Geography

Welcome to Geography!

Geography is the study of places: how they vary from one area of the world to another and how these variations can be explained in physical and human terms.
The Geography department aims to motivate and involve students in world issues both in their immediate vicinity and globally.

Staff

Mrs Janis MacDonald (Principal Teacher)
Mrs Laura Duthie
Mrs Sarah Kish
Mr Calum Main
Mrs Catriona MacPhee (Cruinn Eolas)

Careers in Geography

A survey of the Geographical Association revealed an interest in Geography from over 100 occupations including accountancy, banks, building societies, the civil service, computing, environmental sciences, forestry, medicine, the media, marketing, scientific services, teaching, town planning and travel and tourism. Even if a student’s future career appears to have little to do with Geography, its study will have increased their awareness of relevant issues around the world what is going on in the world and he/she will have developed skills which will be of use throughout life.

The following list gives a brief idea of career types and the website links below can help with more information.

Cartographer
Commercial/Residential Surveyor
Environmental Consultant
Geographical Information Systems Officer
Planning and Development
Secondary School Education
International aid/Development worker
Logistics and Distribution Manager
Market Researcher
Transport Planner

Amateur Astronomers Association

Royal Geological Society

Career Prospects

Courses

BGE S1 – 3

Our BGE Curriculum for excellence course covers a wide range of topics including Ordnance Survey mapping, World development, Glaciation, Population, Weather and Natural Hazards. Many of our courses have been designed with our local area and the Highlands in mind to ensure that the course is as relevant as possible for all our pupils. The work throughout S1, S2 and S3 forms the basic knowledge and skills for pupils to work towards completing their National 4/5.

National 5

National 5 Geography – The National 5 Geography Course develops a range of geographical skills and techniques. Learners gain a detailed understanding of the ways in which people and the environment interact in response to physical and human processes at local, national, international and global scales. Further information can be found in the NPFC’s Nationals in a Nutshell Geography National 5

Higher

The Higher qualification in Geography gives learners a sophisticated understanding of geographical processes and information. This covers a range of topics, from glaciation to the growth of the human population. Independent study and cooperative learning are encouraged. Learners will gain sophisticated skills in analysing and communicating complex geographical ideas using maps and other diagrams.

Advanced Higher

The Advanced Higher qualification in Geography gives learners an in-depth understanding of complex ideas about how the world works. It also gives them the chance to carry out their own research, with an emphasis on fieldwork. Learners will be able to use sophisticated geographical methods to gather information. They will be able to use statistics to analyse this data and spot relationships within it. They will be able to describe and summarise different viewpoints and evaluate them critically.

Homework

Geography pupils will be expected to complete regular homework tasks that consolidate and develop their understanding of work undertaken in class. Homework can take a variety of forms including, written exercises, research projects, completion of past paper questions and studying for tests. A variety of useful web links have been attached below to support pupils.

Homework assigned to BGE pupils will focus on skills development, aiming to encourage pupils to research further areas of interest based on the material covered in class.

Homework assigned to certificate level classes will focus on developing and improving exam technique to better prepare pupils for SQA assessments. These tasks will be completed in dedicated homework jotters.