Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
serious concerns to society. In this period, lessons became focused on teaching
about issues rooted in the local area, with community problems used as teaching
materials.
5
For example, a teacher and students in a polluted area of Fukushima
(
1981
) used a number of data collection methods (i.e., questionnaire, interview sur-
vey, and chemical analysis) to research the extent of environmental damage in the
community. They presented the results to local residents, creating important materi-
als to inform decisions about the future of local development.
In the early 1980s, as social problems like environmental pollution declined,
lessons directly involving student participation in community problems were
reduced. Given the advancement of globalization, lessons adapted to social prob-
lems at the global scale, including environmental and development issues. The slogan
“Think globally, act locally” encouraged action in the local area where students
resided, with a global perspective (Ministry of Education, Science and Culture
1991
).
6
In geography education, environmental and development issues were made into
study materials, and classes comparing global with community problems were
created. However, it was rare that such lessons produced any kind of social participa-
tion. Recently, attempts have been made to include social participation in the local
area (Sud
2006
) in the “Period for Integrated Studies”. However, in school class-
rooms today, where class hours have been reduced and schedules are crowded with
competing demands, social participation in the class is an exception to the norm.
ō
9.3
Need for Social Participation Learning
9.3.1
Signifi cance of Social Participation Learning
Hart (
2000
) stated that along with developing their own awareness of society and
socialization through all types of direct experiences, children learn about the prin-
ciples of democracy, its realization as well inadequacies. Armed with this process
of participation, children can grow into autonomous citizens within their commu-
nity, with the knowledge to exercise their rights and responsibilities.
If Hart's assertions are applied to geography education, the signifi cance of social
participation learning in the community can be expressed by four points:
• Participation learning is a way for students to become aware of society (local
area awareness). The study of geographic knowledge, developing geographic
perspectives and thinking, and gaining profi ciency in geographic techniques are
effective through concrete and personal experiences in the local area.
5
In this paper, the term “community problems” refers to environmental, development, poverty, income
inequality, and human rights problems within the local area (assuming a spatial scale of the school
district, where it is possible to directly experience things at the levels of city, town, or rural township).
6
In this topic, the Belgrade Charter (1975, p. 3) is introduced, which sets out six conditions for
solving environmental problems, namely, concerns, knowledge, attitude, technology, evaluative
ability, and participation. The topic points out the importance of motivating behavior.
