Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 17.4
Geographic
Contents of Junior High
School Curriculum in South
Korea
Seventh Grade The world we live in
Various climate regions and life of people
Various types of landforms and life of people
Different cultures by region
Population change and population problems
Urban growth and urban problems
Ninth Grade
Use and management of resources
Industrial activity and change of region
Different environmental problems by region
My country in the world
The future of united Korea
Source
: MEST
2009
Table 17.5
Contents of Geographical Field in Junior High School Curriculum in Japan
Seventh and
eighth Grade
(1) Various regions in
the world
A. Regional structure of the world
B. Different lifestyles and environments in the world
C. Regions in the world (6 Continents)
D. Geographical survey of various regions in the world
(2) Various regions in
Japan
A. Regional structure of Japan
B. Outlook of Japan compared to the world
C. Japanese regions (7 regions)
D. Geographical survey of surrounding area
Source
: MEXT
2008
For example, in the unit “Various Climate Regions and Life of People,” students
begin by showing global climate patterns, and then exploring characteristics of the
climate in Korea before comparing it with that in other countries.
17.3.4
Topical and Dynamic Regional Approaches in Japan
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
revised the junior high school geography curriculum in 2008. It consists of eight
units taught over 2 years (seventh and eighth grades). Table
17.5
shows that the
regional approach plays a strong role in the curriculum, which consists of two
sections, Japan and the world. A danger of this approach is that there is too much
factual knowledge to learn, such as place names. However, adoption of a regional
approach in the new curriculum is not a “cape and bay” method. The curriculum
requires students to learn through topical and dynamic regional studies taught in the
unit “Regions in the World,” with particular geographic topics selected to represent
continental characteristics.
