Geographical Education in a Changing World

Book excerpt: The status of geography in school curricula varies across the globe. Geography, as a discrete subject, has, in some countries, established a strong position in both primary and secondary schools while in others it has a weaker position, often a component of integrated and cross-curricular arrangements. Globally, the trend is for geography's status to be challenged. A central theme of this book is the location of geography in school curricula with particular reference to centrality and marginality. A second theme relates to the subject status of geography. A third theme relates to the spirit and purpose of school geography and the traditions that underpin the subject and how these are changing. A fourth theme relates to the way geography is being seen by curriculum planners as contributing to the achievement of governmental aims for society in general. A fifth theme concerns the human and material resources infrastructure. Finally, what of the future? The underpinning assumption is that experiences gained in one country will be of real interest to educators in another. The book, is part of the work of the Commission on Geographical Education of the International Geographical Union. Part 1, written in a global context, focuses on the distinctive traditions of school geography. Part 2 reviews the contemporary state of school geography on a broad continental basis with each chapter including national case studies, written by experts drawn from those countries. The final parts comprises chapters that extrapolate from the present and point to likely future developments in the subject, again with examples drawn from various countries.