ОN CARTOGRAPHIC LITERACY OF STUDENTS AND GEOGRAPHICAL EDUCATION PARADOXES

Abstract

Program of study of geography in secondary (full) general education school includes the study of students under “Sources of geographic information”, which includes the formation of concepts such as geographic model – a globe, maps, terrain plan representations of their main parameters and elements (scale, conventional signs, methods of cartographic representation, degree network), as well as possession of certain skills (orienting by map, map reading, space and aerial photographs) – the components of your cartographic literacy. The main state exam, assessing knowledge after the end of grade 9, generally shows a low level of cartographic knowledge and skills – only 37% of schoolchildren can correctly determine geographic coordinates, and less than 30% – to measure the distance between objects on a topographic map. Within the framework of the school program, the students do not have an understanding that geographical knowledge in general and cartographic one in particular form a spatial worldview of a person, a priori accompany them all their life and have a civilizational significance.Another result shows a unified state examination in geography in grade 11. During the period of studies in grades 10-11, motivated graduates who pass the geography exam significantly improve their cartographic literacy level, although the school curriculum has nothing to do with it.The current situation is systemic in character and requires systematic methods for its solution. In the practice of teaching geography in the main and secondary (full) schools, the structure of instruction should be changed, paying more attention to the independent active cognitive activity of students, showing on concrete examples of everyday life, the importance of cartographic knowledge and skills

Keywords

• geographical education
• cartographic literacy
• state certification