The Where and How of Learning Geography Beyond the Classroom

Abstract

School geography curricula have been evolving in keeping abreast with the issues that affect humankind in a fast-changing world. Key elements of this evolution include increased focus on topics such as environmental change and globalisation. Furthermore, there is a more explicit articulation on the modes of instruction in curricula documents, often expounding the virtues of technology and field-based learning . This has resulted in a proliferation of ideas in response to a rising demand to prepare teachers to conduct fieldwork and to design technology-enabled lessons. What is intuitive but often ignored is that while the context of learning has been transplanted from the traditional classrooms into new spaces—the field and cyberspace—that the teaching and learning of geography exist within the framework of formal curriculum, in as far as teacher taught activities are concerned. This book provides a collection of critical pieces that support the idea that good teaching and learning of geography in fieldwork and using technology should consider the dimensions of curriculum design, instructional design and resource provision, as well as assessment for such learning activities. Further, the book is organised to clearly describe the thinking, experiences and critical comments to two broad areas of learning outside the traditional classroom —the field and technology.