Curriculum making in an age of crisis: the contribution of the capabilities approach

Abstract

This article discusses the geography curriculum in response to the current epoch. Epoch-typical issues include economic and environmental justice associated with climate change. The circumstances we describe are exacerbated, we suggest, by the broader social, cultural and political contexts and divisions stoked by post-truth politics and social media. We argue that this age of crisis calls for a positive, coherent and principled educational response such as that exemplified by the capabilities approach to school geography. In recent years, conceptual and practical work emerging from GeoCapabilities has strengthened our conviction that ‘Future 3’ curriculum making has the potential to empower students through its engagement with geography. Teachers should be supported to acquire agency in the knowledge work necessary to achieve the full educational value of geography in education.