Geography as a future subject: New standards for our schools!

Geography as a future subject: New standards for our schools!

On April 4, 2025, an important event took place at the University of Passau to which geography teachers from all over Bavaria were invited. The event included two keynote speeches on the first day, in which a central focus was on the new educational standards in geography for the general university entrance qualification. Karl Walter Hoffmann, the honorary chairman of the Association of German School Geographers (VDSG), explained that geography as a future subject is crucial for overcoming global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and migration. This discipline enables students to understand the complex nature of these topics and work towards innovative solutions through applied geography. This is supported by the progress in the national educational standards for geography, which are published by the German Society for Geography (DGfG) and have been continuously updated since 2006 to ensure and further develop the quality of the educational process.

PD Dr. provided further inspiration. Jeannine Wintzer from the University of Bern. She discussed the importance of changes in perspective and worldviews, which are of central relevance to geography. The Friday of the program was characterized by a variety of discussion forums, panel discussions, lectures and workshops. Geopolitically relevant areas such as Israel, Turkey and the USA as well as general geographical issues, including climate change, climate justice, sustainable urban development, environmental and nature conservation and tropical rainforests were discussed.

Diverse program

Another part of the event included workshops that dealt with motivating teaching methods, didactic reflections and networked thinking. Participants also had the opportunity to be inspired by an exhibition in the Audimax foyer. Presentations by students on the Federal Environmental Competition and “Jugend forscht” were shown there. In its presentations, the State Office for the Environment addressed the challenges of climate change for the Free State and presented the significant risks, while the Bavarian Forest Nature Park and the Lindner Foundation presented offers for school classes.

Saturday was characterized by excursions to various extracurricular learning locations in the region. These included places worth visiting such as the Haus am Strom, the Hauzenberg granite center, farms in the Bavarian Forest and geological highlights of Eastern Bavaria. The high demand for geographical city walks through Passau, which are viewed from a historical-genetic perspective as well as critical geographies, illustrates the great interest in these topics.

Conviviality and inspiration

Another highlight of the event was the supporting program, which included social elements such as a social and pub evening. The highlight was the “Geo Party” with DJ Sarah Mehringer, who created a good atmosphere. Prof. Dr. Andreas Eberth, who helped organize the event, thanked the team for the comprehensive organization and emphasized the impulses that were given for innovative geography teaching.

The educational standards for geography have proven to be an important instrument for placing curricula on a nationwide, uniform basis and for positioning geography in terms of subject policy. The continuous updating of these standards, especially in the areas of digitalization and education for sustainable development, underlines their relevance and high acceptance in both science and practice. University of Passau, Geography didactics, Imprint geography didactics.