GEOGRAPHY:
Geography Department Staff (from Left to Right):
Anthony Catto: PGCE (Rhodes)
Sue Webber: BSc:HONS(Rhodes), HDE (UNISA), PGCHET (Rhodes); Currently studying for an MEd (Rhodes)
Claudia Chandler: Head of Department - BA:HONS; MA (UND); PGCE (Rhodes)
Luc Hoefnagels: BA (Stellenbosch); HDE (UCT)
The Geography Department is staffed by four very capable and energetic teachers who continuously develop and nurture the learners in their care. Our aim in the department is to engender a love for Geography through the variety of teaching practices available. We encourage independent and critical thinking and challenge our learners to present work based on sound academic principles. We follow the National Curriculum Statement for Geography and write the Independent Examination Boards' National Senior Certificate in Matric. Our results in last years IEB final examination was impressive, with a 100% pass rate. 4 out of 16 DSG girls and 6 out of 38 College boys achieved A-symbols. Practical application is an integral part of Geography, hence the need for fieldtrips. Both the Matric and Grade 11 classes do geomorphological day-trips. The Grade 12's reinforce their theoretical knowledge by studying intrusive rocks, horizontal and inclined strata as well as river erosion and deposition. The Grade 11's go the Kenton to study how the ocean erodes the coastline and deposits sediments on the beaches. Ricci Brocco and Luc Hoefnagels took 12 Grade 10 boys on a trip down to Cape Town last year. An integrated project driven by Claudia Chandler for the Grade 9's focussing on environmental issues has been set up. The Grade 8's do an urban trail or walkabout. Sue Webber has been the driving force in heading up the Environmental Green Committee. Making both the DSG and College campuses more eco-friendly, is their chief goal. Members of the department also mark IEB Matric scripts and are involved in regional portfolio moderation for the IEB.
Geography's contribution to society is about preparing pupils for the changing world where we face global issues such as climate change, globalisation and poverty. Pupils need to be equipped not only with knowledge but values for life.
Grade 8 Geography "exam" 13 August 2010:
The Grade 8 ‘exam’ took the form of a field trip in which the years work to date was cemented via a visual journey through Grahamstown. The aim of the morning was not only to make real those elements that the pupils have been learning about in class, but also to provide them with a far broader picture of Grahamstown. The grade 8s were divided into three groups and they rotated through the three activities. There was a bus tour through the various residential and industrial areas of Grahamstown with a stop in Artificers Square. Then a climb to the top of Sugar Loaf Hill which provided a vantage point from which to locate a whole array of land uses on a map. Following from this the grade 8s walked along High Street, from the Drosdy Arch to the old railway Station noting the condition and function of the buildings. They then returned to school in time to have a quick tea and were given an opportunity to sit calmly and make sure that they had completed their map drawings en route, and to write a reflection about what they had learnt during the morning. C Chandler 13 August 2010.
Click on the thumbs nails to enlarge:
Grade 12 Excursion 21 July 2010:
The Grade 12s investigated fluvial geomorphology and structural landforms in a fieldtrip to Carlisle Bridge. This involved observation, explanation and the drawing of horizontal, inclined and massive rock landforms. At Carlisle Bridge they pondered the decline of the local farming community as a result of land use changes ( sheep farming to game farming) as well as the impact that the several floods that have occurred over time would have had on the community, the land and the infrastructure. Observation of the river considered how the river shapes the valleys that it moves through.
Geography trip for Grade 11s to Kenton:
Grade 11 boys and girls on a recent trip to Kenton to study coastal landforms as part of their Geography syllabus. A morning long walk from the Bushman's River to the Kariega River saw the learners analysing and sketching the various landforms that they encountered.
Chumani Nkwinti, Grade 8, pictured here with a group of Grade 4 learners from Samuel Ntlebi Primary School working together on creating a paper mache dustbin during a community engagement afternoon activity.
