DISCOVERING INNOVATIVE CURRICULAR MODELS FOR SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY

Over the next decade or so, the National Assessment for Educational Pr ogress in Geography and the Geographic Education Standards Project pro mise to give geography a new definition as a school subject. This will challenge the educational community to re-examine how geography is ta ught and learned across all the grade levels, K-12. If geography is to be perceived as an essential subject in preparing students for citize nship as adults, not only must its image change, but its content and t he pedagogy that delivers it must be modified as well. To achieve thos e ends, new curricular models grounded in cogent and applicable resear ch must develop through partnerships of teachers, teacher educators, l earning theorists, and professional geographers.