Geography Education in Queensland

Julie Davis, Geography Teachers Association Queensland

Julie is a passionate and experienced geography teacher who has taught at the junior and senior secondary and tertiary levels. She is currently the President of the Geography Teachers’ Association of Queensland (GTAQ) and has led the organisation through a period of strategic renewal. Julie is a sessional lecturer in Geography and Education at QUT and a Principal Education Officer (PEO) at the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Julie is the lead syllabus writer for the Senior Geography and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Syllabuses. In her role as PEO she leads the work developing materials to support Queensland teachers on their 2019 journey implementing the new syllabuses.

SYNOPSIS

The role of GTAQ is to support geography teachers across Queensland and to promote excellence in geographical education. Through the recent strategic review, the vision for GTAQ was reimaged to reflect our core agenda in a clear and concise statement - Excellence in Geographical Education – and articulate our values – EMPOWERMENT, INTEGRITY, SUSTAINABILITY, EXPERTISE.

In line with these values, in 2019, GTAQ have embarked on a series of professional development activities to support Queensland teachers, particularly in their implementation of the new Senior Geography syllabus. 2019 has seen the implementation of new curriculum for 47 senior subjects in Queensland to accommodate a new Queensland Certificate of Education qualification. The most significant change is a move to external examinations for all subjects. The introduction of a new syllabus and new qualification system has, understandably, brought with it some teacher nervousness and GTAQ has been actively ensuring we help guide teachers in developing their understating of the requirements of the new syllabus, with its renewed focus on geographical process and relationships as well as embedding the use of spatial technologies.

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