The international geoscience school syllabus and its development

Abstract

International organisations focussed on school-level Earth science education decided in 2012 to develop a recommended geoscience syllabus for use in countriesacross the world. The syllabus was developed on these initial principles: it should be based on the content of existing curricula, be well-structured, be presented as a succinct document with flexible exemplification, and be given as a list of content to be covered by the age of 16. A range of national Earth science curricula submitted by international colleagues was analysed. A first draft of the syllabus was developed from this analysis and circulated for comment; this was modified in response to feedback and recirculated; the final document was endorsed by the organisations and published on their websites in January 2014. This document has the potential to enhance Earth science education across the world, providing crucial background to those who will become the decision-makes of the future.