Lesson 2
Lesson 2
Lesson 2
LESSON 2
IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING CULTURE AND
GEOGRAPHY IN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL STUDENTS
OBJECTIVES:
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One of the reasons why cultural education is not at the moment let's say more or less one linear
continuous curriculum throughout primary and secondary education is because it has not been
conceived as one thing for a long time. That is exactly what we want to do through this ‘Culture
in the Mirror’ project. We want to demonstrate, to prove in a sense that different subjects such as
history, philosophy, the arts or journalism form in fact one single whole and they should be taught
as a whole.
The study of Civics and Culture can provide for the understanding of the following concepts:
1. Family. This is the first group to which the individual belongs. It is there where the individual
experiences many first encounters such as first relationships; encounter with the rules of
membership, first acceptance or rejection, etc. The family life of the individual determines, to a
large extent, the individual s community life. It is, thus, the foundation of every community, of
every society. This being so, the pupils should be made to understand the importance of their
families to themselves and to the community.
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2. Social Responsibilities. Every member of the community is expected to contribute to the
achievement of the common good. Students should understand that their behavior in the
community affects others, too.
3. Rights. Every person has a right. There are basic human rights the right to life, to freedom of
expression, to freedom of religion, to own property, etc. These rights are never absolute and are
always accompanied by responsibilities. Students should be taught their rights and also to respect
the rights of others. This includes, among others, respect for the right of the unborn child, the
rights of women, and the rights of the handicapped.
4. Needs. Everyone has basic needs. These are food, clothing, and shelter. It is the responsibility
of the community to ensure that these basic needs are responded to. Thus, the community makes
economic structures and activities that will help people address these needs
5. Leadership. Every group needs a leader. This creates the need for a political structure he
community. This is the structure that will set the rules to maintain peace and order so that the
members of the community can do their activities. Through this structure, the community will
hopefully achieve its common goal.
6. Social group. Every person belongs to a social group; to their family, group of friends,
organization and associations. People in the community are classified into classes. Some are in
the higher class, some are in the middle and some are in the lower class. The lives or the people
in society are affected by the group or class where they belong.
7. Religion. People have their own religious beliefs. They group together to form their own
churches. Religion plays an important role in the life of the person and the community. Religion
affects the behavior of a person and of the com embers of the community. As such, it is an
important factor in the development of peoples history
8. Culture and Cultural Diversity. Culture is a shared behavior of the people in the community.
It is a way of living. It varies from one group to another because of the many factors that affect its
development. Respect for the culture of others is important particularly so today, with the
emergence of a global community where a meeting of the various cultures is inevitable.
9. Development. Every person and every country wants to achieve development. Development
is the concrete economic growth of the country expressed gross national income. In the
elementary level, a simplified way of defining and describing development may be presented. At
least, the pupils should understand the indicators or development in terms of social and economic
changes among the people.
Skill Development
Civics and Culture provide for the development of social skills among the pupils. Among these
skills are the following:
1. Decision-making. Imagine a person who cannot make a decision, or a group who can-
not come up with a consensus. Such situations are disastrous- they are prepared to make
serious decisions when the time comes to the individual and to the group. Decision making
1s a skill that can be developed early enough among the pupils so that they are prepared
make serious decisions when the time comes. This skill is developed by exposing the
children to various situations involving decision-making in the home, among friends, in the
community. They should be given the chance to make good choices. For instance, they
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may be given a chance to choose their own leaders, to express their side on some real
class or life situations, to make decisions on some theoretical situations.
2. Coping with Crisis. There are many crises which affect even the children. Therefore,
they should be prepared for these, too. Their innocence make them victims of these crises.
According to Schickedanz, et, al( Schickedanz: 1990) Some potential experiences can
be prepared for, at least to a degree, by using a technique called crisis proofing. Crisis
proofing seeks to arm the child against a crisis by providing a mild, diluted form of
experience before a serious crisis occurs. One example of such advance crisis proofing
is having an ambulance visit a school so that the children can see what is inside. When
the children are prepared, they experience less anxiety during the crisis itself.
3. Socializing. When the children understand their environment, they tend to accept it more
and are able to relate within it better. The socialization skill enables the pupils to relate
with the people around them, participate better in activities requiring group effort.
Values
Civics and Culture are power tools in values formation among the children. As they study the way
of life in their own local environment and those of others, they necessarily become the values and
value systems of peoples. The content and the processes involved in studying the way of life of
the people provide the pupils with opportunities for the formation of individual and group values.
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When it comes to your country, you can expect to learn about:
Citizenship
Geography knowledge makes you become a better citizen. Learning geography allows you to
identify and appreciate important events and national and international policies; make better and
informed decisions regarding the best use of national resources; and ask relevant questions about
policies that optimize the landscape and land use. A more informed citizen makes for a better
leader.
Economics
There is a close relation between economics and geography with regard to the level of
industrialization or energy production; transportation networks and the applications of technology;
the location of natural resources; and many other factors that influence trade patterns and the
economy of the country and region.
History
Learning geography allows you to identify and appreciate important clues of your nation’s history,
including the influence of landforms and climate on land use, the rise and fall of civilizations, and
migration patterns, among other things. Knowing the history of the landscape helps you
understand the transformation processes that have taken place.
The Environment
Geography also covers the relationship between human beings and the environment, and how
natural systems work. Geographers conduct research to identify the role of environmental factors
on population behavior, and ways in which social processes such as population growth and
technological advances affect the environment. These matters are critical for formulating
environmental policies for global conservation.
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WHY IS GEOGRAPHY IMPORTANT?
Up until the early part of the 20th century, geography mattered in education. It was an expectation
for all educated citizens in our country to learn geography. Geography was specifically taught as
one of the four core subjects: reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography. There was a reason for
this. As early as 1776, founders of our nation including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
understood the value of learning geography; it was practical and useful, and should be taught to
instill a national identity. The new citizens of America should learn geography to understand how
and where they fit into the new nation and within the world.
Even though educating our children about geography should remain important, it has slowly
disappeared from the focus of teaching. Students, however, still need to understand how and
where they fit into our nation and within the world. Geography IS important.
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Create a Global Community
Studying geography creates a global citizen. Those who know geography better understand the
interdependence of our world and how we are connected through location, place, movement,
region, and human-environment interactions. Think about it. As we develop our understanding of
the important themes of geography, we also help build awareness for cultural diversity–how and
why people live the way they do. Students need to understand this information in our global
society.
Geography was and is still very important. And even though it may not be a part of your testing
cycle, there are so many valuable reasons why integrating geography into your classroom is
important.
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