching the Australian Curriculum: Geography for Primary Schools

Year 2015, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 218 - 221, 31.08.2015

Rod Lane

Abstract

Professor Alaric Maude’s book, Understanding and teaching The
Australian Curriculum: Geography for Primary Schools, is a timely resource that
meets an important need - to familiarize primary school teachers with the
distinctive nature of the discipline of Geography, its core concepts and
skills.  This is of particular importance
in the Australian context where Geography is being introduced as a discrete
discipline into primary schools for the first time.  Prior to the release of the Australian
Curriculum: Geography in 2013, geographical concepts and skills were integrated
as a component of SOSE (Studies of Society and Environment), Humanities or
Social Studies in different states and territories. While primary school
teachers will have taught Geography in the past within an integrated context,
many remain unsure about the nature of the discipline, how it differs from the
other social sciences and how the discipline should be best taught. Many
Primary school teachers will not have studied the Geography in upper secondary
school and even fewer will have completed undergraduate units in Geography
during their university training.  As
Professor Maude explains, the book has been designed to help Primary teachers
better understand the discipline of Geography and gain confidence in
interpreting and teaching the Australian Curriculum. It is hoped that this will
result in better teaching and Primary students who are able to “think and practice
Geography beyond the mechanical” (p. iii)

Keywords

Geography for Primary Schools, Australia

References

• Maude A. (2014). Understanding and Teaching the Australian Curriculum: Geography for Primary Schools. Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.