What Are Environmental Interrelationship Between Humans And The Natural Environment?

Environment as a concept enables students to understand the important interrelationships between humans and the natural environment by focusing on two main progressions (ACARA, 2014). The first is the understanding of key elements of the environment, while the second focuses on people-environment interrelationships and human dependence to the environment (Catling et al., 2013). Through this concept, students can build on their curiosity of the world around them by exploring the benefits of vegetation. For example, in Year 4, students can investigate how plants protect land from water and wind erosion. Students may be able to observe how wind blows dust off a surface when it is bare but not when it is well covered in vegetation. In this way,

Catling et al. (2013) suggest that people may see scale differently depending on who is looking. For instance, a large place to a young student may seem to be a small place to an adult. Similarly, when students go for a drive, they may call out the inevitable ‘are we there yet’ imagining that the drive has taken a long time when in fact, in the adult’s eyes, it has only been 10km. It is through this concept that students learn that scale affects what happens in places, what we observe and the way we see things (Catling et al., 2013). By examining features, places and environments at a range of scales, students will discover that the concept of interconnection concerns the interrelationships we have at different scales. The concept of interconnection explores peoples’ connections to other places in Australia and throughout the world (Maude, 2014). In Year 2 for example, interconnection provides an opportunity to link to the History strand of the curriculum by investigating how changes in technology have changed peoples connections over one or two generations. In this way, students can develop additional insight into the concept of space and change as well as interconnection by understanding the role of technology in overcoming the constraints of distance

The teaching of geography to students in the primary years of schooling is a vital and important aspect in promoting students’ curiosity of the world in which they live. Through various pedagogical strategies and approaches, teachers can offer rich and contextually significant learning experiences that build a sense of wonder of the world by unpacking the concepts of geography. Through the teaching of geographical concepts, young geographers break down the components of the world into workable and practical objectives. Given these assertions, educators must recognise that geographical concepts are interrelated and interconnected and should be taught in ways that link to one another, gradually growing in complexity as students progress through the years. Although there is a specific sequencing of geographical concepts, teachers must also acknowledge that concepts may at times arise out of sequence depending on a child’s curiosity, and that these levels of understanding and curiosity will be addressed in time. It is through their connectedness and relationship to one another that the teaching of Geography supports our students to become global citizens by developing real interest, fascination,