Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Outline of Geography Education in Japan
Yoshiyasu Ida and Takashi Shimura
Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to present an overview of the current situation of
geography education in Japanese schools and consider its future in the country.
Geography is part of the Social Studies curriculum in elementary and junior high
schools, and it is an elective subject in senior high school. The main content of the geog-
raphy curriculum in elementary school concentrates on the students' local environment.
Japanese and world geography is the focus in junior high school, whereas world geog-
raphy comprises the main content in senior high school. As for teacher training, there is
an in-service training system in Japan. Furthermore, a teacher's license update system
was recently implemented requiring compulsory training, which in some universities
includes fi eldwork training. This chapter also addresses political issues affecting
geography education and surveys how geography education groups can appeal to the
government and the public, to highlight the importance of geography in schools.
Keywords
Geography education In-service teacher training system Japan New
National Curriculum Standards
1.1
Education System and Geography
1.1.1
Overview of the Education System
and Geography-Related Subjects
The latest version of the National Curriculum Standards in Japan was published in
2008/2009. While the former curriculum emphasized methods of learning, the
new curriculum focuses on the importance of acquiring fundamental knowledge.
This revision is grounded in the philosophy “Bringing Knowledge Back In”
(Young
2008
) that is seen in developed countries in the 21st global competitive
society. Geography education is not an exception to this trend.
