Geography for the younger secondary school pupil : a topical approach

Abstract

In this dissertation I have attempted to examine the present situation of the teaching of Geography in the first two years of secondary education level in local Secondary Schools and Junior Lyceums, as well as discuss some of the current problems and pitfalls encountered by both the secondary school teacher and pupil. In order to reveal the true meaning of geographical education, I have considered a number of ideas, suggestions, theories and models put forward by various geographers and applied them to the Maltese context. This analysis deals with the is divided into six chapters. The first chapter aims being directed towards and objections in geographical education, as intrinsic and extrinsic ends. In the second chapter I have viewed various aspects of what is known as 'New Geography' the various branches and approaches it encompasses and the way it differs from traditional geography. Chapter three is a short analysis of the main concepts and constraints present in curriculum planning as well as some conclusions derived from a survey carried out among Maltese secondary teachers. In the fourth chapter I have included a variety of teaching techniques based on both direct and indirect methods of observation, and being child-centred rather than subject-centred in approach. Chapter five comprises the role of geography in values education - and the transmission of values and attitudes necessary to the education of the child. In the final chapter, I have attempted to put into practice some of the theoretical notions of this dissertation by providing a few examples of how geographical topics may actually be approached in the classroom situation.