ABSTRACT
One of the fundamental problems the geography teachers facing is that they are dealing with the complexities of the world's environments and the world's peoples. The act of generalisation, while essential to making sense of the world, carries with it the problem that in every generalisation there lurks a stereotype. A stereotype was originally a term used in the printing industry, meaning casting in a fixed form or plate. In the social context stereotyping is often manifested in rigid and negative attitudes towards other people(s). Much of the racist stereotyping was faithfully reflected in the writings of geographical educationists. Other elements than race, such as gender stereotypes, have also long been present. In taking the geography of ageing and of old people seriously, such work should first be extended into the broader context of human rights education. Old age is an issue that needs to be permeated either within geography, or in a cross-curricular framework.
