The aim of this presentation is to introduce some opinions that primary school student teachers have concerning geography and geography teaching. The data was collected in 2009 and 2010 with a questionnaire in the beginning of the course of didactics of primary geography. This course is obligatory for all primary student teachers in the University of Helsinki. The data consists answers from 179 respondents, 85 per cent of them are female.

The questions included statements on the importance of geography and its main contents, how to teach geography and how essential it is to teach with maps, to use text books, to make fieldtrips or to use discussions, debates or drama during the lessons. One question was about the understanding of the reasons for seasons. There were also some open-ended questions for example about three most important themes or contents in primary geography.

One third of the respondents thought that it will be quite difficult to teach geography in primary school, but 81 per cent thought that teaching geography is fun and rousing only 10 respondents thought that it is uninspiring and 13 per cent had no opinion. Over ninety per cent sets great store by teaching map skills and with maps. But one third of the primary school teacher students have still problems how to explain the reasons for seasons!  

Key words: Geography teaching, primary school