Changes in A-level Geography & their implications for HE

Scholars are in broad agreement that studying geography is a core component of mainstream schooling which can contribute to sustainability education. Numerous emphases that transcend geography have developed extolling the importance of holistic education, scientific knowledge, interconnected thinking, and the utopian desire to transform society and schools. School transformation is a lofty goal that requires schools to rethink what they teach, how they teach in the lessons explicitly taught in their curriculum, their co-curricular undertakings, and the implicit activities that together are the fabric of what is taught and what may be learned. Current global conceptions of sustainability education, i.e., education for sustainable development (ESD), arose from critiques that traditional environmental education based only in the natural sciences could not satisfactorily address the interlinked human and societal issues that pre-empt or cause ecological destruction and environmental issues, and the imperative, now, that is climate change. Based on the United Nations’ well-established Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ESD aims to give all people the knowledge, skills, values, and agency to address global challenges. Geography uniquely promotes human-environment thinking, which is essential for considering sustainable futures. Geography education is inherently concerned about the future and thus plays a vital role in helping young people imagine sustainable futures and bring about transformative change. Geography, with its embedded use of spatial technologies and measurements within observations, enables and makes visible the explicit linking of human and natural systems. Other aspects of sustainability education in geography have received less attention. Critical geography is, at best, only gently making its way into schools. There is consideration of social justice in geography education, yet few accounts from the perspective of those who are oppressed exist. The belief that the solution can be achieved by incremental individual actions when education fails to ask students to critically assess the impacts of consumerism and capitalism on those who live in poverty is being challenged.

This thesis investigates geography education curricular changes throughout history. The specific research objectives include: (1) the review of literature in geography education and the discipline at large; (2) analysis of the effects that social and educational changes had on geography education; and (3) critical synthesis of primary and secondary sources. Chapter one outlines the statement of the problem, research questions, and theoretical framework. Chapter two investigates the historical social and educational underpinnings that affected U.S. geography education between 1776 and 2000. Chapter three outlines the specific challenges and curricular changes that geography education went through, with regards to historical events. Chapter four identifies the major university and scholars that contributed to geography education. Chapter five concludes that social and educational demands affected the development and the types of curricular changes that occurred in geography education.

Institutions and scholars working in the area of community-based education are keenly attuned to the ethics of engaging those communities and their members. The concern is that the local community not be exploited but be treated with respect and understood as a mutual partner in the program. Yet continually, as we argue in this essay, such programs tend to repeat the very instrumentalization they are hoping to avoid because their design focuses more on student-centered experiences of individual growth and enrichment constructed upon a relational geography that privileges the ends of the learning institution. Such a dynamic shapes community-based theological education too, the institutional location we focus on in this essay. Hence, we propose that our institutions of learning need to be (re)located within local communities if we are going to shift this structural dynamic. To develop more just and transformative learning institutions, we argue, requires a new geography of education by developing community-centered modes of knowledge production through action-research practices that foster collaboration, solidarity, and collective action to forge a shared ethic. Moving in this direction will require a new geography of education for community-based learning. As an example, we offer a sketch from our own work at The Black Mountain School of Theology & Community.

This study explores the relationship between teaching experience of geography teachers and their involvement in self-directed professional development (SDPD) activities to enhance their geography knowledge, skills and attitudes, understanding and development in the geography curriculum areas, as well as teaching and learning practices. A non-experimental survey design was employed in the study. Grade 10 to 12 geography teachers (n = 130) from the Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Bojanala Platinum districts in the North West province in South Africa with different amounts of teaching experience in geography education who attended the scheduled geography meeting with their respective subject advisors, completed a questionnaire on SDPD activities in geography education, developed by the researcher. The analysis of the results did not establish any relationship between geography teachers’ teaching experience and their involvement in SDPD activities. In this study the practical significance was calculated to indicate whether the difference between the geography teachers with different teaching experiences and their involvement in SDPD activities is large enough to have an effect in practice. Medium to small practically significant differences between early-, mid- and late-career geography teachers’ involvement in reading articles and books, watching videos, consulting role-players and experimentation were reported. Interestingly, medium practically significant differences were reported between mid-career and late-career geography teachers in conducting self-directed research in geomorphology, development geography and geographical information systems.

