Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4.6
Learning content stipulated by the National Curriculum Standards of 2009
Content of Geography A
1. Geographical consideration of characteristics and various problems of the contemporary world
a. The contemporary world seen in globes and maps
b. Diversity of the world's living patterns and cultures
c. Geographical consideration of global problems
2. Geographical consideration of various issues in the living environment
a. Maps linked to everyday life
b. Natural environment and disaster prevention
c. Problems in the living environment and local region survey
Content of Geography B
1. All kinds of maps and geographic skills
a. Geographic information and maps
b. Map use and fi eld survey
2. Systematic geographic consideration of the contemporary world
a. Natural environment
b. Resources and industries
c. Populations, cities, rural settlements
d. Living pattern, cultures, ethnicity, and religions
3. Descriptive geography of the contemporary world
a. Regional divisions of the contemporary world
b. Various regions of the contemporary world
c. The contemporary World and Japan
Based on MEXT (
2009
)
on their scale, from among the regions of the world. The new Geography B approach
diverges where content has been added to treat global regions of various scales, in
a standardized way (“Various regions of the contemporary world”). Further, along
with more robust learning content, there is signifi cant change in the position of
descriptive regional geography in the new Geography B. That is, until now, descrip-
tive geography learning together with systematic geography learning has been posi-
tioned as a tool or method for considering issues of the contemporary world. The
new Geography B—based on maps and geographic skills, systematic geographic
method learning, and descriptive geography considering regional characteristics or
problems of regions—has now been positioned as a learning “goal” or a “summing
up” of student learning. Accompanying this change in positioning of descriptive
geography learning, the treatment of learning content related to issues of the con-
temporary world is also changing in Geography B.
Until the latest curriculum revisions, learning contents were categorized separately.
However, they are now grouped into categories of topics studied using systematic
geography methods (“Systematic geographic consideration of the contemporary
world”) and those studied with descriptive geographic methods (“Descriptive consid-
eration of the contemporary world”). In the systematic geography units, students learn
about phenomena from a global perspective, so as to suffi ciently understand regional
characteristics and issues to think independently about problem solutions.
