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Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

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<strong>in</strong>cludes geography. The context is, however, a very strange one. It dist<strong>in</strong>guishesbetween “science” and “humanities”, where the latter does not <strong>in</strong>clude geography.Geographical school practices are also <strong>in</strong>consistent and follow the lead of environmentalresearch and education at geographical departments <strong>in</strong> Czech universities.This is the reason for the use of foreign experiences: for <strong>in</strong>stance, we could use thethree collections of papers concern<strong>in</strong>g geographical education <strong>in</strong> England and Walesas a po<strong>in</strong>t of reference.Without any doubt jo<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g environmental change and susta<strong>in</strong>able development<strong>in</strong> education is a challenge, as Reid (2002) po<strong>in</strong>ts out <strong>in</strong> the case of geographicaleducation <strong>in</strong> the new National Curriculum for England (DfEE/QCA, 1999). Hicks(2002) sees the role of geography <strong>in</strong> connection with citizenship and the educationconcerned with susta<strong>in</strong>able development. Hicks offers four different scenarios forgeography <strong>in</strong> a process lead<strong>in</strong>g towards master<strong>in</strong>g key skills. McDonald (2000)promotes a geographical-education shift to ecology and ecological management.Quite demonstrative of this is the case study of Mauritius: is very <strong>in</strong>structive, thoughthe landscape ecology is not <strong>in</strong>cluded. Morgan (2000) exceeds not only the ‘enlightenedtraditionalism’ <strong>in</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>g geography but also the ‘cartographic fetishism’and directs it towards human geographies tackl<strong>in</strong>g social processes, towards theconstruction of social reality aimed at susta<strong>in</strong>able society.B<strong>in</strong>ns (2002) is aware of problems with def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g ‘the development’, his viewemphasizes social and economic attributes, differences between developed anddevelop<strong>in</strong>g countries and does not ignore field courses. Kent and Foskett (2002) claimthat the experience of fieldwork can accelerate or enhance many aims of geographicallearn<strong>in</strong>g as well as establish<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>in</strong>ks to affective and cognitive ga<strong>in</strong>s contribut<strong>in</strong>gto student’s personal and <strong>in</strong>tellectual development. They <strong>in</strong>tegrate th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g skillsdevelopment <strong>in</strong>to fieldwork plann<strong>in</strong>g. Thus it turns student activities from observationto participation, from dependent to autonomous and from staff-led projects togroup/<strong>in</strong>dividual ones. On the other hand Leat (2002) warns us not to overvalueconcrete th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g that could eventually lead to a black-and-white view on the world.However, ‘formal operational th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g allows the world to be considered more flexibly,because situations can be formulated and represented <strong>in</strong> some symbolic form’related to explanation. Nonetheless his examples of practical environmental issuesare very impressive.Go<strong>in</strong>g PracticalOur way of conduct<strong>in</strong>g environmentally based fieldwork <strong>in</strong> geographical educationpredom<strong>in</strong>antly focuses on construction of environment by textbooks, media and theirmutual outdoor rectification, personal experience of students and social communicationwith local communities (Forsyth 2003). Cultural landscape ecosystems represent<strong>in</strong> this analysis basic spatial units for susta<strong>in</strong>ability studies. Here <strong>in</strong> conclusion is aform for the outdoor education of Cultural Landscape Ecosystems Local Survey:1. Representation of landscape reality <strong>in</strong> maps, <strong>in</strong>formation systems, symbols, icons,visions, metaphors, mass media, art – prose and poetry, pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g, music…• land cover, land use at thematic map – spatial pattern of landscape310

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