ABSTRACT
Geography has long been presented as having a pivotal role in the curriculum, bridging the humanities and the sciences. Among the early pioneers of geographical education as we know it today, Geikie, as an earth scientist, was especially interested in the links between geography and science. Major problems relate to the individual expertise of teachers and the complexities particular school of drawing the necessary range of skills together in the context, to produce a coherent and intellectually honest set of solutions. In achieving coherence, three problems that are posed are of balance, sequence/progression and focus. Two useful ways of achieving focus are through the working out of area-based schemes, more distinctive to geography; or concept-based schemes, based on principles or key ideas, which can be geographical but may be interdisciplinary. The imposition of integrated schemes can pose serious problems for teachers who lack confidence, and genuine understanding of the new arrangement.
