Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

education progresses from the initial contact with the cultural goods, and receiver’sinterior contemplation of this event, up to the creation of culture by himself.Orłowska (1999) a geographer, interprets cultural education as “a cultural viewon life” which means the synthesis of knowledge about the natural environment andthus the material and non-material culture of a given region. According to Orłowskathis kind of outlook on the world represented in the process of geographical educationseems to be natural and obvious. At the same time, it creates a chance for a solid placefor geography in the system of education, which is going through transformation.The outlook of Orlowska is close to the author of this article. (Piróg, 2004)Nowadays in Poland, geography of culture is growing more intensively. Neverthelessthe literature of this subject matter does not appear to provide a clear explanationof the meaning of cultural education in geography. So many questions remain unanswered,such as what are its main goals, aims and planned student’s achievements?Even though the term is frequently used in by teachers and geography teachers.Therefore an attemot to define this term needs to be undertaken in order to provideopportunities for meaningful discussion about its final shape.On the basis of the analysis of the literature and by including the peculiar characterof the subject of geography, cultural education in geography should be a process-steered by a teacher- of learning, associating and interpreting of the surroundingspace, transformed by the products of material and non-material culture, comingfrom a human activity. This association should manifest itself in conscious contactwith the products of material and non-material culture and in the active participationof the pupil/student in different spheres of cultural life (e.g. musical concerts,theatrical plays, exhibitions, etc…)The goals of such a defined cultural education therefore should be:• learning about the situation of material and non-material culture, typical for a givenregion, and consequently understanding the cultural landscape of that area;• building bonds with the place of living and country; building respect towardscultural heritage;• increasing interest of the products of culture and desire to cooperate for its protectionand development;• distinguishing a role of people in creating culture and a role of culture in shapingpeople’s personalities.• shaping human beings that are sensitive and open towards surrounding space• developing an inner need (in people) for active participation in cultural life.The programme of cultural education in elementary school, gymnasium andhigh school has been stated in Podstwa Programowa, (2001). The context of theprogramme clearly obliges students to deal with this subject matter in almost everysubject at school. In elementary schools pupils should be taught:• in history about the most important part of polish cultural heritage;• in art about cultural landscape, and should also experience the contact with artworks by admiring monuments, visiting galleries, exhibitions;• in nature studies about the interdependence between the factors of natural andcultural environment.265