Poor geographic knowledge among students and citizens, in general, has been one of the main research concerns in the area of geography education. This study is part of a project aimed at determining compulsory secondary education students' level of geographic knowledge and providing tools to improve learning. Following quantitative research…

The GeoCapabilities project asks how powerful geographical knowledge can be brought into a curriculum to enhance students' capabilities to be free to make choices for a life they value. This paper reports on the GeoCapabilities phase 3 project which explored the social justice dimension of GeoCapabilities by working with teachers and students in…

We take a fresh look at geography curricula and their appropriateness to the demands of the 21st century. We reflect on the purpose, content and relevance of undergraduate geography curricula in an age of "supercomplexity". Geography curricula, by their nature, are varied and multiple, with different countries often privileging different…

Geographical information science (GISc) is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. Being a relatively new discipline, universities often provide training as part of geography, surveying, town planning, environmental and computer science programmes. This complicates professional accreditation assessments as the content, outcomes, extent…

China is one of the largest countries in terms of geography student enrolment in higher education. This study draws on an extensive collection of data as well as the authors' own surveys of 20 geography schools/departments, to elaborate on the development features of China's geography in higher education (GHE) against its unique background since…

The slippery downhill slide of geography as a taught subject in Tasmanian schools is a lamentable case of lost opportunity. Curriculum reforms reported in previous Forum papers for IRGEE (Robertson, 2003a, 2003b) highlight the time lag in responses to these changes by geography educators. Perhaps because they have steadfastly held to the belief…

The High School Geography Project was used and evaluated by 15-year old students in New Zealand. The program, highly innovative in approaches in teaching Geography, is found to be highly adapted to Australian needs in Geography instruction. (JR)

The teacher field-test evaluation results from the Cultural Geography Unit of the High School Geography Project are presented in the report. During 1968-69, 29 teachers from 22 states used the materials with over 950 students. Five unit activities received good to excellent overall ratings, while two activities received good overall ratings. The…

Geography as a subject is surviving quite well in Queensland. It is holding its own in an increasingly crowded curriculum. More importantly, many students of Geography across the state are engaging in interesting and worthwhile Geography courses. They are not only learning some Geography "content", they are learning important life-long…

Victoria has just emerged from 10 years where Geography has been one of three strands in the key learning area of Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE). The overarching framework emerged from an attempt to develop a national curriculum. Whilst the national curriculum was rejected by Australian state and territories who each hold legislative…

Geography as a discipline has a long and healthy history in South Australia. Due to the passion of individual educators and the activities of the Geography Teachers Association of South Australia (GTASA) since its foundation in 1936, South Australia has experienced ongoing curriculum development and indeed innovation in the geographical studies in…

The Man and the Environment semester course is one of the new geography courses being trialled in Australia. The curriculum process which led to the setting up of the course is outlined. An evaluation of the course is presented, based on the trail conducted at one Brisbane high school. (Author/JR)

This examination of the status of geography in U.S. junior colleges begins with a consideration of the role of two-year colleges in higher education, and an appraisal of the place of geography in the context of general education. Results of a broad survey including number of instructors, courses, enrollment, etc. are followed by a detailed…

This paper presents a summary of curriculum guidelines in geography. The three elements of curriculum development -- objectives, learning experiences, and evaluation -- are sumarized, and a large number of questions on each element are listed as a checklist for teachers and curriculum developers. (Author/JR)

Nine articles by geographers and educators analyze the High School Geography Project (HSGP). A project overview by Angus Gunn presents essential ideas and content of six units and several preliminary reactions. The question of "HSGP exportability" to France and Germany is examined in articles by Maurice Saint-Yves and Robert Geipel…