The main purpose of this paper is to clarify the minimum geographic knowledges and skills which elementary school pupils should obtain through the school geographical curriculum. They are called the minimum essentials of geographical education in this paper. In Japan, geography is taught as a field of “Social Studies” in elementary schools. Many teachers who support social studies insist that geographical thought and intellectual pursuits should be more important than geographical knowleges and skills. We suggest here, however, that it should be important to obtain them as well as to think intellectually.
One of the aims of geographical education is to understand the ecosystem, people-land relationship and spatial organization in various areas. Pupils should have the basic knowledges which enable them to think about these problems intellectually. They are required to know basic place names and to read maps. For example, in the case of Japanese pupils, they must know the names of prefectures in Japan and those of some countries in the world.
On the other hand 4th or 5th grade (10-11 years old) pupils have strong curiosity to know everything they can. They are able to learn even a great deal of place names without difficulty. It is necessary to master minimum geographical knowledges and skills at this period systematically.
We construct the table of the minimum essentials which pupils should master at each grade. They are classified according to the following 7 items. On the basis of this table, we will plan new geographical curriculum of elementary school. We think that it is indispensable for renewal of contemporary geographical education to plan new curriculum based on new geographical approaches.
A. knowledge{1. place name
2. term
B. skill{3. map
4. terrestrial globe, model
5. use of date
6. orientation, distance, spatial cognition
7. observation, investigation
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