How does powerful knowledge come into play in a geography curriculum?

Geography has often been viewed as a school subject that simply requires memorization. However, many experts think that this field may actually integrate powerful knowledge. Although the definition of powerful knowledge (PK) has been debated by experts, many agree that it is evidence based, abstract and theoretical, and gives power to students through giving them knowledge they would not get in their everyday lives. It comes from experts in their disciplines and provides the most reliable, but also testable and open to challenge knowledge. PK is part of a larger conversation about the significance of subject knowledge in curricula. This study analyzed Finnish in-service upper secondary school teachers and their conceptions of geography. The researchers aimed to determine whether the knowledge held and presented by the teachers was PK or not.

This study took place in Northern Finland, with 11 in-service geography teachers. The researchers selected this location because it differs from many other countries in the way that geography is taught in schools. In Finland, geography is categorized within the natural sciences, which means that most geography teachers have natural science backgrounds. Additionally, teachers have more autonomy in their lessons than in other countries. The participants in the study were between 32 and 59 years old and had 5 to 33 years of teaching experience. Of the 11 teachers, 7 were female and 4 were male. All participants previously studied geography at a Finnish university.

The researchers had the teachers create concept maps and then conducted interviews. The teachers were given blank pieces of paper or used a concept mapping software in order to create a concept map about what they think geography is. The interviews were semi-structured with themes but were mainly long discussions between the interviewee and the researcher, with the average interview being over two hours. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed to understand the teachers' conceptions about geography.

The researchers found that teachers defined geographical knowledge as spatial knowledge in their concept maps or interviews. Eight teachers mentioned the term “spatial aspect” in their concept map and ten of them mentioned it in their interview. Many of the teachers felt that geographical thinking can help students conceive the world and that maps are a great tool for students to learn from. The participants saw questions as an integral part of geography and stated that they encourage curiosity in their students. Most teachers agreed that geography is an interdisciplinary science that can be used to bring together social and natural sciences.

When thinking about geographical knowledge, seven of the teachers expressed that they teach in-depth content and that they divide the concepts into natural and human geography. Five of the teachers stated they divide the concepts into hazard and regional geography. Based on how the teachers divided their concepts, the researchers determined that they heavily lean on the national core curriculum for their teaching. However, many of the teachers said that they felt detached from the field of geography as a whole as they garner much of their geographical information from the surrounding world. Other places that teachers explained getting their geographical knowledge from include their work as a teacher and their own lived experiences.

The teachers asserted that geography could help students develop real world skills. The skills that the teachers listed include expanding one's world knowledge and thinking geographically. When assessing their teaching methods, the teachers picked out four of the most important aspects—spatial conceptualization, ability to apply information, ability to understand and remember information, and understanding entities and casualties. Overall, the researchers found that these results meant that the teachers had extensive understandings of geography.

When evaluating whether the teachers' geographical knowledge was powerful knowledge, the researchers concluded that the teachers' knowledge was not fully powerful because it did not originate from the geography discipline as many of the teachers felt detached from it. However, they did find that in many other ways, their knowledge aligned with the concept of powerful knowledge. The researchers listed the 6 ways that the teachers' knowledge was PK—providing new ways of thinking about the world; providing powerful ways of analyzing, explaining, and understanding the world; giving students power in their geographical knowledge, emphasizing the students' world experiences; providing geographical knowledge of the world; and supporting a sustainable way of life.

This study had limitations. The study only took place in Finland, which is different from most other countries in that it categorizes geography as a natural science. There was also a small sample size of only 11 participants and all of the participants had similar education background. These factors make it harder for the results to be generalized.

The researchers note that it is difficult to decide on a single definition of PK but recommend that this study be used to add on to the definition and the conversation around it. As an additional recommendation, there should be a more streamlined definition around PK. The researchers also make note that to teach PK, teachers need to be more specialized in geography and feel connected to the field.