Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
A report of the Central Council for Education (January 2008), which included
criteria for the new National Curriculum Standards, suggested the following seven
points for its improvement (Central Council for Education
2008
):
(1) Revising the National Curriculum Standards based on the revised Fundamentals
of Education Law;
(2) Sharing the idea of “abilities in living”;
(3) Acquiring basic and fundamental knowledge and skills;
(4) Developing abilities to think, judge, and express;
(5) Securing the number of class hours that is required to establish academic
abilities;
(6) Increasing learning motivation and establishing study habits; and
(7) Enhancing instructions to nurture spiritual richness and physical health.
These criteria address fundamental principles in general education as applied to
elementary, junior and senior high schools. In considering the content of geogra-
phy curriculum, items (3) and (4) are especially important. Item (3) has imple-
mented a shift from traditional case studies to systematic topographical studies in
geography instruction. This is in addition to the traditional instruction to stress
geographical perspectives, ways of thinking, and nurture application abilities. Item
(4) is implemented by accentuating students' linguistic abilities, which includes
the core abilities to think, judge, express opinions (e.g., written and oral), and
facilitate voluntary “social participation”. Social participation is emphasized by
the new provisions of the revised Fundamentals of Education Law (December
2006), which is referred to in Item (1), and the revised School Education Law (June
2007). The idea can be interpreted as recognizing the essential roles of Social
Studies. In summary, the revisions steered signifi cantly away from “knowing how”
to emphasizing “knowing what.”
19.2
State of Senior High School Geography Curriculum
Today, geography education in senior high school is in critical condition. The initiation
of the Geography and History subject in 1989 accompanied by the reorganization of
Social Studies. As a result, World History became the only subject under the
Geography and History umbrella to become a compulsory subject. The other three
subjects, Geography, Japanese History, and World History became elective courses.
This policy change has partly triggered a signifi cant drop in Geography enrollment.
The elective status of geography remains unchanged in the curriculum revision of 1999
and in the new curriculum of 2009. Geography enrollment has steadily declined,
and in the author's experience, for example, only 10-20 % of college students today
have studied Geography in senior high school. For nearly three decades, equivalent
to an entire generation of young people, they will very likely reach adulthood without
the necessary knowledge and understanding of geography.
