Gillian Kidman

Content Analysis of International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education: 18 Years of Academic Publishing.

This paper examines the history of the International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education (IRGEE) journal in terms of its sustainable future. The development of geographical and environmental education is evaluated, as reflected from the papers published in the journal “ IRGEE”. A content analysis of all papers and forum sections which have appeared in the journal since Volume 1 Number 1 was published in 1992 has been conducted, examining the content of as many as 526 papers. The method was a content analysis and revealed themes which have experienced an increasing or declining interest over the 18 years of publication of IRGEE (1992–2009), whilst other themes have remained current during this period. The main findings of this analysis are (a) the total number of papers has increased more than threefold, (b) papers related to geographical education (sensu stricto) outweighed those related to environmental education, (c) the themes “syllabi, textbooks, curricula” and “values, attitudes” attract the attention of researchers with increasing strength and (d) emerging subjects, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and sustainability, have appeared dynamically in the last years.

Powerful knowledge in geography: IRGEE editors interview professor David Lambert, London institute of education, October 2014

The interview with Prof. David Lambert resulted from hearing presentations at national and international conferences on the topic of powerful knowledge, especially as the idea pertains to teaching and learning geography. The questions were submitted to Prof. Lambert and he responded in writing. His elaborations and clarifications of the conceptual and practical implications of powerful knowledge are contained in the following interview. What is the origin of powerful knowledge as an educational concern? This is probably quite a long story: perhaps John Morgan’s Foreword to Young, Lambert, Roberts, and Roberts’ (2014) Knowledge and the Future School: curriculum and social justice summarises the story usefully and succinctly! (see also Morgan, forthcoming). My version is as follows. In the early 1970s, Michael Young, a student of Basil Bernstein, published the book Knowledge and Control. This has been enormously influential, introducing the idea that the school curriculum was in the hands of, and served the interests of, the powerful. The school curriculum (the argument ran) excluded, or alienated, the working class kids, for example. It did not speak to them. The whole structure was aligned to make sure that middle-class kids succeeded in getting the qualifications required for the professions (etc.) and so power relations and the status quo were maintained. Schools delivered the knowledge of the powerful (and these days we would say, therefore, exclude various indigenous knowledge, for example). This analysis was appealing at the time and was in my view part of the zeitgeist. Although it is interesting to note that geography at the Institute of Education (IOE) (Bernstein and Young were at the IOE) remained somewhat immune to this: Graves was producing his curriculum planning models and Naish was leading the 16 19 project by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, Slater published Learning Through Geography in the early 1980s. Although brilliant in bringing modern pedagogic approaches to geography with explicit theoretical underpinnings, which was in some way a response to ‘knowledge and control’, this book, in retrospect, began to undermine serious interest in the educational significance of geographical knowledge itself (the clue is in the title). Therefore, more recently (and signalled by the publication of Bringing Knowledge Back in, in 2008), Michael Young has had something of a volte face. It is not simply that he ‘got it wrong’ in his early career, but more that he failed to take the arguments far enough. If we agreed, even partly, with the notion of the ‘knowledge of the powerful’, Young now points out that in fact this knowledge is also powerful in itself. And so, if for some reason we produced a ‘working class’ version of school, the kids experiencing this would be condemned not to advance themselves economically, politically, or even as informed citizens: they would remain ‘trapped’ in their experience, and excluded from the powerful knowledge of the disciplines. Schools have the sacred duty to induct all young people into the best knowledge we have available about how the world works. Better knowledge comes from the academic disciplines: this is what they are for (at least, I would like to hear an academic argue that they are not seeking better understandings! If they did, I guess there would be grounds for mass academic redundancies).

