Some Issues and Prospects About Teaching Geography in High School: Establishing New Subjects in Geography Education

Abstract

The central council for education submitted the report on the government curriculum guidelines for the next period at the end of 2016. “Geography” will become compulsory in high school in the fiscal year 2022. Forty years have passed since the number of students choosing geography began to decrease. During this time, various issues have arisen in the practices of geography education. Before geography becomes compulsory, there are many issues to be resolved, such as the emphasis on basic and fundamental content, review of the learning content, development of competent and high-quality teachers, improvement in teaching abilities for geography and history teachers, and appropriate implementation of educational curriculum. In addition, educational practices, including education for sustainable development and education for disaster prevention, through utilization of maps and geographic information system, are essential to meet social demand. In order to meet these expectations, it is necessary to accumulate research on educational practices and interactive linkages between geography education, geography and other related sciences for geography education. Furthermore, linkage with history education is necessary to enhance learning about particular regions. I hope that geography will play an essential role for school education, with its effect fully exploited in today’s society in the midst of rapid globalization, so that all children who learn geography can master the abundant academic abilities and opportunities.