Richa G.

Geography is something that I live and breathe. Most adults that I have met tell me that Geography was either very boring or extremely hard for them to grasp when they were at school. I want to change that perspective for my students. I take a very creative and dynamic approach to teach Geography. I believe that when students start to relate Geographical concepts to their real-life experiences, they start enjoying the subject even more. I think of myself as a facilitator and guide rather than a traditional teacher. I aim to spark interest and curiosity in students' minds and help them to explore the world around them using a multidimensional, geographical perspective.

I generally start off by getting to know the student better - their background, their hobbies, their travel stories, their idea about Geography as a subject. I believe in personalizing the experience of the student as it helps build a rapport between the tutor and the student and goes a long way in enabling the student to learn more meaningfully.

When you enjoy what you are learning, you are encouraged to learn independently. This is something that I have realized over the past decade of my teaching career and that is what I aim for. I want my students to love Geography. If I make learning interesting, the students tend to become more engaged and are willing to take on independent tasks to further their understanding.

I like to use different approaches to teaching and learning. Some students learn better when a teacher-led approach is taken, while others just need some guidance and a set of clear instructions to learn meaningfully. I generally take a few classes to gauge the learning style of the student and tweak my teaching style to suit their needs. I am also open to using different tools of learning and teaching to help the student stay motivated.

At the school where I presently teach, there are many ESL and mixed ability students who require extra support. For these students, as far as Geography is concerned, I ensure that they have a glossary of important geographical terms that they can translate to their own language if needed. For others, I give break down the complex instructions into simple ones and ensure that they have understood them before progressing with the activity.

Such students can use a text-to-speech tool or a reader in extreme cases as IB offers a lot of support and access arrangements.

Getting to know them better, taking an interest in their ideas and thoughts. Asking for their opinions regarding an issue. Ensuring that they feel safe and comfortable sharing their views and opinions on wicked problems

Simplify the process for them suggest tools, tricks, and techniques that would help them with their specific issues

Summarizing/ exit slips/feedback forms, drawing flow-charts/ mind maps, playing a kahoot/ quizlet questioning between lessons

By ensuring that they know the basics, letting them know that they aren't expected to know each and everything from the beginning. Letting them know that they are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them and by suggesting relevant resources that would help them build their subject knowledge

By looking at their past assessment data and by asking them to write a reflection on their summative and formative assessment results. Having a chat with them about what works and what doesn't work for them

Some students are more confident about their content knowledge and only need guidance on how to attempt certain types of questions. Others may need a very thorough approach while learning and for them, I try to cover everything extensively. I have a dynamic approach to teaching - I try to understand the needs of the students before adopting a particular approach.

PPTs , worksheets, Google docs and maps/spreadsheets, and Kahoots, and other websites like Visual Capitalists, Statistica, Quizlet, etc