Geographic Education in a Plural World: Advancing Diversity and Inclusion

CHAIR

Caroline Leininger-Frézal

CO-CHAIR

DESCRIPTION

"Geographic Education in a Plural World: Advancing Diversity and Inclusion
The geography education have to face the pressing challenge of improving diversity and inclusion, particularly in relation to environmental and sustainability issues, which remain among the most significant concerns of our time. Promoting diversity and inclusion implies the development of teaching methods that are characterised by adaptability, engagement, and respect for all learners. The objective is to ensure that every student feels included and has the opportunity to build a well-informed and critical thinking.
The present session derives inspiration from the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework (CAST, 2018), which proffers pragmatic principles for the purpose to accommodate a broad spectrum of requirements and learning styles. Geography education raises distinctive challenges in addressing diverse forms of diversity across the primary and secondary education. This is especially apparent in the field of teacher education, where access to the appropriate tools, resources, and conceptual frameworks is imperative for cultivating classrooms that are genuinely inclusive.
As Biddulph (2017) reminds us, all students are entitled to "powerful geographical knowledge" - knowledge that not only broadens their horizons but also equips them to question and analyse information in an increasingly complex and contested world. Programmes such as Advancing Geography Through Diversity offer promising examples of how the discipline can widen participation and representation from communities that have been traditionally underrepresented in geography. Pedagogy and content are equally important when it comes to improving diversity and inclusion in geography education.During the course of the present session, the issue of diversity and inclusion will be addressed from three distinct angles:
A review of the current status quo with regard to diversity and inclusion in geography education will be cond