New concept of geographical education in the Russian Federation: challenges, problems, contradictions, prospects

Abstract

The concept of geographical education is the main document regulating the structure and content of the subject study. The new Concept of geographical education in the Russian Federation was developed in 2016 by the Russian Geographical Society in conjunction with the Ministry of science and education of the Russian Federation. It was submitted for the discussion of the pedagogical and scientific community and adopted at the second All-Russian Congress of geography teachers 2-3 November, 2016 in M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. A new Concept of geographical education in the Russian Federation was adopted at the end of 2016. It contains the main principles, priorities, goals, objectives and main directions of geographical education development in school and in extracurricular activities; defines the mechanisms, tools, resources, and expected implementation results. There are significant contradictions and problems of implementation of the Concept, putting some purpose into the category of impossible. This requires coordination and adjustment of the Concept’s provisions with the realities of educational activities at school and at the university. At the same time, in the Concept there are significant differences that put some of its goals in the category of impossible. Their main reason is the inconsistency of some provisions of the concept with a real educational process. In this regard, there is the problem of matching and adjustment of the Concept’s provisions, bringing them into conformity with other normative documents in the field of education and real teaching activities at school and at the University.