Improving the disaster-related component of secondary school geography education in England

摘要

Can disaster risk reduction and dealing with disasters be taught in the classroom at the secondary school level? This paper seeks to answer this research question in order to apply and critique pedagogical theories for improving how teachers are trained to teach disaster-related topics and how these topics could be introduced into the classroom. The case study used is secondary school geography education in England. Three main geography education theories are examined in the context of disaster-related education: experiential learning, multiple intelligences and self-theories on whether or not people have a fixed amount of intelligence. An overview is given of putting the theories into practice for improving the disaster-related component of secondary school geography education in England. Then, specific proposals are provided for improving curricula, for classroom and extra-curricular action and activities, and for teacher training and support. The overall ethos aims to make education interesting and relevant, for both the educators and the students.