Out-of-Field Teaching in Geography

Overview & Synopsis

This paper forms part of the response by the Australian Geography Teachers Association (AGTA) to two school education related recommendations put forward in "Geography: Shaping Australia's Future" (National Committee for Geographical Sciences, 2018). The recommendations are: The National Committee for Geographical Sciences and AGTA write to the federal, state and territory Ministers of Education about the urgency of addressing 'out-of-field' teaching in geography (p. 86); and The National Committee for Geographical Sciences and AGTA develop a submission to university education program decision-makers about the need to improve both primary and secondary teacher training in geography (p. 85). The purpose of this response is to alert and inform Ministers of Education, policymakers, and other key Geography education stakeholders about the implications of two important issues impacting on the quality of Geography education available to young Australians in schools. The paper commences with a nationally agreed definition of Geography and then provides an overview about the nature and extent of out-of-field teaching in Australian schools with specific reference to Geography. From there, the paper uses an evidence-based approach to explore the concerns regarding out-of-field teaching in Geography and its implications for Geography education nationally. A set of proposed actions concludes the paper.