ABSTRACT
It is a truth universally acknowledged that geography is a subject that gets students to 'think'. This chapter adopts a social-historical approach which is not that common in discussions of geographical education. In his account of the making of human geography, Cox argues that the first half of the twentieth century can be seen as 'the quiet half century'. In that period, school geography was largely uncontroversial, sought to provide an accurate representation of the world, focused on human activity in its physical setting, avoid questions of morality, and offered limited reflection on aspects of political and social organisation. The 1960s were a period of curriculum innovation. The successful launch, by the Soviet Union, of the Sputnik satellite had prompted concern that Western nations were falling behind and that new investments in science and technology was required. The advent of newer technologies has further consolidated the moves away from 'disciplined' thinking.
