Research On Situational Designs For Regional Cognition Of Geography In Junior Middle School

The Geography Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education(2022 edition)proposes that the theme teaching activities of “Knowing the Region” should be carried out through situational contexts,raising questions and assigning tasks,thus helping learners focus on regional differences,regional special connections and interactions through basic situational contexts.Regional cognition is one of the four core qualities of geography teaching.To cultivate students’ regional cognition ability through effective situational contexts can benefit students in more than one way: establishing their concept of geographical space;helping them to understand those unique and interrelated regions;fostering their strong passions for their hometown and their motherland;promoting their understanding of the world.And ultimately this can help students to foster a sense of community with a shared future for mankind.So far,there is much room for improvement as research on situational design for regional cognition of geography in junior middle school is concerned.Based on constructivist learning theory,situational cognition theory and geography teaching theory,this paper investigates the current research status on situational contexts which aims to improve students’ regional cognitive literacy in geography classrooms of junior middle school.It analyses the current problems,accordingly,putting forward proper situational designs and instructional strategies for cultivating regional cognition.The survey shows that a younger team for geography teaching in junior middle school tends to attach great importance to the cultivation of students’ regional cognition literacy and they have a good understanding for situational designs,therefore actively creating diversified situations.However,most teachers only apply situational contexts in the lead-in parts.Even such problems as the lack of strategies for situational contexts,monotnous situational context,low class involvement for students and shortage of awareness of enhancing students’ regional cognition literacy still exist.According to the teaching objectives set out in the new version of the geography curriculum standards for compulsory education,it is advisable to carry our studies on the theory,methods and cases about how situational contexts are designed according to different regions and typical case studies from junior middle school geography textbooks.For the three sections respectively listed as “Knowing the Continent,Knowing the Country and Knowing the Hometown”,this thesis selects “Asia,Japan and the Tangdao Bay National Wetland Park in Qingdao,Shandong Province” as cases for carrying out situational designs.As for “Knowing the Hometown”,outdoor hands-on activities and interdisciplinary theme programs are applied into the design which accurately meet the requirements of quality-oriented education and new curriculum reform.This will be of great reference significance to geography teaching in junior middle school.