School geography in England has been characterised as a pendulum swinging between policies that emphasise curriculum and pedagogy alternately. In this paper, I illustrate the influence of these shifts on geography teacher's professional practice, by drawing on three "moments" from my experience as a student, teacher and teacher educator. Barnett's…

Can acts of support and/or revival of Pacific cultures serve to educate international tourists about Indigenous cultures? This paper examines, from a postcolonial perspective and using a qualitative methodology, whether the Festivals of Pacific Arts, to which all nations send delegations, can educate visitors about Indigenous cultures of the…

This paper provides a commentary on the "condition" of geography education research as a field of study. It does so partly through a comparative discussion with another subject field in education, mathematics. In the context of fragility and comparative weakness of research in geography education, the paper urges researchers to keep focused on…

There is a distinction between engaging in research and being a researcher. Although practitioner research has been widely supported, it has been understood as producing different types of research findings from that of the academic researcher. In England, much of the published research in geography education is conducted by academics or…

The Western Australian schooling system is in the final phase of the move towards Outcomes Based Education with the Post Compulsory Geography Course of Study commencing in 2007. This move has been somewhat controversial amongst politicians, teachers and parent groups, partly because of the negative press Outcomes Based Education has received in…

The slippery downhill slide of geography as a taught subject in Tasmanian schools is a lamentable case of lost opportunity. Curriculum reforms reported in previous Forum papers for IRGEE (Robertson, 2003a, 2003b) highlight the time lag in responses to these changes by geography educators. Perhaps because they have steadfastly held to the belief…

Geography is alive and well in non-government schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) but many believe that its rigour has been compromised through being incorporated into Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE) for delivery in government primary and secondary schools. SOSE is one of eight Key Learning Areas (KLAs) that make up the…

The Northern Territory is a semi-autonomous region in the north of Australia. It is one of three Territories and six States that constitute the Commonwealth of Australia. The mainland States and Territories all maintain separate education systems, responsible to the Minister for Education in each State or Territory. In the Northern Territory's…

The Australian Geography Teachers' Association (AGTA) seeks to: (1) foster the teaching and learning of geography in Australian schools and enhance awareness of its applications in society; (2) promote and circulate the results of research into geography education; (3) maintain a professional network through which teachers of geography in…

Since the transition to democracy in 1994, South African education has witnessed remarkable changes. Teacher training, like all other elements of the national education system, is part of an evolving post-apartheid educational landscape. This paper describes important forces of change that have helped to shape the education landscape in South…

Hong Kong styles itself as "the city that never sleeps", "the ever changing city". The dynamism and pace of change in teacher education, however, has to be seen as laggardly in comparison. This is not to say there has been no experiment but changes have been piecemeal and "add-ons". Teacher education in Hong Kong has now, however, reached…

The structural reforms of geography teacher training in Portugal have been justified by the global evolution of the educational system and took into account: (1) the political will to extend the period of compulsory schooling, which now covers the whole of lower secondary education, but will soon cover upper secondary education as well; (2) the…