This symposium was organized to discuss the findings of the Second Geography Education Committee of the Association of Japanese Geographers under the joint auspices of The Japanese Association of Professional Geographers. Today we face very serious global problems such as environmental pollution and changing international relations, which must be important themes in geography education. Many geographic educators in Japan, however, have not learned how to present these issues and problems in a geography class. The members of the Second Geography Education Committee examined and discussed three themes initially, and then the findings were presented and discussed in this symposium as follows. (The names followed by asterisks are those of the authors who served as reporters.) (1) K. Yoshida* and H. Iwamoto: The significance of place-name study in the classroom: a pilot survey of place-name recognition among the public (“non-geographers”) The authors surveyed through questionnaires 200 adults regarding place-names in Japan which are recognized as essentiall learning for students in compulsory education. Almost all respondents answered that students should learn the names of the four big islands, the eight regions and the forty-three prefectures of Japan. As a consequence, they concluded that the minimum essentials of place-names, which would be extracted by a full-scale survey, should be included in a geography curriculum. On the other hand, T. Ohtani commented that it was inappropriate to pick out and discuss only place-names without further context. He emphasized that it is very important for geographic educators to consider what to teach in a geography class. While some participants agreed with him, others said that minimum essentials of place-names should be taught. (2) N. Tanikawa* and A. Ohno: How geographic educators can contribute to environmental education The authors emphasized that many geographic educators have dealt with environmental pollution in their classes, while professional geographers have not discussed this issue in academic geography. According to their opinion, students can appreciate the environment and even develop a sense of environmentalism after attaining an understanding of the mechanisms of nature and society. They therefore suggested that geographic educators can promote environmental education through teaching both physical and human geography in their geography classes. M. Nakayama commented that students can understand the environment through the landscape when considering the relationship between nature and human life. Many participants were involved with the discussion of how geography education could contribute to environmental education. Some others pointed out that many professional geographers did not join in on discussions of the environmental issues. (3) Y. Nishiwaki* and K. Hirasawa: Cross-cultural understanding in geography education The authors suggested that geographic educators should help students develop their world view in the context of a world geography class. This is even more important in today's world since students receive an increasing amount of information regarding different world regions through the mass media. It therefore behooves geographic educators to assume a more active role in clarifying and developing these initial, incomplete and sometimes misleading impressions presented to children through mass media. In their opinion, it is necessary for students to view cultural differences with a sympathetic understanding. This is especially true now since developments in various regions of the world have global implications. In short, people worldwide are becoming increasingly influenced by international events. It was also emphasized that geographic educators should foster a greater student awareness of cultural conflicts and changes common to various societies in the world.

This article reports on teachers' perceptions of the application of science process in the teaching of Geography in secondary schools in the Free State province. A teachers' questionnaire on the application of the science process in the teaching of Geography was constructed and the questionnaire was content validated against the theoretical assumptions supported by the literature and practical applications of the subject. The questionnaires were distributed to 150 respondents and 71 completed questionnaires were returned for further analysis. The responses to the items of the questionnaire were subjected to a principal component factor analysis and a varimax method of rotation. Two prominent factors were identified and investigated. Factor 1 was labeled science process skills and reaffirmed teachers' understanding of the basic process as autonomous and independent functions. The second factor confirmed the existence of a higher level of advanced and integrated process that build upon the basic or foundational process skills. These results confirmed the researchers' assumption that respondents could distinguish cognitively between these two very prominent constructs. They were comfortable with the fact that the science processes applicable to the teaching of Geography could be grouped into two main distinctive clusters or factors. The homogeneous clustering of items also emphasized the understanding that the classical science process could easily be applied to the teaching of Geography. This assumption was supported by the empirical investigation and findings. In addition, the results supported the hypothesis that although teachers did not apply integrated science process to the teaching of Geography on a regular basis, they were well-acquainted with the fact that these remain an important facet in the teaching of Geography in schools. South African Journal of Education Vol.24(1) 2004: 10-17

