The traditional Physical Geography teaching, focusing on theory and neglecting practice and innovation, fails to meet the needs of talent cultivation. In response to the aforementioned pedagogical challenges, this study adopts a student-centered and holistic educational philosophy, leveraging an intelligent teaching platform to develop a research-oriented teaching model. This model integrates scientific research papers and current news as context, thematic presentations as an introduction to knowledge, and field internships, annual papers, research projects, and disciplinary competitions as practical bridges. The aim is to enhance students’ comprehension of the course material, foster innovative thinking and research capabilities, and drive comprehensive reform and innovation in Physical Geography courses within higher education institutions.