Future Scenarios for Geography Teaching in Croatia

Based on the assertion that geographic knowledge and skills are more important than ever for understanding global processes and making rational and informed decisions, it is curious that geography teaching in Croatia faces unpleasant organizational and other substantive challenges. These challenges include a difficult demographic situation, a decreasing number of students, reduced interest in geography as a life vocation, threats to the quality of geography teaching, and the public’s ignorance of the practical importance of geography. If no measures are taken to improve the position of geography in the Croatian education system and thus the public perception of geography, this may lead to its further marginalization (scenario 1). The ultimate consequence of following that trajectory could be the complete disappearance of geography from the education system. By adopting partial measures (scenario 2), whether from the organizational or substantive aspects of the issue, the eventual collapse can merely be delayed. Within the framework of the most favorable scenario for promoting geography teaching (scenario 3), several options for reversing negative trends are presented. These options include new teaching approaches, such as the integration of research-based learning to contextualize global challenges in a local setting. This can be achieved by using information and communications technology (ICT) and/or by implementing the concept of smart specialization in geography teaching in collaboration with the local community. Both approaches promote the strengthening of higher cognitive processes, stimulate students’ innovation and creativity, and emphasize the solution of local challenges with the aim of observing and demonstrating the applicability of geography as a profession, thus strengthening its position in society.