South Africa: Teaching geography with GIS across diverse technological contexts

Abstract

Geographic Information Systems was phased into the curriculum of South African schools from 2006 to 2008 as part of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for geography for Grades 10-12. Since its introduction, GIS education in secondary schools across the country has been met with a number of challenges and an array of different responses from schools and teachers. This chapter outlines these challenges and responses by describing a number of efforts to implement GIS within three different categories of schools in the country: Private, public, and previously disadvantaged. While the pedagogical approach of each school to elucidate the basic concepts of GIS to students varies considerably, the chapter demonstrates how the basic geographic skills and concepts inherent in GIS can be successfully learnt regardless of the approach employed.