Reflections on F.1 teaching (06/07)
Reflections to be focused on the preparation for interfacing the junior secondary curriculum with the NSS curriculum
Subject:	Geography
F.1 Teachers:	Mrs. Iu So So Kum, Ms Kathleen Chu
Coordinator:	Mrs. Iu So So Kum
Panel Head:	Miss Chau Yuk Lin
Vision of F.1 teachers:	To develop students’ geographical sense and basic competencies
Domain	How well have we prepared the students for the senior secondary curriculum (Please give evidence – e.g. specific examples of NSS elements introduced)	Suggestions to F.1 teachers of 07/08  (e.g. effective teaching approach, homework policy that helps build good working and study habits)	Suggestions to F.2 teachers of 07/08 (e.g. essential cross/co-curricular activities, interfacing F.1 curriculum with F.2 curriculum, projects that can be done in F.2)
Curriculum	~  Form 1 curriculum has been revised. Topics that are related to the NSS Geography curriculum have been selected to teach in Form 1 lessons. Common skills emphasized in both NSS Geography and LS curricula, including enquiry skills and generic skills – communication skills, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills and IT skills have been promoted	~ If time allows, topics related to the NSS LS curriculum will be included as well	~  The Form 2 curriculum will also be revised to cope with the requirements of NSS Geography curriculum
	~ Cross-discipline learning has been provided to students. A field study on urban land use in Wan Chai has been carried out in LS lessons. In English lessons, students have been given opportunities to learn how to describe routes with the use of directions	~ A field study on urban land use in Wanchai, as part of the project, will be conducted in Geography lessons instead of LS lessons.	~ If time allows, topics related to the NSS LS curriculum will also be selected
		~  Basic GIS skills will be taught to students	~ Creativity skills will be promoted as well
		~ Creativity skills will be promoted as well	~ Cross-discipline learning will be carried out with the English Department based on the theme of ‘Natural Disasters’ to improve students’ language ability for the preparation of a case study report on a natural disaster event
Pedagogy	~ Communication skills have been enhanced through group discussions and presentations.	~ To develop students’ communication skills, students will be asked to explain ideas in simple language	~ To develop students’ communication skills, students will be asked to present different points of views on the issue
	~ Students have been allowed to adopt a multi-perspective approach to address  issues like relocation of factories to South China through debate/ role play.	~ A series of mini-projects will be implemented to guide students in the enquiry process, giving them the opportunity to develop generic skills and present information in the form of digital maps and graphs with simple conclusions.	~  To develop students’ critical thinking skills, students will be asked to make informed decisions on environmental issues
	~ Issue-based questions have been set in worksheets, quizzes and exams		~ Students will be allowed to select appropriate IT (including GIS) devices to present information
	~ Guided enquiry with questions set in the worksheet has been adopted		~ More self-directed student learning will be carried out in the course of finding answers during enquiry learning
	~ Students have been asked to access information from the Internet. A workshop on the use of GIS has been conducted for 12 F.1 elite students during the post-exam period
	~ A field report has been integrated into LS for students to learn how to collect information from the field and present the information in the form of a map
Assessment	~ Some issue-based questions have been set in the exam paper in relation to current issues	~ Questions requiring application of knowledge and skills will be added	~ Questions about current issues will be set in the exam paper
	~ The land use survey report has been assessed based on the accuracy of the answers	~ Projects without pre-determined answers will be marked based on the rubrics, so that student can learn their strengths and weaknesses	~ The weighting of questions requiring students to have higher-order thinking skills, make decisions and judgments will be increased
	~ Peer assessment has been encouraged during lessons