EDUCATIONAL CARTOGRAPHY: MAPPING A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Although school atlases represent a major sector in cartographic publishing, we know little about how these materials are developed. This is partly because the number of people directly involved in research and development worldwide is relatively small, partly because commercial competition has generally stifled debate and partly because theoretical perspectives on map design for young people remain underdeveloped. Although the content, appearance and sequencing of school atlas maps are influenced by theories of young peoples understanding as well as of how the maps will be used in classrooms, these theories are rarely made explicit. School atlases have been described as a category of establishment mapping and resistant, therefore, to innovation. If this is true, how does it happen and how can it be prevented? Where does power lie in the development process and on what basis are choices made? These are key questions because the materials themselves play a significant role in shaping childrens world view