Editors’ thoughts about the meaning of “International” in International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education

This editorial was written just prior to the 2014 Symposium of the Commission on Geographical Education (CGE) of the International Geographical Union (IGU) in Krakow, Poland. Geography educators and others interested in geography teaching will attend the symposium and represent as many as 50 or 60 different countries. This is an international gathering of persons engaged in research and practice relative to the teaching of geography in elementary, secondary, and tertiary education. The term International reflects the diversity of countries where the participants reside or pursue research or teaching. Similarly, the IGU represents geographers and other academics from many different countries joining together to share research results and discuss issues of international significance. Such international gatherings of researchers and teachers from many different countries are a significant aspect of the work of the international academic community. There is another way to view the International which is important for the research that the flagship journal of CGE presents. Most of the research that the editors accept for publication in International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education (IRGEE) is national research disseminated internationally by IRGEE. Individual authors or teams of authors pursing research and submit articles that investigate questions that arise from work in their region, or in some cases the entirety of the country. The submissions are reviewed on the merits of the research, with few references to the “international-focus” that may or may not be present in the article. This is entirely acceptable, since IRGEE is a dissemination instrument that serves to uphold research rigour in the field. There is yet another way to view the “International” in the IRGEE journal title. This view entails international research projects in geographical and environmental education that involve researchers in two or more countries pursuing the same questions and critically analysing the results. Principal researchers often find such projects a challenge to organise and may find funding difficult. The coordination of the data collection and analysis may be greatly enhanced through geospatial and electronic capabilities, but challenges remain. On the side of success is the fact that geography educators across the world are a relatively small, cohesive group of researchers who share a common bond through their work. Thoughtful discussion, such as those that will occur in Krakow, regarding international research with dedicated colleagues in other countries is the first step in achieving success. There are several ways that International research (note the large I for emphasis) can be accomplished. One way is to attach research to a larger organisation, such as TIMMS, which was the subject of the editorial in the previous issue of IRGEE (Volume 23, Issue 3, 2014). Attachment to a larger, well-structured international research programme helps researchers overcome barriers and cross hurdles that may be encountered. The downside is that the specific research study usually has to serve the interests of the larger programme. Another approach is to develop the funded projects around core research ideas and issues such as have been successfully pursued by geographical educators in the

Geographical inquiry in Australian schools: a retrospective analysis

This paper explores the occurrence of geographical inquiry in the Australian curriculum since Geography became a high school subject in 1911. In this historical overview, I reflect upon my own experiences of undertaking geographical inquiry during the 1970s and 1980s. Primary school geographical inquiry experiences can be virtually non-existent despite being advocated in syllabus documents. High school geographical inquiry experiences do exist in some classrooms, but that geographic drive is also necessary to complete a meaningful inquiry experience. Although geographical inquiry is heavily advocated in Australias new Australian Curriculum: Geography, more work is needed in this area relating to teacher professional learning.

The global education practicum: perspectives from accompanying academics

ABSTRACT The benefits of international education experiences for students are well documented. The effect on the individual of international experiences has been researched and theorised by authors for at least the last 20 years. In this paper the experiences of three academics who accompanied pre-service teachers on a 3 week international practicum are examined through the prism of intercultural confidence and competence. Accompanying academic Juliet reflects on dealing with the added difficulties the pre-service teachers encountered as a result of their inexperience in classroom settings. Accompanying academic Paula reflects on the challenges of “teaching-out-of-field.” Accompanying academic Sue reflects on the social and transitional challenges experienced when supporting pre-service teachers who collectively had issues related to health, safety, and interpersonal relationships. These lived experiences provide a richer understanding of the role of international partnerships in contributing to academic growth and increasing intercultural competency in tandem with their students.

Developing Knowledge of Practice Through Self-Study: Becoming a Science Teacher Educator

This is a story of my journey to ‘become’ a science teacher educator. I am in a transitionary process of making the shift, the shift from science teacher to science teacher educator and I am finding this to be difficult, challenging and confronting. However, with the assistance of my critical friends (co-authors) and teaching colleagues, I am able to explore my journey through a lens of discontent. I present to you three themes that emerged from my self-study: seeing what I don’t know: the novice in me; the shift: transforming science content into meaningful science teaching and learning, and putting theory into practice. I conclude with a description of my learnings.

Physical geography education research: is it relevant?

