The goal of the research was to learn how young people perceive the value of the Vistula River in Poland. A large sample of high school students (1900 participants, 17-18 years old) from 11 cities along the Vistula was selected for this study. The results indicated a large variety of river values realized by students -symbolical-national, urban, natural, cultural, recreational and sentimental -and displayed values that were rarely shown or omitted.The results were used to create recommendations and themes of education for sustainable development, which are focused on rivers and river valleys. Overall, modified directions, assortment and stronger inflections for the education about rivers, their value and sustainable development are recommended for educational programmes. Results can also help to determine sustainable development pathways for cities, investment planning, usage of river banks and projects of various non-governmental organizations including education.

This paper presents the perception of the Vistula river, the most important of Poland’s rivers, by high-school students from selected Vistula towns and cities. The study of the perception of this river, conducted in 2006-2007, concerned, among other things, the symbolism of the Vistula, its role in nature and landscape of Poland, as well as the course of the river flowing through Poland. It was ascertained that most students perceive the Vistula as a symbol of Poland or the longest river in Poland, but they do not notice, for instance, its ecological role, although they are aware of its role in the landscape of Poland. The results of the study determine the direction and the topics of the geographic education concerning the Vistula river in Polish schools.

The article discusses the values of the Vistula River in Poland’s capital city, Warsaw. The author presents the results of studies identifying residents’ perceptions of the river and outlines local community processes that aim to restore the river’s social value, notably through education.

Classes conducted in the field, thanks to a variety of educational functions, such as demonstrative learning of reality, shaping various skills and attitudes of students, are an opp ortunity for geographic education and showing geography as a useful subject in life. For many geography teachers, conducting fieldwork is a big challenge, mainly organizational. The aim of the research conducted by the authors was: a) learning the opinions of teachers about the difficulties in conducting geographical field classes and b) the legitimacy of their mandatory introduction to the new core curriculum. The article presents the results of a nationwide survey of geography teachers about fieldwork, which, according to the assumptions of the new curriculum, are to constitute an important element of geographic education. Research results indicate that teachers are full of concerns about readiness to conduct such classes, indicating organizational difficulties and deficiencies in methodical preparation. The effect of research is a conclusion about the need and possibilities to supp ort teachers in meeting this new challenge. The existence of the entries themselves in the core curriculum does not guarantee their implementation in the work with students.

The article describes the importance of spatial data resources and GIS tools in environmental education. Data resources available at European and national level and possibilities of their use in education have been presented. Assessment of usefulness of these resources for environmental education objectives was made. Examples of use of spatial data in environmental education are presented.