How should the concept of "continents" be taught?

Question

In the US, we are taught that there are 7 continents (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Antarctica, Australia). We are taught this 7 continent rule as if it were law. (At least, that's how I was taught.)

In some parts of the world, they are taught that there are 5 or 6 continents (I believe they are taught as America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and sometimes Antarctica).

What are your thoughts on this? What makes a continent a continent? How were you taught continents? Any informed geography majors out there want to weigh in on this?

I have my own thoughts on how they should be taught, as a Political Science grad student, but is there a general standard based on physical geography?

Maybe "taught" was the wrong word to use... I'm not going to actually be teaching anyone about continents, but I'd like your feedback on how continents are taught? Essentially, what should define a continent as such? (I didn't want to ask that question specifically out of fear of getting a lot of answers that just list continents.)

Thanks for your answers.

Answer 1

(this is a really long answer so bear with me)

i think it depends on who (or what age) your teaching. if you'll be teaching kindergarten or gradeschool students (in the philippines, continents are taught as early as kindergarten) they should be introduced by their flora, fauna, folklore, and things which would attract a kid's mind (which is really hard to do considering the toys and games you compete with). you can tell kids what unique animals, and stories originated at that place.
if however, you'll be teaching college students, it's better to introduce the continent, together with the notable countries belonging in that continent for the student to better remember and store in his mind the location, significance and features of the continent. since you're also a political science grad, you'll remember the concept ofthe "nation". its a grouping of people with a common religion, ethnicity, language or something that binds them together in whatever way. i think that's how a continent should also be defined. as a grouping of countries or states with a similar language, ethnicity custom.....etc. The only reason for the variance of the number of continents is because some geographers consider america as 1 continent, while others divide into north, south (and even central)
personally, i think a division is necessary because it will support the idea that a continent is bound by ethnicity. Ex. south america is a continent in itself because it is bound by similar language and customs

Answer 2

Since geography is defined by local convention and there is difficulty in setting lines in terms of "continuous", there are several variations as to which land masses qualify as continents, and which must be classified as supercontinents, microcontinents, subcontinents or islands. Seven landmasses and their associated islands are commonly reckoned as continents, but these may be consolidated. For example, North and South America are often considered a single continent, and Asia is often united with Europe. Ignoring cases where Antarctica is omitted, or where Australasia or Oceania are used in place of Australia (when considered as the largest island of the globe), there are half a dozen traditions for naming the continents.

The 7-continent model is usually taught in Western Europe, China, and most native English-speaking countries. The 6-continent combined-America model is taught in Latin America, Iberia and some other parts of Europe. The 6-continent combined-Eurasia model is preferred by the geographic community, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Japan. In all of these cases, the names Australasia or Oceania may be used in place of Australia; in Canada, the government-approved Atlas of Canada names 7 continents and indicates Oceania instead.
Geologists use the term continent in a different manner than geographers. Rather than simply identifying large land masses, geologists have distinct criteria for identifying continents. Continents are portions of the Earth's crust characterized by a stable platform of Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rock (typically 1.5 to 3.8 billion years old) largely of granitic composition, called the craton, and a central "shield" where the craton is exposed at the surface. The craton itself is an accretionary complex of ancient mobile belts (mountain belts) from earlier cycles of subduction, continental collision and break up from plate tectonic activity (see Plate tectonics). An outward-thickening veneer of younger, minimally deformed sedimentary rock covers much of the rest of the craton. The margins of the continents are characterized by currently-active or relatively recently active mobile belts and/or deep troughs of accumulated marine or deltaic sediments. Beyond the margin, there is a: 1) continental shelf and drop off to the basaltic-rock ocean basin; or, 2) the margin of another continent, depending on the current plate-tectonic setting of the continent. A continental boundary does not have to be a body of water. Over geologic time, continents are periodically submerged under large epicontinental seas, and continental collisions result in a continent becoming attached to another continent. The current geologic era is relatively anomalous in that so much of the continental areas are "high and dry" compared to much of geologic history.

It is believed that continents are accretionary crustal "rafts" which, unlike the denser basaltic crust of the ocean basins, are not subjected to destruction through the plate tectonic process of subduction. This accounts for the great age of the rocks comprising the continental cratons.

By the geologists' definition, Europe and Asia are separate continents since they have separate, distinct ancient shield areas and a distinct newer mobile belt (the Ural Mountains) forming the mutual margin. Also, India is a geological continent, as it contains a central shield, and the geologically recent Himalaya mobile belt forms its northern margin. North America and South America are separate continents, the connecting isthmus being largely the result of volcanism from relatively recent subduction tectonics. But the North American continent also includes Greenland, which is a portion of Canadian Shield, and the mobile belt forming its western margin includes the easternmost portion of the Asian land mass.

Answer 3

Try dividing the world by tectonic plates.