Fieldwork in Geography: Reflections, Perspectives and Actions

Geographers regard fieldwork as a vital instrument for understanding our world through direct experience, for gathering basic data about this world, and as a fundamental method for enacting geographical education. The range of international geography and educational experts who contributed to this volume has demonstrated that the concept of fieldwork has a considerable history in the field of geography. They have demonstrated that the theoretical aspects of fieldwork have been interpreted differently in regions around the world, but the importance of fieldwork remains strong globally.
A fresh look at the pedagogic implications for fieldwork in formal education offers ideas both for promoting it in geographical education and for maintaining its place in the geography curriculum.
Audience: Forward-looking geographers and educators now recognise that alternative strategies, especially those involving the use of information technology, should be developedto reaffirm the centrality of fieldwork in geographical and wider education.

Inhalt

1. The power of fieldwork.- 2. A British historical perspective on geographical fieldwork from the 1820s to the 1970s.- 3. Geography Fieldwork: Tradition and technology meet.- 4. Participation in environmental planning as a challenge for field teachting: A Nordic viewpoint.- 5. The irreplaceable experience of fieldwork.- 6. Status of Fieldwork in the Geography Curriculum in Southeast Asia.- 7. Fieldwork in geography teaching: the case in Hong Kong.- 8. Learning in the Field: an experience for teachers and students alike.- 9. Affective-focused Geographical Fieldwork: What do Adventurous Experiences during Field Trips mean to Pupils?.- 10. Fieldwork in the school geography curriculum pedagogical issues and development.- 11. The contribution of fieldwork to life-long learning.- 12. Trends and developments in university level geography field methods courses in the United States.- 13. Representing spatial complex systems geographical education facing postmodern society.