Teaching Cartographical Skills in Different Educational Systems of EU - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 51

Table 4.2 Cartographical themes and topic in schools
Cartographical themes Cartographical topics
The map Definition of the map, map types, globe, atlas, scales and scale bar, units

History of cartography

Cartographical
representation

Generalization, methods of representation, colours on the map
Representation of relief, symbols, geographical names
Projections, distortions

Orientation Directions, compass, north and their determination, orientation of the map

Determining the position
Coordinate systems: geographic coordinate systems, km grid

Measurements on
the map

Determining the amount and coordinates
Measurement of distances, distance, areas and angles
Use of maps and atlases (finder grid, telemetry)
Gathering information from maps (earth grid, points of compass, GPS,
compasses), creating topographic profiles

Remote sensing Satellites, satellite images

European Schoolnet (EUN) , a virtual learning network, has got 31 members of
Ministries of Education in Europe since 1996. Its aim is to bring about cooperation,
innovation and exchange in teaching and learning to its key stakeholders: Ministries
of Education, schools, teachers and researchers. The main educational portals and
the Ministries of Education of the member states can be found in it. The open and
free educational contents are available from the Learning Resource Exchange
(LRE) portal for schools from many different countries and providers, including
18 Ministries of Education. The basis for this comparison is this website and some
school topics.
If we focus on cartographical topic in schools of e.g. Austria and Hungary
(Table 4.2 ), we can declare that:

• At the age of 8-10, the third to fourth grades in primary school , pupils learn
about orientation in time and space for the first time.
•In lower secondary education , in the fifth to sixth grade, cartographical themes
are taught with the help of globe, maps, atlases and pictures during the first 5-10
lessons. Students learn most important fundamental elements: such as map
types, direction and distance, orientation, map symbols, relief, use of maps and
atlases (finder grid, telemetry) and gathering information from maps (earth grid,
points of compass, GPS, compasses). In all themes local complements are added.
Topography plays a role in processing school work. According to valid curricu-
lum its task is connecting topographic knowledge with geographic content.

• In the upper secondary education , the 9th grade, pupils mostly revise carto-

graphical knowledge learnt at earlier stages, but mainly make use of map reading
and analyses. They use maps, air and space photos in studying different themes.
Requirements are map reading, comparative analysis of thematic maps and
explanation of space photos, different geographical exercises (e.g. determining
northern direction and height, orientation on maps, code and measurement of
distance, zone and standard time). In the next years there are no cartographic