On Friday the Year 11 Geography class went on a short trip to Botany’s Kmart and The Warehouse, bringing out their inner geographer by collecting and recording data through a social inquiry.
The students along with Mrs Stevens split up so that half went to Kmart and the other to The Warehouse. Firstly, they recorded how many people came into the store and tallied the cultures, gender and ages of these people.
Then our geographers asked shoppers questions such as “How often do you shop here?” “Which store do you prefer, Kmart or The Warehouse?” and “Do the surrounding shops influence you in any way?” Our students received a wide range of responses and found it very interesting to see from someone else’s perspective.
The reason for the research was to develop a deeper understanding of the influencing factors in our society today and how they determine the outcomes of most of our decision making. These results were then collected and recorded to later be used for an internal next term.
The trip was an eye-opener into the geographer’s world, which is primarily based around collecting, recording and analysing data; which then allows a decision to be made on a particular aspect. And our students got to have a taste of that on Friday. One of our Year 11s said that “it was interesting to see from the diverse viewpoints.”
After the data was collected the students returned to school and the trip was a great success and learning experience for the aspiring geographers.
Francesca Adams
