Looking for an international

strategy for geography education

procura de uma estratgia
internacional para o ensino de
Geografia
La bsqueda de una estrategia
internacional para la
enseanza de la Geografa.
IGU, EUGEO and EUROGEO are convinced
that a good geographical education is
indispensable to the development of responsible
and active citizens in the present and future
world. The position of geograph education can
be improved b!
1. Making the focus and contribution of
geography education for society more
explicit.
"lthough #organ $%&'() writes that we need to
be cautious about rushing to define the sub*ect
once and for all, he also states that similar
themes recur. +irstl, geograph is concerned
with human,environment interactions in the
conte-t of specific places and locations and with
issues that have a strong geographical dimension
li.e natural hazards, climate change, energ
supplies, land use, migration, urbanization,
povert and identit $/aubrich, '00%). 1econdl,
geograph is ver practical and useful in
everda life. Geograph helps us to get an
overview of locations and regions. 2ocation is a
.e factor in life, especiall in an era of
globalization and internet. Geograph is the
discipline where location has its base.
Geographical .nowledge and more recentl also
geospatial technologies offer uni3ue
opportunities to show polic ma.ers that without
geograph we cannot ma.e sense of the modern
world nor ma.e plans for its future. Thirdl,
geograph is a wa of thin.ing and loo.ing at
the world around us. The idea that geograph
education is a lesson in how to thin.
geographicall is clearl described in the
manifesto 4a different view5 b 6avid 2ambert
and his colleagues $Geographical "ssociation,
%&&0). 7onnected with this wa of thin.ing
geograph education has its core concepts.
"ccording to Talor $%&&8) diversit,
interaction, change, and perspective are .e
concepts. These concepts are what historians call
4second order concepts5 $Talor, %&'() but not
all of them are distinctl geographical. It is ver
important to realize how others see geograph
and li.e others to see geograph.
2. Describing the minimum requirements
for geography teaching in primary and
secondary schools as well as for
geography teacher training institutes.
"n international e-change of geograph
standards from different countries can help to
discuss what .nowledge and s.ills are basic in
geograph education. 9e might define what
oung people growing up in societ could need
now and in the future. In addition to different
national standards, the Geograph International
:accalaureate $I:) programme can be inspiring
$Ottens, %&'(). If we thin. that the teaching of
geograph should be limited to teachers with a
3ualified training in geograph and geograph
education we have to thin. about how we can
reach this goal. Geograph teachers in primar
and secondar education should be well trained
in phsical and human geograph as well as in
geograph education. It is also needed to train
teachers to be adaptable, to use geographical
.nowledge and s.ills in a changing world and to
create a suitable and meaningful geographical
learning environment.
3. Developing an (international
exchange of good practices.
3.
The teacher is the .e to innovation in
education. 7o,operation between geograph
teachers can strengthen the position of
geograph in schools and help to promote
geograph as an essential part of futures
education. 1ome schools have geograph
teachers that do e-tremel well in modernizing
and promoting geograph while in other schools
in the same cit or region geograph is almost
ding. 7o,operation between geograph sections
of different schools is rare and this cannot be
e-plained b competition between schools
alone. Groups of enthusiastic geograph
teachers supported b teacher training institutes
should tr to organize local and regional
;oop van der 17hee <ra.ow "ugust %&'= IGU,EUGEO,EUROGEO
$virtual) meetings and help lines to develop a
challenging school geograph. 9e need more
than e-change, we need groups of teachers
wor.ing together to develop their innovative
approaches.
!. Developing a research agenda for
geography education.
The last decennia show a growing number of
publications written b geographers in
education. /owever, the 3ualit of these
publications is not alwas the same. 1ometimes
there is a lac. of focus and often there are
insufficient data, and evidence,based studies to
support informed decisions ma.ing in geograph
education $:ednarz, /effron > /unh, %&'().
Review studies in important sectors of
geograph education are an option to get a better
view on the state of the art and where further
research is necessar. "nother wa to achieve
more focus in research in geograph education is
to organize international research groups. These
groups should not be e-clusive. :roo.s $%&'&)
states that we should ta.e notice of research of
those for whom research is part of their wor. as
academics or educational professionals, but also
ta.e notice of research of practicing teachers.
Recent initiatives in the U1 and the U< to set a
research agenda for geograph education are
primising.
". #reating a strong professional network
structure.
6onert $%&&8)) states that it is necessar to
recognize the need to establish routes that enable
our efforts for geograph education to be long,
lasting and sustainable. " professional networ.
structure is necessar to open a new horizon for
geograph education. This networ. needs to get
support from a large range of geographical
organizations and sta.eholders. Its visibilit in
the discipline and in the media is an important
issue to wor. on. Organizing a communit of
learners in geograph education using a set of
core practices ma be helpful.
The discussion about a *oin strateg for
geograph education will continue. There will
not be one solution that fits all, but it is possible
to strengthen our community of learners in
geography education b helping each other
e-changing curriculum ideas, research results
and good practices.
eferences
'. :ednarz, 1.9., /effron, 1. > /unh, ?.T. $Eds.)
$%&'() $ %oad Map for 2&st #entury 'eography
(ducation) 'eography (ducation %esearch*
Report from the Geograph Education Research
7ommittee of the Road #ap for %'st 7entur
Geograph Education @ro*ect, 9ashington, 67,
"ssociation of "merican Geographers.
%. :roo.s, 7. $%&'&) /ow does one become a
researcher in geograph educationA +nternational
%esearch in 'eographical and (nvironmental
(ducation, '0 $%), ''B,''8.
(. 6e Cecchis, G., 6onert, <., <olossov, C., Ottens,
/. > Can der 1chee, ;. $%&'() Rome 6eclaration
on Geographical Education in Europe, ,-
%eading* ,ournal of %esearch and Didactics in
'eography, % $%), '&'.
=. 6onert, <. $%&&8) D+uture @rospects , a foreword
about finding was forwardE, in 6onert, <.>
9all, G. $Eds.), .uture prospects in geography,
2iverpool, /erodot, ',8.
B. Geographical "ssociation $%&&0) 'eography) $
different view, 1heffield, Geographical
"ssociation.
F. /aubrich, /. $'00%) +nternational #harter on
'eographical (ducation* +reiburg, IGU
7ommission on Geographical Education.
G. #organ, ;. $%&'() 9hat do we mean b thin.ing
geographicallA in 2ambert, 6. > ;ones, #.
$Eds), Debates in 'eography (ducation*
2ondon, Routledge, %G(,%8'.
8. Ottens, /. $%&'(), Reflections on Geograph
Education in Europe, ,-%eading* ,ournal of
%esearch and Didactics in 'eography, % $%), 0G,
'&&.
0. Talor, 2. $%&&8) <e concepts and medium term
planning, /eaching 'eography* (( $%), B&,B=.
'&. Talor, 2. $%&'() 9hat do we .now about
concept formation and ma.ing progress in
learning geographA in 2ambert, 6. > ;ones, #.
$Eds), Debates in 'eography (ducation*
2ondon, Routledge, (&%,('(.
;oop van der 17hee <ra.ow "ugust %&'= IGU,EUGEO,EUROGEO