Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1.4
G eography A
curriculum (2009) in
Japanese senior high schools
(1) Geographical considerations of current global
characteristics and issues
A. Representation of the modern world through globes
and maps
B. Diversity of lives and cultures in the world
C. Geographical considerations of global issues
(2) Geographical considerations of local issues
A. Maps in everyday life
B. Natural environment and disaster prevention
C. Geographical issues in the local area and fi eldwork
Table 1.5
Geography B
curriculum (2009) in
Japanese high schools
(1) Maps and geographical skills
A. Geographical information and skills
B. Applications of maps and fi eldwork
(2) Systematic geography considerations in the current world
A. Natural environment
B. Resources and industries
C. Population and settlements
D. Cultures and people/religion
(3) Regional geography considerations in the current world
A. Regional divisions in the current world
B. Regions in the current world
C. Japan in the current world
taught in Geography B and in the junior high school curriculum. As a result,
school-level geography is expected to make a critical contribution to disaster pre-
vention education.
The Geography B curriculum has changed dramatically (Table
1.5
) from the
previous version (1999). The last version emphasized skills and geographical ways
of thinking. Students thus learnt how to survey regions on different scales, but did not
focus on understanding regional characteristics. Students were required to study only
two or three regions at each scale, i.e., community, national, and continental (Shimura
2010
). This differed from the traditional regional geography curriculum approach
that focused on regional characteristics. However, like the junior high school reform,
this innovative curriculum was not welcomed in the educational fi eld.
The revised 2009 Geography B curriculum consists of three main parts, with a
theory of development differing from the 1999 version. The three parts comprise
skills, a systematic, and a regional geographical approach. The third element
includes subsection B, “Regions in the current world,” in which students learn about
the various regions without spatial bias while applying various regional geography
learning strategies. These strategies include static, dynamic, or topical, and com-
parative regional geography. Instruction in regional geography differs from tradi-
tional regional geography strategies.
