Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
13.1
The Context in Which the Association of Japanese
Geographer's Social Action Program Is Needed
This chapter begins by explaining efforts undertaken by the Association of Japanese
Geographers (AJG) to engage non-members, from the 1980s to the present. This is
followed by a focused discussion of educational activities provided for school
teachers, children, and students. Recent examples include the “Science and
Geography Olympiad Japan Championship”. This is a competition for high school
students, jointly sponsored by the AJG, Japan International Geography Olympiad
Committee, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and other organizations.
In another partnership, the AJG is working with the Society for Environmental Map
Education (SEME) and other organizations to host the “Exhibition of Environment
Maps of Our Immediate Surroundings,” a project for all students. In-service training
for teachers is provided by the AJG-CGE. A description of project implementation,
results, and issues will provide further information on these projects.
The AJG directs and organizes social action program activities for non-members.
In recent years, it has become customary to plan free public events for non-members.
For example, at the general conferences, the association planned activities with a
strong awareness of making a social contribution. This is not only true of the AJG,
but also applies to the Human Geographical Society of Japan (HGSJ) and other
geographic associations. Efforts to include the public in the social action program have
been driven by two major issues. The fi rst is that geography has become increas-
ingly valued in society. Students who complete an undergraduate and graduate
geography program in college are employed in diverse fi elds throughout society.
Geography graduates demonstrate the usefulness of geography within their workplace
and profession. Until recently, there has been little recognition, in an offi cial or
national way, for the skills and qualifi cations directly related to the study of geogra-
phy. In essence, the application and value of geography is neither well known nor
respected. To improve understanding of geography's contribution to society, the
geographic associations should develop strategies to institutionalize qualifi cations
related to geography to inform the general public.
The second issue is that geography enrollments in high schools are dwindling; a
revitalization of geography education is badly needed. Enrollment levels began to
drop in 1978 when the National Curriculum Standards for senior high schools chose
Contemporary Society to be a compulsory subject and Geography was relegated to
an elective course. In the 1989 revision of the National Curriculum Standards for
senior high schools, the Social Studies curriculum was divided; a Geography and
History curriculum was newly established, and World History A and B were made
compulsory subjects. This had a major impact, causing high school enrollment lev-
els in Geography to drop even further than before. This trend has continued to the
present (Kohno 1996 ).
The AJG is active in lobbying the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science,
and Technology (MEXT) to support geography education. In the past, the AJG made
frequent requests that the previous Ministry of Education address the decline in geog-
raphy enrollment. Efforts to make educational content more attractive are needed to
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