Justifying the place of geography in the school curriculum

ABSTRACT

With a new government in power and a curriculum review well underway, we are now entering a period of curriculum change. As part of the review, geography educators are being called upon to make the case for geography and propose what exactly should be taught within it. This is an excellent opportunity to think carefully about how we justify and present the case for the subject. In this article it is argued that an appeal made solely to tradition will not do and that we will need recourse to strong and carefully considered educational aims relating to both personal and interpersonal wellbeing. The article also demonstrates how such justication can be made for geography, a subject that imparts an invaluable ‘world knowledge’ to which all young people have a right to access.