Perspectives in Australian global education and geography/Mätauranga Matawhenua

In teaching and learning geography and global education in Australia, understanding a range of perspectives is important because content and practice are inextricably linked. Currently both geography and global education promote a ‘perspectives’ curricula approach requiring effective implementation of a range of perspectives theories such as positivism, multiculturalism, deep environmentalism, feminism and globalism. This paper outlines the philosophical basis of perspectivism, discusses some of the major perspectives theories and their backgrounds, and describes how they are applied in teaching geography and global education with particular reference to the Australian (principally New South Wales) and New Zealand curricula. It concludes with some comments on the current classroom reality of the ‘perspectives’ curricula approach