Physical Geography: Learning and teaching in a discipline so dynamic that textbooks can't keep up!

ABSTRACT

Physical geography is a dynamic discipline. This makes geography exciting, but poses some problems for teachers and students. Learning resources rapidly become out of date, and some of the resources that students and teachers trust are in fact seriously flawed. Students progressing from A-level to university are often confronted with the realisation that much of what they studied at school was outdated or incorrect. Problems for teachers include keeping up to date with new discoveries and theories, choosing reliable teaching resources, and advising students when resources provide conflicting information. This article illustrates these problems and suggests some solutions — for example: textbooks such as those in the Geographical Association's Changing Geography series, that bridge the gap between A-level and university; greater interaction between schools and universities in the form of university workshops for school students and teachers; and teacher—researcher co-authorship of learning resources.