Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

Nowadays, according to the literature, the cultural education and the education ofculture, when considering the conceptions of geography as a subject, and following itsphilosophical assumptions, can be the important link in reaching the leading goal ofeducation, that is to prepare students for adult life in individual and social dimension.Justification of this proposed thesis requires establishment of the meaning of ‘culturaleducation’ and ‘education of culture’ in the context of geography teaching.The meaning of the word culture in scientific literature, journalism, and in colloquiallanguage is presented in many different ways, and in effect is understoodambiguously. Anthropologists interpret the meaning of a word ‘culture’ very extensively,as the achievement of mankind in almost every sphere of life (economical,political, social norms etc…). Encyklopedia popularna (1992) defines culture in thesame way, as the combination of material and spiritual achievement, which is beingstrengthened and enriched in the course of history. It has been written there thatculture includes the material products, social institutions, norms of coexistence, theway of behaviour, criteria of esthetic and moral judgments. Teacher of geographyLicińska (1999) understood the meaning of the word culture in a similar way. Shewrites that culture is “everything that in the behaviour of individual and in equipmentof members of human societies is a result of mass activity…’ (p. 82)In everyday life the word culture is used and understood mostly as:• definition of so called high culture (e.g. painting, sculpture);• definition of popular culture (e.g. television)• adjective: a civilized man means the one knowing the norms of good manners, ora man actively interested in literature, classic music, architecture.Cultural educationLet’s pass to the establishments of cultural education. Because of the limitation ofthe size of this article, the author presents only some of the definitions (apart frommany others) of this term. Wojnar (1995) writes that the education of civilizationis both knowing the cultural heritage of the region and the introduction of its judgments,and participation in cultural life. This education should be aimed at strengtheningthe active and creative participation of people in the world, which is equal tomultidimensional enriching of the human being, not only in mind, but in terms ofsensitivity and expression as well. Regional and cultural education presented in sucha way seems to be very close in its guidelines and meaning to cultural anthropology.In both the education of civilization and the anthropology of culture appear verysignificant indications and references to human beings as a creator of all: we assumelearning about the effects of civilization, industrial and urban changes, the form ofcoexistence and way of life. (Olszewska-Dyoniziak, 1991)According to Banach (2001) cultural education is preparation for choosing valuesby “association with culture” both material and non-material, which should enrichstudent’s sensitivity and imagination. Żurakowski (2003), a teacher of culture representsa similar attitude, he defines this process as education directed on purchasingvalues by human beings. According to him, in cultural education people shouldtake over and form the values from the surrounding space. The process of cultural264