This was the presentation I presented in Cluj-Napoca at the 7th International Conference on "Contemporary Trends in Teaching and Learning Geography".

1. CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING GEOGRAPHY
17th – 18th September 2011
CLUJ-NAPOCA (ROMANIA) - the 7th Edition
Tutored geography workshop
An educational training system integrated
with the territory.
Giovanni Donadelli
Lorena Rocca
Geography department, University of Padova - ITALY

2. Some preliminary remarks
• To result interesting, geography needs to be
close to the children personal experience
• To be taught, geography needs field works
• To be learned, geography needs to be
actively practiced by the students

3. How should we teach Geography to
future teachers?
• How can we let future teachers agree with our preliminary remarks
(importance of personal experiences, field work, active learning)?
• How can we offer to future teachers an opportunity to increase their
professional competences as both geographers and teachers?
• How can we stimulate and support active learning in our students?
• How can we promote teaching and learning experiences based (centered)
on “our” territory?
• How can we let future teachers gain passion on geography?
Is possible to realize an “educational system” integrated with
the territory where academic research become didactical
procedure and opportunity to increase professional
competences?

4. Future
teachers
Geographical competences
Motivation
Territory
Real challenge Complexity
Teaching strategies Personal values
Active learning
Group work
Cooperative learning
Field work
Tutored
geography
workshop

5. Workshop theoretical structure
Future teachers
Tutored
geography
workshop
Laboratorial
dimension

6. Field work
Tutored
1. Live (learn on) the territory geography
2. Experience territory complexity workshop
3. Meeting local and social Laboratorial
stakeholders dimension
4. Promoting field activities and
researches
5. Let the students puts their
hands on
6. Investigate concrete
problematic situations
7. Support problem solving

7. Laboratorial dimension
Tutored
1. Provide shared space/time for geography
the students workshop
2. Promote active behavior on Laboratorial
learning dimension
3. Support cooperative learning
4. Favour shared decisions and
collaboration with others
5. Encourage students
participation
6. Monitor and tutor actions
7. Encourage to use specific
geographical terminology

8. Points of view
triangulation Tutored
geography
workshop
1. Multiple actors who provide:
1. Different competences Laboratorial
2. More points of view and ideas dimension
3. Many sources
4. Shared responsabilities and decisions
5. Robust, comprehensive and well-
developed evaluation
2. Multiple strategies:
1. Different geographical approaches
2. Different methods
3. Different learning styles
4. Many cognitive or relational dynamics
5. Multiple theoretical perspectives to
examine and interpret the data

9. Location

10. Location

11. Location

12. Actors and rules
Legend
University Tutoring and supporting actors
Primary school Active actors
Territory Without specific rule

13. Challenges on school innovation:
Active Citizenship
Methodology
Complexity of geography

14. Active
Citizenship
Methodology
Challenges on Complexity of geography
complexity of geography
 Explore the relationship between Man and territory
• Give names
• Build things
• Organize elements
 Analyse the multifunctional dimension of water on Po delta area
• Multiple uses
• Variety of actors
 Observe and analyse water-land balance on the Po delta area
 Learn and use a geographical terminology in order to create territory
representations.

15. Active
Citizenship
Methodology
Challenges on Complexity of geography
methodologies
These activities remind me about my
idea of active school where learning
doesn’t happen because “it has to
be done” but because it interest not
just the students but also the
teachers.
I believe I experienced what Don
Milani called “I care” philosophy.
Giuseppe

16. Active
Citizenship
Methodology
Challenges on Complexity of geography
active citizenship
Fall in love with the future should be the
next challenge for geographical
education:
Learn to see possible transformation, plan
the future, be able to fit on the
changes, fall in love with the beauty in
order to desire to conserve and
promote it.

17. Conclusions
• Participation
• Enthusiasm
• Learning
Personal
• Playing
Geographical
• Plan
• Territory • Decide
• Complexity Professional • Responsabilities
• Relationship • Imagination
• Sustainability

18. Conclusions

19. CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING GEOGRAPHY
17th – 18th September 2011
CLUJ-NAPOCA (ROMANIA) - the 7th Edition
Thank you for your attention
Giovanni Donadelli Lorena Rocca
giovanni.donadelli@studenti.unipd.it lorena.rocca@unipd.it
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