Geography Teachers' Views on the Assessment and Evaluation Instruments and Methods Used in the Renewed Geography Curriculum.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) plays a crucial role in guaranteeing a sustainable future for this and future generations. This study explores how ESD is integrated into the present geography teaching strategies at higher education level institutions in Malta and seeks to understand how geography educators view and incorporate ESD and its teaching strategies into their lectures. It also aims to understand how ESD is connected to geography education. The methodology included semi-structured interviews held with geography educators. The formation and analysis of the interview questions utilized the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Competences in ESD. The geography educators’ experience with ESD was analysed through a constructionist and interpretative stance to understand their experiences using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). A thematic analysis of the interview data was carried out. The results show that several ESD competences feature in the educators’ teaching experiences, confirming the link between ESD and geography education. Furthermore, educators at this level integrate ESD competences and skills using transformative and participative learning methods. Through the research findings, recommendations are suggested to aid the infusion of ESD practices into geography teaching and learning. The results of this research will also help policy makers in the education sector in Malta to better target the sustainability of current and future generations through geography. This paper will be useful to anyone interested in how university research can be successfully applied to increase the transmission of sustainability values, skills, and knowledge through teaching.

This study sets out to identify teachers' perceptions of and practices during thenintegration of environmental education in KBSM Geography in Malaysia. Thenpurpose of this inquiry is to ascertain the practicability of integrating environmentalneducation within geography, as well as to examine the support structures that facilitatenthis integration in schools and the classroom practices of teachers in ensuring thenimplementation of KBSM Geography as enshrined in the curriculum. Questionnaires,ninterviews, observations and archival documents were used to obtain the necessaryndata for the study. Two hundred and seventy eight teachers responded to thenquestionnaires, and 34 participated in the interviews. These data were complementednby eight teachers' observation during their geography lessons. In addition, the KBSMnGeography Curriculum, Malaysian environmental education statement and currentnresearch on geography education in Malaysia were retrieved and used to compare andncontrast with the findings, and to strengthen this study.This study utilises the multi-dimensional approach to the gathering, and analysis ofnthe data. This approach capitalises on the strengths of both the quantitative andnqualitative methods in elucidating the relevant data through various instruments.nSemi-structured interviews and classroom observations subsequently followed thendata gathered through questionnaires. The questionnaire data about teachers'nperceptions of the KBSM Geography were substantiated with further evidence fromnthe interviews and observations. In this way, a multimethod approach strengthensndata from one instrument with subsequent data from another instrument. Archivalndocuments add weight to these findings, especially with regard to comparativenanalysis of KBSM Geography and environmental education in Malaysia. Usingnextensive paraphrased and verbatim comments from the interviews, and citingninstances of classroom practices, this study portrays the current teaching of KBSMngeography.The comparative analysis of geography and environmental studies reveals thatnmany commonalties exist between them. These are revealed through a thoroughnanalysis of traditions, content, concepts, research methods and frequently askednquestions among scholars. Although each of these fields of knowledge is unique, they tend to have many similarities and co-exist in an integrated form. The trend ofnconvergence of knowledge between geography and environmental studies, at present,nenhances the existing link and is making any distinction between them difficult.nSubsequently, in the Malaysian context, the KBSM Geography Curriculum andnenvironmental education were compared and analysed. The findings confirmed thatnenvironmental education is well-represented in all aspects of the KBSM Geography.nThis was evident from the curriculum document, goals and objectives, themes and thencontent. This analysis proves beyond a doubt, that environmental education is well-entrenchednin KBSM Geography, reflecting an interdisciplinary curriculum.The teachers' views on the KBSM Geography Curriculum reveal that theynacknowledge the existence of an integrated environmental education withinngeography. However, these same teachers have limited understanding ofnenvironmental education and integration. The teachers also elaborated on the meritsnof KBSM Geography as an integrated transactional curriculum. However, teachersnacknowledged that the curriculum could be strengthen by allocating more time andninnovative pedagogical methods.Regarding the schools' support structure towards the implementation of KBSMnGeography, the teachers argued that, as guardians of curriculum implementations, thenschools and their administrators provide little support which retards the enhancementnof KBSM Geography among the teachers and students. Part of the reason for this isnthe elective status of KBSM Geography which causes its low priority. The schoolsnsupport KBSM Geography only when their programmes promote the schools' ornadministrators' image. Only when specifically instructed, the school or administratorsnsupport such programmes, otherwise they neglect other activities even though theyncan enhance students' understanding of environmental education or geography. Notnonly are the provisions for resources to teach KBSM Geography limited, butnresources are often mismanaged, discouraging teachers from using them.This study identified significant inadequacies in current teachers' knowledge ofnenvironmental education and contemporary geography. The findings revealed thatnteachers practise little integration in teaching of environmental education within thenKBSM Geography Curriculum.n n n n n n n

