Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
to the decline of geography education. This situation has also been affected by political
debates in the education committees of Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama City, and
Tokyo Metropolitan district, who have pushed for a policy making Japanese History
a compulsory subject in high school, to foster Japanese who can live as major actors
within international society. As a result, high school students in these cities and
prefectures have been robbed of the opportunity to take geography as an elective,
owing to a lack of class hours. This results in student populations who will not have
a balanced education, one that focuses more on history than geography.
Globalization makes geography an indispensable subject, especially the skills
and perspectives to evaluate the past, focus on the present, and to envision the future.
In order to instill these abilities, students need to be aware of the world in both its
temporal and spatial dimensions (Terao
2008
), the raison d'être of senior high
school geography and history subjects. We believe that Geography is in a perilous
position because it is equated with simply learning place names, and the fi eld does
not do more to educate the public of geography's connection to society. As long as
geography education's social contributions are visible, the future of geography
education seems slim.
From the viewpoint of forming an image of the world, responding to various
contemporary issues, and contributing to active participation in society, the role of
geography education in the new National Curriculum Standards clearly defi nes
these goals. That is to say, as the various contemporary issues (e.g., of the environ-
ment and development, disasters and disaster prevention, ethnicity and religion,
resources and energy, population and food supply, and others) continue to intensify
across wide areas of the world from local to global scales, the educational world
collectively demands policies of response and social contribution from geography
education.
In what ways will students apply their geography skills and abilities to solve
local, national, and global issues? How should they create a better society for the
future, given the increasing complex world? What is now being asked of geography
education is that it nurtures citizens who will have the competencies to participate
in society as major actors.
References
Akimoto H, Takizawa Y, Ishizuka K, Hirasawa K, Agemura Y, Komiya M (2010) Shogakkou kyouin
yousei ni okeru chiri kyouiku no genjou to kadai: shinki saiyou kyouin he no ankeeto chousa ni
yoru bunseki (The present conditions and problems of the geography education in the teacher-
training of elementary schools: an analysis by the questionnaire survey for newly-appointed
teachers). Shin Chiri (New Geogr) 58(1):33-42
Himiyama Y (2012) Kankyou chizu sakuhinten no hatasu yakuwari to igi (The role played by the
environmental maps exhibition and its signifi cance”). Chiri (Geogr) 57(7):12-17
Iwamoto, H. (2006). Kyouin yousei daigaku no chiri kyouiku (Geography education of teacher
training universities). In: The Geographic Education Society of Japan (ed) Chiri kyouiku yougo
ginou jiten (The dictionary of geographical terms and skills). Teikoku shoin, Tokyo, p 65
