The Future as a Learning Exercise in Geography

Abstract

This article describes a series of exercises concerning the future that can be utilized in geographic education. Future studies have the advantages of a relatively high level of student involvement, a strong inducement to thinking in terms of systems, and opportunities to introduce the geographic approach to a problem. Exercises include the design of the human ecology of an island, the investigation of alternative urban futures, the evaluation of the effects of different theories of social change, the design of immediate changes in the man made environment that will improve the future environment, and the evaluation of the effects of advancing technology and retreating technology.