4:55 PM - 5:15 PM
★ [U07-15] The education for sustainable earth - The International Geography Olympiad
Keywords:sustainable earth, future earth, geography education, international geography olympiad, fieldwork
The International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) is a competition for the best 16 to 19 year old geography students from all over the world. Four students represent each country in a series of Geography tests in (generally) a four-five day program. An adult Team leader and International Board Member accompany each national team. The official language of the iGeo is English.(from iGeo home page)There are three aims of iGeo. First is to stimulate active interest in geographical and environmental studies among young people, second to contribute positively to debate about the importance of geography as a senior secondary school subject by drawing attention to the quality of geographical knowledge, skills and interests among young people, third to facilitate social contacts between young people from different countries and in doing so, contribute to the understanding between nations.The test questions in iGeo are presented from each country and are made. The international standard test is aimed by these questions. These questions are divided into three types that are multimedia, description, and fieldwork. The aim of each type test is to make students develop the ability to look the future society and earth on underlying knowledge, skills and view points of the geography. Particularly, in the fieldwork test, students can learn not only the present understanding but also the future by observing local natural phenomenon and the life of people, directly. Regarding geography education of our country, though present understandings more importance, a point of view to inquire the relation between nature and human in the future is not enough. In factually, the Japanese team in iGeo really tends that the point of the fieldwork test is low. As for this, the main factor would be that thinking the future is not educated in geography education in Japan. In addition, students have few chances to experience the fieldwork in geography class of our country. In the geography education of Japan, it is necessary for the learning content including the consideration for the future based on geographical knowledge, skill and inquires.