Geography Teachers Forum brings together more than 800 participants from Russia’s regions

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The Forum of Geography Teachers and Students of Specialised Universities was held at the National Centre RUSSIA on 25 June. It became one of the key events of the "Geography Lessons" exposition and an important point of growth for those who use the subject every day to fulfil an essential educational mission, inspiring pupils to take an interest in their native country and its vast expanses. The event brought together more than 800 participants from all federal districts of Russia: school geography teachers, university lecturers, students specialising in relevant fields, teaching methodology specialists, secondary school heads and representatives of government bodies. Together, they discussed key issues in the development of geographical education, from modernising the subject content and creating a new textbook to enhancing the prestige of the teaching profession and fostering patriotism through expeditions and educational activities.

The Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, Sergei Kravtsov, delivered welcoming remarks to the forum participants. He said that the "Geography Lessons" exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA had made a strong impression on him. According to Sergei Kravtsov, such expositions popularise science and increase interest in the subject, so visits should be arranged for as many schoolchildren as possible, while similar spaces should be created not only in Moscow but also at National Centre RUSSIA branches opening across the country.

"A standardised geography textbook is currently being developed jointly with the Russian Geographical Society. We will devote greater attention to Russia and to interdisciplinary links between geography and biology, physics, history, social studies and other subjects. The textbook is now being prepared, and schools are expected to begin using it on 1 September 2028. Before then, we will train teachers and will be interested in your feedback, proposals and wishes. Once the textbook is ready, we will provide it to you for testing and critical review," Sergei Kravtsov said.

The Minister thanked the teachers for their pupils’ achievements. He reported that the number of students taking the Unified State Examination in geography had increased by 4,500 this year, with around 20,000 schoolchildren choosing the subject. According to the Minister, the results achieved by the Russian team at the Open Geo International Geography Olympiad were a particular source of pride: four gold and two silver medals.

The Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Natalia Virtuozova, emphasised that geography shapes a person’s worldview and lays the foundation for the future, something that the "Geography Lessons" exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA helps visitors to understand.

"You teach a special, remarkable and romantic subject. It encourages people to think broadly and without limits, and therefore to dream. President Vladimir Putin said: 'Russia’s borders do not end anywhere.' This phrase reflects the boundless nature of our country in every sense. Inspired by these words, we created the 'Geography Lessons' exposition. It welcomes one thousand visitors every day. While preparing the exposition, we realised what an extraordinary science geography is. I would like to thank you, dear teachers, for choosing this subject and loving it. This means that all of us can hope that our children, and we ourselves, will continue to dream," said the Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Natalia Virtuozova.

The Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Olga Petrova, expressed confidence that the forum would help build bridges between academic research and school teaching and make geographical education more modern and relevant.

"I would like to thank the National Centre RUSSIA for organising the forum and paying attention to this important subject. Within higher education, we are working with the Ministry of Education to develop a training programme for future geography teachers. Geography is a major field of science with a strong research tradition. Large geography faculties, including that of Moscow State University, where research areas in this field are created and developed, provide a foundation for further study. Geography is one of those fields of knowledge in which no boundaries exist. It is an ocean that you enter and very quickly realise has no end. As soon as you reach a certain point and tell yourself, 'I think I understand everything now,' an immense space immediately opens up for something new and for the next level of understanding the world and your country," noted the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Olga Petrova.

She also noted that students who choose geography have opportunities to develop in related fields, including cartography, geodesy and other sciences concerned with the study of space. According to Olga Petrova, everyone entering this field shares one important quality: genuine curiosity, a desire to discover something new continually and to understand the surrounding world better.

Participants in the "Geography Lessons" plenary session discussed the science as part of Russia’s civilisational code, bringing together a thousand years of experience in exploring space, modern scientific expeditions, digital technologies and teaching expertise. Mikhail Vaganov, a geography teacher at the Sirius Presidential Lyceum and a semi-finalist in the "Klassnaya Tema!" ("Cool Topic!") television programme, spoke about how teaching, blogging and a passion for the subject can be combined effectively and what benefits this can offer pupils.

"It is impossible to work exclusively from a textbook. Every teacher supplements it with their own materials and resources. We constantly create worksheets, exchange experience with colleagues, follow new methods and discuss interesting ideas and successful practices. I have been fortunate in this respect. Together with my pupils, we launched the 'Geographer' project, through which we began creating educational videos and publications. Its main value was that the schoolchildren were not consumers of content but its creators. They learnt to formulate their thoughts, prepare materials, work as a team and participate in writing scripts, filming and editing. At the same time, everyone was responsible for the final result and understood that publication would be followed by questions, comments and feedback from the audience," Mikhail Vaganov shared.

He also added that artificial intelligence was already becoming an integral part of the educational process. According to Mikhail Vaganov, he uses such technologies in lessons by asking pupils to compare responses generated by neural networks with textbook materials or to adapt complex topics for younger children. At the same time, the teacher emphasised that the spread of artificial intelligence requires teachers to seek new formats and assignments constantly, since many traditional creative tasks can now be completed with its help.

The plenary session also featured Oskar Konyukhov, Head of Fyodor Konyukhov’s Expedition Headquarters; Stanislav Drobyshevsky, an anthropologist and Associate Professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University; and Valdis Pelsh, a television presenter, traveller, documentary filmmaker and member of the Russian Geographical Society. Each shared their perspective on how geography extends beyond the school textbook and fills our lives with vivid colours through science, expeditions, modern media formats and the unique experiences of individuals.

Following the plenary session, forum participants attended an extensive programme covering six key areas: "A New Geography Textbook", "How to Move Beyond the Classroom and Textbook and Become a Geography Opinion Leader", "From Satellite Images to School Quests: How Advanced Technologies Are Transforming Geography Lessons", "Beyond the Desk: Geographical Knowledge Through Expeditions and Scientific Discoveries", "A Compass for Your Vocation: Motivational Routes" and "School Geography: From Achieving Subject-Specific Learning Outcomes to Assessing Them". The teachers were also offered tours of the National Centre RUSSIA expositions "Journey Across Russia" and "Geography Lessons".

The Forum of Geography Teachers and Students of Specialised Universities was organised by the National Centre RUSSIA with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Russian Geographical Society, the V. S. Lednev Institute for the Content and Methods of Education and HSE University.