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1. OVERVIEW

Geography, a subject within the realm of social sciences and humanities, is incorporated into the curriculum across all educational levels, from grades 1 to 12. It serves as a guide for students to explore the intricate relationship between humanity and the natural and social aspects, encompassing the existence and evolution of life on Earth. The subject is structured around three major components: physical geography, human geography, and economic geography.

The study of geography empowers students to elucidate natural and socio-economic phenomena, identify and tackle local and global issues, and foresee future changes.

Geography serves as a journey for students to explore the world, unveiling myriad vibrant images of diverse landscapes and human lives, each with its own unique and dynamic characteristics. This subject offers students the opportunity to deeply comprehend and respect the world’s diversity and uniqueness, fostering their social skills and critical thinking. Consequently, students evolve into global citizens capable of creating, making informed decisions, and taking responsibility.

In the era of global integration and volatility, students’ ability to understand and innovate holds significant importance, contributing to the creation of unique values and the building of a prosperous and sustainable world. Geography not only equips students to answer questions about their surrounding world, its workings, and interconnections but also empowers them to shape the future. It prompts reflection and encourages proposing solutions to common local and global geographical challenges, such as climate change, resource and environmental degradation, economic crises, migration, racial disparities, and sustainable development.

Furthermore, geography education nurtures students’ decision-making skills, equipping them with the capabilities and behaviors required to address challenges arising from both the natural and human-made environments. As a result, students actively engage in identifying and resolving problems, employing comprehensive thinking from diverse perspectives and considering individual and societal, environmental, and developmental factors. This approach also fosters their creativity.

The Geography curriculum at Vinschool is designed with a dual focus on fostering geographical knowledge and skills, specifically:

  • Geographical knowledge is centered around three core areas: general geography, world geography, and Vietnamese geography. This segment delves into events, concepts, theories, principles of movement, and evolving geographical models, continually updated and revised over time and space. Understanding geography involves the ability to perceive the relationships between different aspects of knowledge, the connections among concepts, and the interactive nature of geographical phenomena. It also encompasses the practical application of acquired knowledge to novel situations or the resolution of new problems.
  • Geographical skills feature a comprehensive set that empowers students to explore and deepen their understanding of the world. These skills are applied to explore geographical phenomena and issues, from natural to socio-economic ones, encompassing posing geographical questions, conducting research, analysis, evaluation, communication, and reflection

In the teaching and learning of Geography, an emphasis is placed on a proactive and dynamic approach, fostering the development of innovative thinking. Teachers encourage students to embark on their learning journeys by observing real-world situations and posing challenging questions that address actual issues or satisfy their curiosity about the environment and ongoing phenomena. Through the process of answering questions or explaining various geographical issues or phenomena, students gradually accumulate practical knowledge and skills to address real-world geographical problems.

Each geographical content or skill learned and applied is closely integrated into diverse and age-appropriate instructional methods, including blended learning, flipped classrooms, project-based learning, and problem-solving approaches.

2. COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • Inspire students to explore the intricacies of the natural world and human life in their surroundings.
  • Cultivate a profound and comprehensive understanding of the natural, demographic, and socio-economic characteristics, not only of the local community but also of Vietnam, various regions, continents, and the entire world.
  • Develop students’ awareness of the intricate relationships between individuals, society, and the environment, fostering an understanding of the impacts of geographical challenges at local, national, and global scales. This enhances their ability to adapt and regulate behavior amidst fluctuations and changes.
  • Promote creative and effective methods for investigating, collecting, and processing geographical information, utilizing geographical tools and social communication. This skill set supports the learning process and facilitates the practical application of students’ geographical knowledge in real-life scenarios.
  • Foster geographical thinking capacity (i.e., the capacity to perceive the world spatially and explain geographical phenomena and processes) through the cultivation of questioning skills and the promotion of critical thinking.
  • Encourage the formation and development of specific ideas, perspectives, and actions to address geographical challenges through a structured process of inquiry, research, analysis, conclusion, proposal, and feedback.
  • Create opportunities for individuals to evolve into global citizens committed to active and lifelong learning; responsibility towards the environment, community, and the world; and the creation of a harmonious and sustainable living environment.