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标题：Is Singapore’s School Geography Relevant to Our Changing World?
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作者：Chew-Hung CHANG
期刊名称：Review of International Geographical Education Online
电子版ISSN：2146-0353
出版年度：2011
卷号：1
期号：2
出版社：Review of International Geographical Education Online
摘要：How school geography should be taught ha s been a longstanding issue for geography educators. In some countries, state or national l evel curri culum predi cat es how the subj ect should be taught in schools. This paper examines these questions in relation to existing frameworks of conceptualizing school geography, such as the Int ernational Charter on G eographical Educat ion. School geography in Singapore has evolved from regional geography to t hemat ic geography to systematic geography. A review of the curriculum in 2007 resulted in a distinct form of school geography unprecedented i n Si nga pore's education hist ory. Today, school geography in Singa pore is learnt conceptuall y with nati onal l evel a ssessment designed to that end. To what extent is this evolution in curriculum design in step with changes in our world. In response to the cha nges in school geography, pre-service and in-service teacher training has al so responded by focusing on conceptual learning and inquiry. This paper will explore the state of school geography curricula in Singapore today, and the curriculum of teacher training, with the int ent to criti cally discuss the state of geography educat ion in Singapore. Although geography has remained a disciplinary subject whose place has yet been disputed, the big question of why study geography in the first pla ce needs to be answered to ensure its continued survival. In parti cular, school geography will be examined for its relevance to a fast changi ng world. This cri tique ends by offeri ng a rea son t o how geography plays an i mportant rol e in education for sustainabl e development, and its relevance to Singaporea ns or even any citizen of the w orld
关键词：school geography; education for sustainable development; curriculum ;development; assessment ; var currentpos;timer; function initialize() { timer=setInterval("scrollwindow()";10);} function sc(){clearInterval(timer); }function scrollwindow() { currentpos=document.body.scrollTop; window.scroll(0;++currentpos); if (currentpos != document.body.scrollTop) sc();} document.onmousedown=scdocument.ondblclick=initializeChang; C. H. / Is Singapore's School Geography Relevant to Our Changing World. ;142 ;Introduction ;In the book "Geography: teaching school subjects 11-19"; Morgan and Lambert ;(2006) proposes that school geography curriculum should be considered within a ;"broader conversation about nature and contemporary society" (Morgan & Lambert; ;2006; p. 3); in that the development in the academic geography discipline provides a ;"coherent narrative" that can be used by teachers to frame the subject. This ;argument is consistent with the view of curriculum design models such as ;Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe; 2005) where concepts or big ideas ;in a specific subject are required to frame the development of the curriculum. ;Geography is both a powerful medium for promoting the education of ;individuals and a major contributor to international; environmental and development ;Education (Commission on Geographical Education of the International ;Geographical Union; 2004). Indeed; a recurring theme in geography is the way ;people organize and use the environment (Fien; Gerber; & Wilson; 1989; p. 3) and ;this provides the basis for the argument that a school geography that is responsive to ;the developments in geography as a discipline will equip the students with the ;knowledge; skills and values as useful and contributing citizens of the world. The ;I;C G;E;proposes that geography curricula ;around the world are commonly structured either as regional studies or thematic ;studies. While the regional approach to learning geography requires appreciation of ;"national identity and international cooperation" as important functions of regional ;studies; thematic studies curricula in geography may be classified as systematic; ;issues-based and systems approaches. Further the literature on education for ;sustainable development suggests that geography education will provide the avenue ;to address sustainability issues (Tan & Chang; 2008). Indeed; geography in schools ;will "train future citizens to imagine accurately the condition of the great world ;stage and so to help them to think sanely about political and social problems of the ;world around" (Lidstone & Stoltman; 2007; p. 1). In this paper; the evolution of the ;Singapore national level curriculum for geography will be critically examined ;through this perspective; firstly with regard to how the curriculum is organized and ;secondly with regard to how the school geography can be situated to address issues ;of relevance to the world such as sustainable development. ;Is School Geography in Singapore relevant to our ;fast changing world. ;Singapore's education system is based on 6 years of primary and 4 years of ;secondary education (a 5 year program was designed for slower learners). National ;examinations are held at the end of primary school - Primary School Leaving