The role of local curricula and international frameworks in the practices of geography education

Abstract

What should be taught to our learners is one of the central questions that drives curriculum development. How this content is selected for curricula can be influenced by national standards, local syllabi, and even international frameworks on geographical education. In truth, practices in geographical education such as classroom instruction, assessment, research, and teacher education will always be affected by the form and substance of school geography curricula. But there are some concerns that are similar across contexts. In this chapter, an argument is made on whether or not there is a single, universally recognized geography. Our children do not grow up isolated from international phenomena, so they need to learn about the world beyond their own backyards. While the nature and scope of geography curricula can vary across contexts, there are common elements of instruction and assessment that make it easily identifiable as a geography lesson. The chapter also examines a few examples of national standards, syllabi, or curriculum roadmaps and compares them to international frameworks for teaching geography. The implications of these worldwide frameworks and academic standards for the practice of geographical education are then discussed. The scope of discussion includes the curriculum, instruction and assessment, the conduct of research, and teacher education. The chapter concludes that international frameworks and academic standards are only as applicable in guiding practices in geographical education as they are relevant to the issues that our children will have to face in a fast-changing world