Contenu du sommaire : L'enseignement de la géographie et son apprentissage

In France, research into the didactics of geography still relates to a narrow field of interest. Generally, the same subjects such as landscape, towns and maps are considered. It seems appropriate to widen the scope of such studies. This would help advance thinking on various aspects of geography including its history, epistemology, methodology and didactics. Progress in learning at school despends on reinforcing the identity of discipline, the objectives of teaching, the intellectual convictions of teachers and the diligence of pupils. In reality all these features depend on a willingness to acquire geographical knowledge.

How to learn geography is one the important questions which concerns specialists in geographical education. In order to answer it, it is necessary to analyse the nature of geographical knowledge, to evaluate its conceptual difficulties, to propose appropriate learning processes and to evaluate the results.

Since September 1989 a group of teachers in education has been working on a project concerning the construction of the concept of geographical space. This paper presents the conceptual framework for this work and the experimental procedures adopted during the first year. Reflection on geographical space, as a tool built by geographers, and on methods of learning represent two complementary but indispensable anchorage points for any research in didactics.

The use of an outline map is an important feature in French school and university examinations. Results, however, are generally poor. The Didactics Research Group in Geography (University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble 1) has developed an evaluation sheet wich may be used in class by students (an observera drawer) to identify problems in the learning process. When this sheet is used in conjunction with the maps key, it shaws up problems of interpreting space as a surface and the outline as a framework for reflexion. It also acts as a learning technique for the person observing.

The development of in-service teaching training over the last ten years shaws various spatial patterns. On the basis of academic training programmes developed between 1982 and 1987, it appears that training remains a centralised metropolitan activity. Half of the training sessions take place in the main urban centres of academic administrative regions, irrespective of their population size or the degree of involvement of their universities. The development of employment training with in-school sessions should change this situation.

Training in didactics for teachers at all levels is the only way to guarantee real progress in the teaching of geography. However, such training, wether it be initial or in-service, faces a number of difficulties : existing mental images of teachers, excessive and incoherent previous training, the gap between earlier training methods and present demands in terms of objectives and modelling procedures. Nevertheless, solutions exist. Experience shows the need for an important investment of money and personnel. II would be unrealistic, however, to expect immediate and lasting results. Improvment takes time.

This paper concerns the preparation and the results of a first year university examination. The existing teaching system offers little opportunity for self-education. The present aim is to try to show the mechanisms necessary to transform this into a learning situation. The same approach is then proposed to trainee teachers of geography