GEOGRAPHY INSTRUCTION IN DUTCH SECONDARY-SCHOOLS - A PERSONAL-EXPERIENCE

The author was recently a Fulbright Exchange Teacher at a secondary sc hool in the Netherlands. An assignment teaching geography provided a f irst-hand look at geographic education in the Netherlands. This articl e presents an overview of the Dutch secondary school system and summar izes various aspects of the geography program. It examines the require d and elective geography courses, staffing in geography, textbooks, an d methodology. The results show that geography has a high status in Du tch secondary schools, that Dutch textbooks tend to apply major geogra phic themes to a specific regional setting, and that active learning t echniques are regularly used in the classroom. Some implications for g eography instruction in the United States are noted.