Geography has been a formal academic discipline in the United States since the early twentieth century. During the first six or so decades of this period, geographic education was dominated by the legacies of environmental determinism and orientalism. These concepts were representative of a Eurocentric worldview that showed contempt for non-Western cultures and economies, treating “natives” of non-Western cultures as backward, ignorant, and lazy. Presentation of material about non-Western areas of the world in geography textbooks and publications has been characterized by assumptions of Western cultural superiority. The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries saw geographic education undergo considerable transition, as geographers pay more and more attention to perspectives like dependency theory and world system theory. Renewed interest in geographic education coincided with the revival of geography as an intellectual pursuit and recognition of the importance of place in the world economy and in international relations, along with the explosive growth of information made possible by television, the internet, and other technologies. More importantly, the orientalist biases that have historically characterized geographic education in the United States and other Western countries have gradually disappeared. It has been argued that improved geographic education will help overcome geographic illiteracy and promote public awareness of international relations, but such awareness must be intertwined with the changing role of educational institutions in managing information, and to recognition of the changing relationships between education and information.

Geographical education in Portugal has undergone many reforms since the late 1970s. Reforms have affected mainly the content and the goals of the discipline's national curriculum, in a process designed to reflect the evolution of geography at academic level. However, the reforms seem to have had little effect on what teachers believe geography and geographical education are, or should be. It appears that geography teaching is still very much attached to what can be defined as a descriptive and factual approach, and because of this the discourse of teachers presents a view of geographical education that looks very much unchanged over time. Because different generations of teachers remember the discipline in a similar way, it seems possible to envisage the existence of core factors underlying teachers' practices. Assuming as a working hypothesis that teachers' beliefs and social representations about geography and geographical education affect the nature of their classroom practices, the paper discusses (1) the content of initial teacher education programmes regarding the study of the evolution of geographical thought, and (2) the sense and meaning of newly qualified teachers' epistemological knowledge about geography and its effect on the way they conceive geographical education itself.

1. Geography: Changes and Challenges 2. School Geography in England 1991-2001 The Politics and Practicalities of Curriculum Change 3. Constructing School Geographies 4. The Enquiry-based Approach to Teaching and Learning 5. Curriculum Planning and Course Development, A Matter of Professional Judgement 6. Continuity and Progression 7. Teaching Styles and Strategies 8. Differentiation in Teaching and Learning Geography 9. Using Assessment to Support Learning 10. Raising Attainment in Geography, Prospects and Problems 11. Issues in ICT and Geography 12. Fieldwork in the School Geography Curriculum -Pedagogical Issues and Development 13. Inclusion in Geography 14. Language and Learning in Geography 15. The Geo Visions Project 16. Environmental Sustainable Development 17. Citizenship and Geographical Education 18. Towards a Critical School Geography 19. Geography Matters in a Globalised World 20. Is Geography History? 21. The Role of Research in Supporting Teaching and Learning 22. Understanding How Geography Educators Learn Their Work 23. Action Research for a new Professionalism in Geography Education

