Time for geography to catch up with the world

This article makes the case that the subject of geography needs to change if we do not want another generation of students to leave school with an outdated view of the world (Rosling et al., 2018 Rosling, H., Rosling, O. and Rosling Rönnlund, A. (2018) Factfulness: Ten reasons we’re wrong about the world – and why things are better than you think. London: Hodder and Stoughton. [Google Scholar]). Firstly, we need to ensure that resources and teaching do not present a binary view of developed versus developing countries, as is the case with some exam specifications. I call for the usage of more precise language to describe the bulk of countries that sit between low and high-income countries. Teachers are encouraged to make use of Rosling’s Four Income Levels as a graduated conceptual framework to help students understand the range of countries and living conditions experienced. Secondly, development theories need to transcend reductionist and diminished notions of development (such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)) and include a deeper idea of progress – one that encompasses cultural growth, economic and political transformation and affords nations the freedom to chart their own paths.‘What’s a middle income country?’ asked one year 10 student.‘There aren’t any’, replied another

Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Library science · Mathematics education · Millennium Development Goals · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Subject (documents) · Computer Science · Geography Education and Pedagogy · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Law · Psychology

• Enlightenment Now

  Steven Pinker, Pablo Hermida Lazcano•Enlightenment Now•2019

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