Geography in Australian education |
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| Authors: | Rod Gerber |
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| Institution: | (1) Brisbane College of Advanced Education, Australia;(2) Social Studies Department, 4059 Brisbane, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Geography in Australia has a heritage that is strongly British, but more recently has been influenced from other parts of
the world, such as North America and New Zealand. Its popularity has fluctuated and it is now under threat as a separate subject
in the compulsory years of schooling. In higher education, geography has retrieved lost ground to be a popular area of study,
but not a research area in the current national priorities. Geography plays a focal role in the general education of Australians.
It is a medium for education involving the education of people, about, in, and for the society and environment in which they
live. Through education, geography will enable people to explore their life-roles as learners, social beings, recreators,
producers, consumers and citizens. It will develop in people distinctive knowledge, thinking processes, attitudes and values,
and encourage participation in social and environmental actions. Teachers in secondary and higher education have differing
and distinctive roles. Being a geographer in Australia does have benefits including: working in an identifiable area of knowledge
maintaining a bridge across the physical and social sciences; the promotion of inquiry approaches and as a focus for the various
adjectival educations that have emerged. These are tempered by challenges such as: threats from emerging disciplines, current
national research priorities and the movement to social science education. Therefore, promotion of geography in Australia
needs to be much more forceful than it has until now. The work of groups such as the Institute of Australian Geographers and
the Australian Geography Teachers' Association needs to be co-ordinated more closely to develop a strong lobby for geography
in Australian education. |
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