This research was carried out in order to determine the level of proficiency in performing the professions of the geography teachers working in the official secondary education institutions of the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Turkey. In general, the level of geography education at the University, it is a matter of debate at what level the teachers serve in their readiness after they have started to work as teachers. In this study, the scanning model was adopted and data were collected with a descriptive approach. This data was obtained and analyzed by means of data collection tool developed by the researcher and sampling technique from the leading geography teachers. According to the results obtained from the collected data; it has been observed that the geography teachers did not consider the undergraduate education they received while carrying out their education activities and they did not have sufficient level in acquiring some of the fields that have to be given to the students. Undergraduate geography teacher programs need to be updated on a need-based basis by taking the opinions of all stakeholders, to be able to apply the geography curriculum effectively and effectively and to provide the geographic skills required by the 21st century to students. In addition, some suggestions can be made to the geography teachers who are currently working in the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) by developing application-based activities to meet the professional development needs in the areas they need.

One of the important elements of the teaching process is the teaching methods and the other is the teachers who determine these methods and put them into practice. While determining the teaching methods, various factors such as the general or specific objectives of the course, the characteristics of the subject to be taught, the characteristics of the student group, the material and the cost are effective, but especially the competence of the teachers in the teaching method is also an important issue. Because the planning and implementation of the teaching process in the classroom environment are directly related to the characteristics of the teacher. Based on what has been stated, in this study, the teaching methods used by geography teachers in Libya in teaching geography are discussed. The study aims to determine the opinions of teachers about the teaching methods used in geography teaching in Libyan schools. The research was carried out using the data obtained by the focus group interview method with 10 teachers working in educational institutions in Libya. According to the data obtained in the study, it was determined that geography teachers in Libyan schools mostly used traditional teaching methods and the education they received during university education had a significant effect on their choice of method. The geography teachers who participated in the study emphasized that the lack of auxiliary materials played an important role in determining the teaching method regarding the subject. Geography teachers stated that the problems related to the use of information and communication technology in schools and the realization of out-of-class learning activities are effective in determining the teaching methods.

There is no shortage of advice for teachers, new and experienced, about how to become a 'good' or 'better' teacher. Some informal 'research' in the Waterstones bookstore close to where I work revealed a wealth of titles, including the best-selling How to Get the Buggers to. . . series, the vaguely 'unprofessional' How to Teach with a Hangover and the slightly 'urban' Pimp My Lesson. Then there are more 'inspirational' texts such as The 9 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers. Less visible on the shelves are more 'serious' texts such as Becoming a Teacher, or Learning to Teach in the Secondary School. These are generic texts about teaching. On the whole they are interested in telling teachers what 'works' in real classrooms. Where research is used, it is assessed in terms of its potential to improve practice. Together, these texts seem to address the teacher as competent craftsperson, wherein, 'the teacher is configured and understood as one who "works upon" the raw material of their students, improving the extent and quality of learning and skills through the application and development of identified skills of their own' (Moore 2004: 4). Whilst generic texts about teaching have their uses, teachers also look for more specific advice about how to teach their subject, and there is a long tradition of handbooks written for geography teachers, many of them by former teachers who are now involved in initial teacher education. Written with the benefit of hindsight and the luxury of being outside of the classroom, these texts are often strongly influenced by the model of teacher development that is dominant in university departments of education, namely the idea of the teacher as reflective practitioner, which places as much emphasis on teachers' own evaluations of their practice as on the planning and management skillsinto which these evaluations feed (see Chapter 3). These texts insist that teaching is a highly complex and contextual activity, where there are few sure-fire 'fixes' that can make life easier for teachers in classrooms, and that one's development as a teacher is dependent on the continual process of reflection-on-practice. Such texts are sold as offering advice on how the reader can become a 'good' geography teacher, and are therefore useful sources of guidance as to what are the characteristics of the 'good' teacher. In the next part of this chapter, I undertake a reading of some of these texts in order to explore some of their ambiguities and tensions.