TOPIC: Determine the Central Theme of Geography

Content: The Central theme of Geography and the five themes of Geography

Discussion

The role of geography in the Department of Education's K–12 Social Studies curriculum in the
Philippines may be understood by looking at the discipline's origins and evolution.

Geographical science was considered as the missing connection between natural and social
science in 1887 (Mackinder, as stated in Castre, 2011). The interplay between humans and the
environment was the central theme in this case.

Due to this, a division within geography started to grow and develop:

•Abandonment of geography’s identity as a discipline that deals with human-environment interaction

•Geography’s failure as the unified discipline to “produce major books or intellectual innovations”

•Geography’s dilemma to establish its identity is aggravated by its diverse scope that includes an array
of disciplines in the physical and social sciences

Example:

For instance, is the scope of geography in the school curriculum, enough to help students
understand the effects of the white sand project in Manila Bay?

This is an example of a competency related to society-nature connections that is included into

the K-12 Social Studies curriculum.

Recent research of the curriculum in the Philippines found students have “low-level” thinking
skills and negative attitudes towards;

•Human Geography

•Physical Geography

•Environmental Geography

This implies the need to integrate Political Ecology into the geography curriculum in basic
education.

THE FIVE THEMES IN GEOGRAPHY

Geography is a broad topic that spans several educational fields. It has been grouped
into five topics to help in geography teaching in schools and universities. These themes were
initially offered to educators in 1984, and the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE)
and the Association of American Geographers (AAG) both use them. Location, Place, Human-
Environment Interaction, Movement, and Region are the five topics. The term "location" refers
to where something is on Earth's surface. Place describes the location's distinct physical and
human traits. Human-Environment Interaction investigates how individuals interact with their
surroundings. Movement refers to the mobility of people, goods, and ideas across various
locations. Finally, Region examines how places are similar or different based on their physical or
cultural characteristics, ultimately allowing us to form tenuous groupings of these areas. These
themes provide a structured approach to learning geography that helps students understand
our world more deeply.
Conclusion
This chapter aims to provide a thorough grasp of the foundations of geography
education as well as the importance of political ecology as an input to improving the
Philippines' current Social Studies curriculum. This will enable students to better "make sense
of society-nature" (Castree, 2011, p. 299) and react to the current demand for intellectual
reform.

Enrichment Activities
1. Evaluation
Instruction: Select the best answer to the following questions.
1.) It was seen as the “missing link between the natural and the social science’.
A. Abandonment Geography
B. Human Environment Interaction
C. Geography
2.) The following is the division of Geography that started to grow and develop. Except:
A. Abandonment of geography’s identity as a discipline that deals with human-
environment interaction.
B. Human Geography is a Social science that focuses on the field of work.
C. Geography’s failure as a unified discipline to “produce major books or
intellectual innovations.
3.) The following statement is correct, except:
A. The place of geography in the K to 12 Social Studies Curriculum of the
Department of Education in the Philippines can be understood through
analysis.
B. Geography’s dilemma is to establish its aggravated by its diverse scope that
includes an array of disciplines in the physical and social science.
C. Geography was not seen as the missing link between the natural and the
social sciences (Castree,2011).
 4.) This implies the need to integrate _______ into the geography curriculum in basic
education.
A. Human Geography
B. Physical Geography
C. Political Ecology
5.) In the recent research of the curriculum in the Philippines they found students that
have “low-level” thinking skills and negative attitude towards _________________.
A. Human, Physical, and Environmental Geography.
B. Geography and Sociology
C. . Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology

REFERENCE
Trends and issues in Social Studies: Arnie G. Dizon. (2010). Retrieved April 14, 2023,
from http://opac.auf.edu.ph:8080/newgenlibctxt/view
Trends and issues in Social Studies: Arnie G. Dizon. (2010). Retrieved April 14,

2023, from http://opac.auf.edu.ph:8080/newgenlibctxt/view?

https://www.worldatlas.com/geography/the-five-themes-in-geography.