www.agta.asn.au Ge graphiaGeographia is the national newsletter of the Australian Geography Teachers’ Association Limited. DECEMBER 2009 Occasional Newsletter of The Australian Geography Teachers’ Association Limited In this issue.. AGTA Board Meeting 103 Melbourne Victoria October 2009 AGTA Board Meeting 104 1 This is an incredibly busy time for Geography The Board Meeting also encompassed the Australian Capital Territory – a lot of things are happening including the Annual General Meeting of AGTA. Election National Geography Curriculum. In terms of the and appointment of the board was ratified: AGTA Geo Careers Website 2 National Curriculum, at this meeting we will be AGTA Website • Chair – Malcolm McInerney investigating in full what has happened in the Geography’s Big Week Out past, AGTA’s work to date towards the National • Deputy Chair – Grant Kleeman Curriculum, and what we propose for the future. Towards A National Geography 3 • Secretary – Rebecca Nicholas A welcome to delegates from the ACT – Carol Curriculum For Australia Pogson (Canberra Grammar School) and • Treasurer – Rob Berry Karen Tuhan (Alfred Deakin High School), who • Elected Directors – Stephen Cranby, Nick AGTA Conference 2011 4 are looking at re-establishing a Geography Hutchinson, Margaret McIvor, Emmy Terry Keys To Geography Edition 2 Association in the ACT. • Public Officer – Jeanna Kriewaldt Ensuring Quality Teaching 5 In Geography ARC Linkage Project Australian Capital Territory Snippets • AGTA is seeking Google Sponsorship for the Australian Geography 6 In establishing themselves in their formative conference. Although not big in sponsorship Competition year(s), delegates from the ACT proposed that Google may be willing to provide some support Asia PacificR egional they be accepted as a sub-branch of the GTANSW. for the Association. Geography Olympiad As such ACT delegates would not fulfill a director’s • GTAV will coordinate the AGTA Awards – role but would be invited to attend board congratulations and thank you to South National Education Forum 7 meetings. This option is still to be confirmed Australia for coordinating this important activity National Geographic World by the ACT branch as an alternative option is over the past three years. Championship to become an incorporated association. AGTA will invite one delegate from the ACT to attend • A GeoCareers Brochure has been developed Institute of Australian 8 the next Board Meeting at a non-director level. to promote the website. Delegates are asked to Geographers (IAG) Council Meeting The ACT branch may also opt to send a second promote this widely at this time when students delegate to the meeting at their own cost. are looking at their future options. Affiliate News - TAS 9 Affiliate News - QLD Capitation • Membership – invoices are sent out Currently, capitation fees are $13.20 (including on 31 October 2009. Affiliates Affiliate News - SA 10 GST). AGTA has become more visual and has should identify total membership taken a lead role with the National Curriculum. including students to determine Affiliate News - NSW 11 At the federal level, Government is only interested the number of Geographical in talking to peak bodies. Three options were Education Journals required by Affiliate News - WA 12 discussed - no change; small increment; CPI affiliates. Affiliates who wish to provide the Journal to Affiliate News - VIC 13 indexation. A letter will be sent to affiliates to determine the direction to be taken informing complimentary members (e.g. Life Members) must pay an Teaching Australia 14 them of that fees be increased to $15.00 affiliation fee for these members. Geographical Education (including GST). A special General Meeting will be conducted at the next Board Meeting to be held in May 2010, to address the issue of capitation. GeographiaAGTA’s GeoCareersAGTA’s Geography’s GWebsiteeoCareers www.geocareers.net.au The 2009 Geography’s Big Week Out will be held Website in Perth (Perth, Rottnest Island and Scarborough) from 7 to 11 December. A high-scoring male and The GeoCareersHE GeoCareers website is a website ‘user friendly’ is a ‘userresource friendly’ for resource female student in each State and the combined learning aboutfor learning geographical about careers. geographical The website careers. contains The Territories, who are in Year 11 or lower, have website contains resources and case studies of resourcesT and case studies of young people who have studied accepted places, as have the next highest male and young people who have studied geography at school geographyand see at a schoollink between and see whata link theybetween learnt what in geographythey learnt female student – a total of 16 students. It is worth in geographyand what theyand what do in they their do job. in their The job.main The sections main sections of the noting that 9 of the 16 students are from outside of thewebsite website include: include: capital cities (although 3 board at capital city schools). Australia’s team to the 2010 International MeetMeet a Geographer a geographer People who have studied geography are highly sought Geography Olympiad, 29 July - 4 August in Taipei, People who have studied geography are highly sought after after in a wide range of careers for the special skills and will be selected from this Big Week Out. in aknowledge wide range theyof careers bring. for In the this special section skills you and can knowledge read about theythe bring. interesting In ths section and rewarding you can read careers about in the which interesting people who andhave rewarding studied careers are employed. in which people This sectionwho have includes studied profiles are employed.of people This working section outdoors,includes profiles indoors, of helpingpeople workingpeople, outdoors,engaged indoors, in environmental helping people, care, engages sharing in knowledgeenvironmental with care,others sharing and knowledge undertaking with research. others and undertaking research. Studying geography StudyingWhether Geography you are a secondary school student or enrolled Whetherin a tertiary you are institution a secondary such school as a student university or enrolled or college in a this tertiarysection institution will assist such you as a finduniversity the right or college course. this It section includes willlinks assist to you State to find and theTerritory right course. education It includes departments, links to State curriculum authorities and tertiary institutions offering AGTA Website and territory education departments, curriculum authorities geography. The main changes made to the website have and tertiary institutions offering geography. Resources been the inclusion of a new section devoted to ResourcesA range of resources that help students make decisions the AGTA 2011 conference in Adelaide. Graphic A rangeabout of their resources future that career help include:students make decisions files and supporting material have been provided about• Career their future pamphlets career include: by Mark Manuel to enable an initial structure to be designed and populated with information. • Online resources • Career pamplets This will become an increasingly important • Online• Geospatial resources careers section of the website providing information for • Geospatial careers • Job search indexes participants, publishers and sponsors. Mark will • Job search indexes provide Rob with updates during the lead up to • Volunteer work. • Volunteer work the conference. ThisThis is a isgreat a great website website for students, for students, their teachers, their teachers, career career counsellors and subject/career selection personnel. A new section providing links to Web 2.0 counsellors and subject/career selection personnel. geography websites has also been added. This will provide a portal to a number of useful blogs, wikis, nings, forums, discussions and other participatory web applications that support geography Geocareers Website teaching both in Australia and overseas. Other changes to the website include updates to Only minor changes and revisions have been be made to each of these sections and if the news section, Board members, affiliate details, made to the GeoCareers website. Invitations to necessary, refined as the website extends its resources and the AGTA 2008 conference section. submit profiles have been sent, however, as yet scope. Please forward suggestions of people Updates have also been made to Geographia, response rates have been low despite follow-up who might be approached to submit a profile the national geography curriculum website, letters being sent. Each affiliate was asked at to Rob as there are still many career areas we standards for geography teaching and details the last AGTA Board meeting to make would like to include. Please send the person’s of affiliate conferences. Please advise Rob of any a special effort to send Rob Berry a list of name, their email address and current area of changes to these details as they become known. people who might be invited to submit a employment to Rob ([email protected]). It is most important that affiliates forward profile for publication. Rob will then contact each person nominated details of changes when these occur so that and provide them with a standard proforma At present the major sections include Meet the relevant pages can be updated. The listing and agreement sheet. a Geographer, Studying Geography, Using of state conferences has been updated (where Geography and Resources. Additions will such details are known) with