FLIPPING BOOK CHRONICLE 2024

GEOGRAPHY

A Block boys at Point Waterfront in Durban’s CBD

Head of Department: Mrs Dale Lynch Staff: Mr Justin McDougall, Mrs Khalipha Cele, Mr Sibs Ncamani, Mr David Pachonick (part-time) he 2024 academic year started well with confirmation of good senior certificate results, with 86% of our 2023 Geography candidates achieving between an A and a C. The boys worked well and these results were evidence of their exceptional effort. Following on from the previous year’s goals of improving the senior-phase curriculum, great efforts were made to update the curriculum again and present relevant topics that extended the boys’ knowledge of pertinent topics that deal with real-work issues and improved awareness of key challenges of the 21st century. The D Block curriculum incorporated a section on resources and sustainability, which took the boys out of the classroom to our very own solar farm, where they learned about the process behind using renewable energy and the benefits to the community, economy and environment. In an effort to increase the number of fieldwork activities that we are doing with our boys, the C Blockers engaged in a practical climatology task which took them out of the classroom to prove a climate-based hypothesis. This involved boys getting out to their data sites at all hours of the day to measure the impact of various climatic factors on temperature and soil moisture. Small tasks like these expose the boys to university expectations on a smaller scale. Our A Block boys visited the markets of Warwick in Durban, where they fully immersed themselves in understanding the importance of the informal sector in South Africa’s economy. This was followed T

by an urban study of Durban’s CBD and the Point waterfront to understand the positive and negative impacts of gentrification and urban renewal in one of the oldest parts of Durban. Coal mining was the IEB’s mineral of study this year. A guest speaker from Ezemvelo presented a vast amount of facts to the boys in relation to the impact of coal mining on protected areas in KZN. The presentation was interesting and gave the boys an opportunity to engage with someone in the field, and make content that would normally be one dimensional come to life. The Ezemvelo presentation was shared with The Wykeham Collegiate, and the social aspect of having dinner afterwards with their young ladies was an added bonus. The involvement in Future-Fit this year was exceptionally rewarding. With the main focus being the sustainable development goals, Geography was at the forefront of many discussions. Allowing boys to explore ways to improve the lives of people through economic, social and environmentally viable projects was an enriching experience and opened them up to a different way of thinking and problem-solving. The annual South African Geography Teachers’ Association (Sagta) conference was hosted at Michaelhouse this year. Forty eight educators from around southern Africa gathered to share best practice, be inspired by guest speakers and participate in some fantastic field activities that can be implemented in our classrooms in the near future. We again look forward to an unchanged department going into 2025. The impact of this stability means that we can continue to improve the way we deliver the curriculum, and continue to be dynamic in our approach.

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