Three golden principles in geography teaching: valuing theory, matching cases and reflecting on self

ABSTRACT This article presents a new model of curriculum making on geography teaching at the higher education level. It shows how what we term the ‘three golden principles’ – valuing theory, matching cases and reflecting on self – can be used to inspire and contribute to geographic thought and theory teaching. The article discusses the role of geographic theories in teaching and learning in higher education with reference to Tim Cresswell’s book Geographic Thought. It then describes a teaching experiment carried out with postgraduate students in a Chinese university that sought to establish the effectiveness of the three golden principles in practice. The article demonstrates how, under the guidance of the principles, students can develop their critical and creative thinking skills. It shows that these principles can enhance the integration of students’ scientific knowledge with everyday knowledge of geography and discusses the implications of this approach for geography teaching in China and elsewhere.