Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

1. The teacher’s role expands to take on new problems and mandates, although littleof the old role is cast aside to make room for these changes.2. Innovations multiply as change accelerates, creating a sense of overload.3. Moral certainties collapse and our confidence in our mission and purposes beginsto crumble.4. The methods and strategies that teachers use, together with their underlyingknowledge base are constantly criticised – even amongst educators themselves– as scientific certainties lose their credibility. Teachers then ask themselves “Ifthe knowledge base of teaching has no scientific foundations, on what can ourjustification for practise be based?” (Lidstone, 1996, 153).ConclusionI consider that for the future development of school geography in Slovenia thefollowing assumptions are important:• the quick and effective flow of information,• geography teachers will be better organised regarding contacts with other countries(through exchanges, personal contacts and exchange of materials),• there will be vertical and horizontal flow of information between institutions,• self sufficiency will be avoided.One must agree with Lidstone that “our own search for knowledge and that whichwe encourage in our students should be directed towards regaining enchantmentwith geographical stories within the context of a global geographical culture. Onlythus can we retain and renew our professionalism as geographers and geographyteachers” (Lidstone, 1996, 161).References1. FIEN, J. 1996. Teaching to Care: A Case for Commitment In Teaching EnvironmentalValues. Developments and Directions in Geographical Education (ed. Gerber, R.,Lidstone, J.), Clevedon, Channel View Publications.2. GERBER, R., AND LIDSTONE, J, 1996. Reflecting on Development and Directions ingeographical Education, in Gerber, R., Lidstone, J. (eds.), Developments and Directionsin Geographical Education, Clevedon, Channel View Publications.3. HAUBRICH, H. 1998. Geographie hat Zukunft. Wege der Geographie und ihrerDidaktik. Kallmeyersche Verlagsbuchhandlung. Seelze –Velber, 270 p.4. LIDSTONE, J. 1996. Professionalism in geographical Education, in Gerber, R., Lidstone,J. (eds.), Developments and Directions in Geographical Education, Clevedon, ChannelView Publications.5. NAISH M. 1996. The Geography Curriculum: A Martyr to Epistemology? in Gerber, R.,Lidstone, J. (eds.), Developments and Directions in Geographical Education, Clevedon,Channel View Publications.6. PETAUER M. 2001. Soils as a subject of study in Slovenian primary and secondaryschools curricula, IV. International Conference on European Dimension of Teachinggeography in the Middle, South Eastern and Eastern European countries in transition.Maribor, Ljubljana, Faculty of Education; Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Ljubljana.7. POPIT S. 2001. Comparison of geography curriculum and geography textbooks inMiddle, South Eastern and Eastern European countries. IV. International Conference193