PLANNING FOR TEACHING GEOGRAPHY
Effective teaching is influenced by how well a teacher has prepared for the lesson before teaching starts. It starts with one’s interaction with the syllabus and its
interpretation, the ability to make good schemes, lessons plans and effective utilization of learning resources. Thus in this endeavor, a syllabus or the curriculum/
content to be taught becomes important.
A SYLLABUS
A syllabus can be defined as a prescribed course of study in a given subject or level. Burton and Green (1972) define it as “a statement of the content of study –the
amount of knowledge and the selection of knowledge which it is proposed that a learner should acquire
Importance of a syllabus
i. It identifies the goals of education, the objectives of teaching Geography and specific objectives of teaching topics in the syllabus. This is important because
it gives the teacher purpose and focus in teaching.
ii. It specifies the relevant content to be taught for the realization of the above goals and objectives. This is necessary because content is at the core of
teaching. Without it there will be no teaching.
iii. It suggests a wide range of methods and resources to be used for the teaching of the subject for the achievement of the objectives. This is very essential
because it ensures that the learners are actively, involved in the lessons through a variety of activities which keeps them motivated and their attention
sustained
iv. It specifies what content should be taught at what grade/class by matching the difficulty of the content with the mental age of the learners. This ensures that
what students learn is their ability and level.
Schemes of work
Schemes of work are a detailed, logical and sequential plan that interprets the syllabus into units for effective teaching. It can also be defined as a breakdown of the
syllabus into manageable units which could be covered in a specific period of time lasting for either a week (s), month (s) or a whole year (Nasibi, Kiio, 1995)
Importance of scheming
According to Nasibi and Kiio (1995) scheming is essential because of the following:
1. It makes teaching both systematic and orderly since it ensures that topics in the syllabus are taught in order of difficulty with the simplest to the most
complex
2. It ensures that every topic in the syllabus is covered
3. It enables the teacher to budget for time wisely giving room for events and activities which might interfere with the school calendar e.g. public holidays,
prize giving day, sport days etc.
4. It gives the teacher insight in teaching by enabling s/he to identify content methods and relevant instructional materials which s/he is going to use in the
lesson thus giving the individual enough time to sought out the requirements
5. It guides the teacher in developing a lesson plan
6. It checks the teacher’s pace of teaching
7. It is useful during transition, when a teacher is transferred, the in-coming teacher will easily take over from where s/he had left avoiding repetition or
omission. This ensures continuity of the learning process.
Features of a scheme work
1. Administrative details. Every scheme of work must have administrative information indicating the subject, class, stream, term and year when the schemes
will be operation. It also gives a title e.g. Geography scheme of work, Form 2E, Term 1, 2020.
2. Week: it refers to the week of the term when at given topic in the scheme will taught e.g. 2 nd week: “Introduction to Geography”. The teacher has to plan for
all the weeks of the term.
3. Lesson. This refers to the specific lesson in a week when a given topic or sub-topic will be taught. The number of lessons per week for Geography varies. In
form one and two there are three lessons per week, while in form three and four there are four lessons in a week. “given that there are many activities in the
term which interfere with teaching, the teacher is supposed to identify these activities and cater for them in the planning process.
4. Objectives: They specify that the learners are expected to achieve at the end of the lesson. They are very specific and stated in behavior terms.
5. Topic and sub-topic that will be covered in a given lesson.
6. Learning objectives: State what the learner is expected to achieve by the end of the lesson It shows what topic or sub-topic will be covered in a given
lesson/period. It also indicates some of the main points of the lesson.
7. Teaching and learning activities: There are activities which the teacher and the learner will be expected to carry out in order to learn the content presented to
them by teacher
8. Teaching and learning resources: These are teaching/ learning materials which the teacher and the learner is supposed to use to facilitate learning and
therefore achieve the objectivities stated e.g. pictures, charts, maps, objects, models, radio, audio-visual materials etc
9. References: These are the textbooks and other printed materials the teacher uses or consults when scheming or planning to teach e.g. reference books,
newspapers, magazines and journals
10. Remarks: These are comments a teacher makes after teaching a given lesson. They are concerned with whether the lesson went on as schemed and if not
why and what steps will be taken to rectify the situation. The steps to be considered could be repeating the whole lesson, carrying out remedial teaching or
re-teaching specific elements of the lesson or clarifying certain issues etc
KARATINA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
SCHEMES OF WORK
NAME __________________________________________________________________ ADM NO __________________________________________
SCHOOL ________________________________________________________________ TERM ________________ YEAR ____________________
DEPARTMENT ___________________________________________________ SUBJECT ________________________ ZONE _____________________
General objectives: By the end of the term, the learner should be able to:
WK Lsn. Topic Sub Topic Specific Objectives Teaching/Learning Instructional References Remarks
No Activities Resources
(methodology)
By the end of the lesson the
learner should be able to:
WK Lsn. Topic Sub Topic Specific Objectives Teaching/Learning Instructional References Remarks
No Activities Resources
WK Lsn. Topic Sub Topic Specific Objectives Teaching/Learning Instructional References Remarks
No Activities Resources
4 2 CAT 1 Indicate the By the end of the lesson the Distribute question Question As The
learner should be able to:
topics the By the end of the examination papers and answer papers appropriate students
exam/cat will period the learner should be able sheets Answer ie the text finished
cover to Give instructions sheets book in the
i. Answer all the
questios(as per the Write answers on Writing which the examinat
instructions) the answer sheet material topics are ion on
ii. Answer all the covered time
questions ontime