Education Geography 28 May 2007 The Australian

MAY 28 2007

John Stapleton

Justine Ferrari

THESE eight boys are all alarmed about the future of the planet; their heads full of concerns about climate change, globalisation, terrorism, the impact of of Western development on the Third World, racism, the extinction of plant and animal species and the numerous threats to arid, wetland and urban environments.

Amongst other things.

They are vying to be part of a team of three that will represent Australia at the upcoming National Geographic Society's bi-annual World Championship, aimed at selecting the world's best geography student.

Each of these boys have topped their state in the National Geographic Channel's Australian Geography Competition.

Today  they will play off against each other in a national final at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, with broadcaster George Negus as compere, for a position in the team, which will travel to San Diego in the US in July.

Teachers have renewed their calls for geography to be made compulsory in the so-called ``middle years'' of high school in light of the poor performance of Australian students on the international stage. Geography has become a ``non-core'' subject in school curriculums across the country over the past 20 years.

While every state and territory offers geography as a separate subject in years 11 and 12, for the past decade it has been taught as part of a catch-all subject called Studies of Society and Environment, along with other areas such as history and economics.

Margaret McIvor, Vice-Chair of the Australian Geography Teachers Association, said geography was the only subject in the school curriculum which linked the humanities and the sciences.

``The geography of terrorism, disease and war are all fundamental to an understanding of the world we live in,'' she said. ``Geography helps us to make judgements about the big issues affecting the quality of our lives and landscapes.''

Tasmanian winner Jacob Atkins, 15, supported the call for geography to be made compulsory again, saying it helped students to understand ``the way the world runs, economically and socially''.

WA winner Patrick Mackenzie, 14, said ``you live here, surely you need to understand there are other values and other cultures out there, and geography helps.''

NSW winner David Vasak, 14, said understanding the world was essential `to make well informed, educated decisions in everything from voting to business''.

Education consultant with National Geographic Channel Anne Chesher said teachers nation wide were witnessing attitude changes in students as they were bombarded with doom and gloom messages about the future of the planet. ``They are all developing green and social consciences, but this needs to be grounded in fact and making geography compulsory would be an excellent way of achieving this.''