CONT772: Senior Geography
This course is designed to build your confidence and clarity teaching Senior Geography. You will explore geography as a subject that helps students understand how people, places, and environments are connected at the local, national, and global level. You’ll explore both physical and human geography, using real-world issues such as environmental change, population movement, urban growth, and global trade to ground learning in meaningful contexts.
The course focus is on classroom practice. You will design and refine lessons, inquiry tasks, and assessments that align with the Canadian and World Studies Grades 11 and 12 Geography curriculum and Growing Success. The course reflects Ontario Ministry of Education policies related to equity, accessibility, and inclusive instruction, including Learning for All and accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). You’ll explore how Indigenous perspectives, Truth and Reconciliation, equity, and ethical use of data and technology can be integrated in thoughtful, respectful, and practical ways. At the end of the course, you’ll consolidate your learning into a professional practice portfolio that reflects your instructional choices, your growth as an educator, and your alignment with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) standards of practice and ethical standards.
Learning Outcomes
What You Will Learn and Do
In this course you’ll have the opportunity to
- examine the Canadian and World Studies Grades 11 and 12 Geography curriculum expectations to inform inquiry-based lesson and unit design
- design learning tasks that integrate physical and human geography through spatial thinking and evidence
- evaluate how geographic inquiry supports student understanding of environmental, social, and economic systems
- integrate Indigenous perspectives and land-based ways of knowing in respectful and curriculum-connected ways
- apply geotechnologies and spatial tools to support geographic thinking rather than technical skill development
- design assessment strategies that align with Growing Success and support assessment for, as, and of learning
- explore ethical considerations related to teaching geography, including representation, data use, and student safety
- create inclusive learning experiences that support equity, accessibility, and diverse student perspectives
- synthesize course learning through a curated professional practice portfolio aligned with the OCT standards of practice and ethical standards
- evaluate instructional and assessment design through the lens of Learning for All, accessibility, and inclusive practice
Assessments
Module 1
Foundations of Senior Geography
Module 2
Physical Geography and Environmental Systems
Progress Update 1
Module 3
Human Geography – Population, Migration, and Urban Systems
Module 4
Economic Geography and Global Interconnections
Progress Update 2
Module 5
Environmental Issues, Sustainability, and Stewardship
Module 6
Geotechnologies and Spatial Analysis
Progress Update 3
Module 7
Pedagogy, Assessment, Equity, and Professional Practice