Geography University Students’ Competence to Elaborate Column Charts: A Case Study for Romania

Abstract

The ‘ecologisation’ of Australian primary schools brings new opportunities for curriculum expansionand renewal for sustainability education. My contribution to the broader discussion of place,geography, sustainability and literacy stems from an interest in how children are brought into contactwith sustainability discourses via sensory and embodied learning in local school ground landscapes. Inthis paper I am interested in identifying the emergent pedagogies and new literacies that inform andshape the implementation of sustainability curriculum. The paper draws on research that uses theoriesof place inhabitation, relationships to food, place ecologies, and place-based pedagogies to examine theeducational value of food gardens and related environmental and health initiatives in primary(elementary) schooling in Australia. Using research data from two schools, the paper illustrates howschool ground settings, curriculum and pedagogy generate spatial, temporal and geographical literaciesthat support children’s meaning making. These multimodal literacies are vital curriculum ingredientsthat effectively educate for sustainability.

Keywords

• Education, sustainability, school ground geographies, curriculum and pedagogy

Geography University Students’ Competence to Elaborate Column Charts: A Case Study for Romania

Öz

Anahtar Kelimeler

• -

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89. Biographical statements Dr. Monica GREEN is a Lecturer at Monash University in the Faculty of Education (Gippsland). Monica's current research is centrally focused on pedagogies and curriculum that support education for sustainability, including climate change and the preservation of local places and communities. As a researcher she is interested in the potential of everyday places such as school grounds and nearby locations to nurture children’s emotional, social, physical and ecological development through embodied learning.