As we receive and review submissions to IRGEE, the editors often wonder about the status of education in physical geography. At one time, physical geography was the main component of geography education in the United States. In 1964, William Pattison’s analysis of the discipline identified Earth Science (physical geography) as one of four clearly established traditions that guided research and teaching in the discipline (Pattison, 1964). The others identified by Pattison were the spatial tradition; area studies tradition; and man-land tradition. We are looking specifically at the Earth Science tradition, represented by physical geography, in this editorial. Physical geography remains a strong element in academic research in the discipline, occurring within topics such as natural disasters, global climate change, water resources, and sustainability of the environment. In Europe, especially the United Kingdom and Germany, physical geography has a major role in secondary geography education. Field studies in which students observe, measure, and analyze the physical features and processes are components of the syllabus. In Asian geography courses in the lower and upper secondary schools, the students complete observational projects that enable them to classify and construct models of the physical environment and the processes involved. Research in geography and other scientific disciplines inform us about new ways that the physical environment is dynamic, and big questions about sustainability and global change are receiving attention from geographers. However, do we have adequate research knowledge about the interaction that occurs between learners and physical geography content? It seems there is room for research on that part of geography education. The physical geography tradition seemingly has plenty of room to grow within the geographic education community from a purely academic viewpoint. However, there are other factors operating in the education community that will have to be addressed. The reluctance of interest for geographic educators to complete research on physical geography appears to stem from two aspects of the field. First, in many countries, there is pressure for geography education to become a component of social studies education. The curricular move towards social studies does have the effect of emphasizing the social aspects of geography at the cost of little emphasis on physical geography. This is in part because social studies teachers have little preparation in physical geography. A good case in point is Australia. For several years in Australia, geography was integrated into the social studies curriculum and lacked visibility as a subject. Much of the richness of studying physical geography waned as teachers focused more on social issues rather than on physical systems and their processes. A recent educational reform movement has reinstated geography as a major offering in secondary school curriculum. In the United States, there is attention to physical systems in the National Geography content standards (Gallagher-Heffron & Downs, 2012), but actual work in depth on physical geography is not part of the social studies curriculum. Second, Earth Science as a subject was initially physical geography, as noted by Pattison. However, as geography moved towards the social studies, the earth science content was positioned under the umbrella of science education, and more specifically Earth Science education. In the United States, for example, Earth Science is represented by Earth

Geography and international assessment: opportunity or distraction

Assessments of students in primary and secondary education are debated among practitioners, policy-makers, and parents. In some countries, assessment scores serve a criterion for passage between levels of education, for example, from secondary school to post-secondary education. Those practices are often traditions and while they come under criticism, they are a long-accepted part of the educational practices within a country. In those countries, the students’ assessment and examination scores are posted in public places or published in local news media. In other countries, assessments are used for the periodic checks on individual student progress. The results of assessments may be used for rating schools, and in some cases, they are used for evaluating the performance of teachers. Assessments are used less often to analyze student performance and make judgments regarding the performance of the curriculum. Even less often, assessments serve to critically establish strategies for the improvement of student learning and educational practices. The ends on the continuum of the assessment debate often focus on the opportunities that assessments present to improve education on one end. The other end is that assessments serve as a major distraction from the important work of teachers by removing classroom room time from instruction. The debate on those issues continues.

Geography Education, Transculturalism and Global Understanding

Future-oriented global understanding necessitates the development of a new form of cultural mindset; that is, transculturalism, as opposed to multiculturalism or interculturalism (Casinader 2014, 2016). This chapter will argue how geography, as a result of its unique form of inquiry education (Kidman and Casinader 2017), provides the ideal conduit through which teachers can develop such a perspective in primary and secondary students. The geographical emphasis on place, prediction and transformation as part of the inquiry process enables a more cohesive and holistic student understanding of global understandings.

“Meet the Scientist”: How Pre-service Teachers Constructed Knowledge and Identities

A continuing issue for tertiary educators, and pre-service teachers alike, is the articulation between university classes where the pre-service teacher is the user of knowledge, and the school setting where the pre-service teacher is the imparter of knowledge. It is not clear how easily pre-service teachers can transfer university learnings into ‘in school’ practice whilst on a practicum placement or as a beginning teacher. Similarly, it is not clear how easily knowledge, both contextual content and pedagogical knowledge, learned in the school can be dis-embedded from the particular school context and understood more generally by the pre-service teacher. The school and university settings demand different tools, social interactions and knowledges, and often contradictions occur. As problems arise, the pre-service teacher is required to integrate numerous elements from both contexts to provide a solution to the challenge. Pre-service teachers must not simply engage in a single setting at any one time, they must engage in multi-tasking within a single context, but also in multiple communities of practice simultaneously (Tsui, 2003). By integrating elements in multiple contexts, to solve problems, new learning occurs through the blend of ideas.