The HGD is part of the German Society for Geography (DGfG) and represents the interests of geography educators in all phases of teacher education.

The HGD fosters geography education in research and teaching, including university didactics and teacher professional development. The association represents the interests of geography educators in all phases of teacher education and mediates between the needs of the school and the university. The HGD contributes to communicating to the public the high relevance of geography to the solution of the manifold problems of our society.

The HGD was founded in 1971 and today has around 300 members. Representatives of the subject geography didactics at universities (professors, lecturers, research assistants/ associates, subject heads, contract instructors and students) as well as numerous geography teachers get involved in the association’s work. Our members enjoy many benefits. They receive the “Journal of Geography Education” (four times a year), reduced conference fees and about once a week a HGD newsletter with new releases, conferences, job opportunities, research programs as well as information about current developments in educational politics.

You can find membership information and a form to join here (in German)

Through the DGfG the HGD is also connected to the International Geographical Union (IGU). Within the IGU, the HGD is actively represented in the IGU Commission on Geographical Education (IGU-CGE), the international advocacy group of geography educators around the world.

The HGD is a member in the Association for Fachdidaktik (GFD), the umbrella organization of subject didactics in the German-speaking area.

Geography didactics is the science of learning and teaching in geography specific contexts. Close co-operations exist with geography, pedagogy, psychology, other subject didactics as well as the stakeholders of school practice.

Subject didactics deals with the development of theoretical approaches and models which can explain the learning and teaching of geography, with conducting empirical studies especially with regard to geographical-didactical teaching/ learning research as well as with the development of geography specific educational concepts, methods and media.

The HGD supports geography education research in manifold ways:

• Conferences and other events (especially HGD symposia and junior scientist workshops)
• HGD dissertation award
• HGD junior scientist group
• International activities