A Study On The Opening Of Geography Experimental Courses In Middle Schools And Its Influences On Geographical Teaching

Quality-oriented education mainly deals with the cultivation of students'initiative spirits and practice ability. Geographical science is a discipline with verystrong practicality. So, the education slogan of " strengthening the cultivation ofgeographical practice ability " has been widely echoed. What's been done in thisregard, however, turned to be far from being satisfying, which was fully demonstratedby the Chinese students' performance in the Third International GeographicalOlympic Contest. So, strengthening the practicality involved in geographical study isa task of top priority in geographical teaching of middle schools. But the traditionalgeographical practices are mostly dissociated outside the regular classroominstructions. Introduction of vigor into geographical classroom instructions andgetting the students participate in the learning process can only be realized by theopening of geographical experiment courses in middle schools. Only under thiscontext, can we well integrate practices with routine classroom instructions, can wemove practices all through the whole geographical teaching process, and can weeffectively promote the reform of geographical teaching. Up until now, beingconfined by traditional teaching ideas and goals, domestic middle schools scarcelyoffer geographical experiment courses, and studies in this respect have been carriedout only on a very small scale. This paper, starting from the aspects of definition,systematization, contents and value orientation, constructed the scientific structure ofgeographical experiment courses in middle schools. On the basis of considerations ofgeographical knowledge, ability, process and method, emotional attitudes and values,the paper also probes into the impacts of middle-school geographical experimentcourses on geographical teaching goals. In the interest of enabling geographicalexperiment courses to be offered smoothly on a long-run basis, making themimportant means in cultivating students' practice ability, reasons of why such coursesare not attached enough importance to are systematically analyzed. The generalteaching principles of being practical, comprehensive, open, inquiry, procedural, etc,are also covered. A teaching evaluation system was finally established on the basis ofan overlook on evolutional function, principles and process. Here we sincerely hopethat geographical educators well understand the precise meaning and importance ofgeographical experiment courses and endeavor to offer them in their activities in acreative approach, organically integrating geographical lectures with practicalattempts and ushering middle-school geographical education into a new era of coursereforming. Only in this way, can we meet the needs of the times, can we get over thedrawbacks of the exam-oriented education system, and can we foster sound individualcharacters and intact personality with students.