Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The rational takes into consideration the students' developmental level and asserts
that learning about Asia, which is so broad, complex, and diverse as the fi rst of the
'regions of the world' would be diffi cult for them. In contrast, North America was
seen as a coherent region and an easy one to compare industrial models. The lesson
proposed to then move to Asia, Europe, Oceania, and then to Africa. The author
planned Africa to be taught last because it was reasoned that it would be diffi cult for
students to learn about African monoculture so early on in the fi rst year of junior
high school.
Then again, at the 2011 National Junior High School Social Studies Education
Research Association's Tokyo conference, in focusing on whether or not it would be
easy for students to construct an image of the world, a lesson plan was proposed that
began with the Oceania region (Tokyo Metropolitan Junior High School Social
Studies Education Research Association
2011
). The interest level and concern for
Australia, which is a core region of Oceania, would be high among the students mak-
ing it easy to show the relationship between people's livelihood and the natural envi-
ronment. For this reason, the author thought it appropriate to deal with Oceania at the
beginning of the 'world's various regions,' and focus on immigration as a topic.
The lesson moves on to Europe, North America, South America, and then to Africa.
After learning about Africa, students would study the Asian region and the range of
different climates, ethnicities, cultures under the topic of 'population problems.'
Having outlined the geographical characteristics of the world's various regions, the
lesson focuses on Japan and its local regions.
3.2.3
Study on the Various Local Regions of Japan
In geography, the study of Japanese regions has tended to fall into an encyclopedic
treatment of each heading, and moreover there has been a tendency for students to
memorize facts about the regions being studied. In the 1998 National Curriculum
Standards, it aimed to strengthen the ways of studying such as by investigating top-
ics in classes in order to move away from memorization, rather towards nurturing
students' abilities to respond to the changes in society. In contrast, the 2008 National
Curriculum Standards emphasize the acquisition of basic and fundamental knowl-
edge and skills as a means of cultivating a base in geographical ways of thinking.
This will be achieved through students pursuing and explaining the relationships
between phenomena. From this perspective, study on the various local regions have
been revived. What is needed, after dividing Japan into regions, is the development
of dynamic regional geography learning that help students grasp the geographical
characteristics by focusing on key characteristic phenomena in each of the regions
and relating them to other phenomena.
Under the major heading that deals with the geographical recognition of Japan,
(2) 'Japan's many different regions,' a new sub-heading has been established, (C)
'Japan's regions.' The content of this is to divide Japan into a number of regions, and
to help students grasp their geographical characteristics based on seven different
