Teaching and Learning Geography in Italian First Cycle of Education: Knowledge Elements and Proposals for a Renewed Curriculum

Nowadays Italy is experiencing a lack of policy in defence of the teaching of Geography, and this has caused the marginalization of this disciplinary field over time, especially in the secondary school. The primary and the lower secondary school (First Cycle of Education) represent a positive exception. However, for these school grades it has long been evident that solutions need to be proposed and implemented with regards to complex issues, i.e. the contents to be taught, the potential and role of geographical education in a multidisciplinary perspective (e.g. Civic Education), and finally teacher training. Above all, an updating of the curriculum proposals seems necessary, especially in the light of the environmental challenges and sensitive social issues of the contemporary world. Starting from the existing conceptual framework and the results of a survey provided to a sample of teachers, this paper offers some knowledge elements and proposals about the actions to be taken to contributing to renew the Geography curriculum in the Italian First Cycle of Education.