Abstract:

The new geography curriculum for primary education in Greece has been in a pilot phase since the school year 2021- 2022. This study aimed to identify the instructional approaches embedded within the new geography curriculum. A textual analysis was conducted to explore the semantic relationships in the curriculum text, which served as the primary data source. The findings suggest that the new geography curriculum promotes various student-centered instructional approaches, including cooperative, experiential, inquiry-based, and discovery learning. Furthermore, project-based learning is strongly encouraged, with emphasis on developing a wide range of skills, attitudes values, and knowledge across three primary thematic areas: maps, natural environment, and human environment. Notably, the new curriculum underscores the importance of differentiated instruction to address the diverse needs of students in the classroom, recognising that different learning paths should be provided to students to better achieve the learning outcomes. The new geography curriculum offers significant instructional insights by promoting a variety of contemporary, student-centered approaches.

Keywords:

Instructional approaches, learning, geography curriculum, primary education, Greece.