This study aims at introducing, explaining and evaluating the revised secondary school (high school) geography lesson curriculum in Turkey. Preliminary studies on the new curriculum started in 2002, and it was implemented in 2005. In this context, the article will focus on the programme development process and approaches, principle components of…

Geography, as with all subjects, has a set of organising principles and concepts. One of the central concepts which underpins the subject is that of place. However, it is very much the case that this is an evolving concept, which has taken on a number of guises over time. This paper reviews some of the major changes in perspectives on place as a…

This paper reflects on the implementation of a peer-assessment innovation in a large first-year geography unit. While the innovation had been carefully researched, difficulties in the implementation drew the authors' attention to the need for more change management to be built into the design and development. Focusing specifically on the teacher…

Human geography students face changing qualification requirements due to a shift towards new topics, educational tasks and professional options regarding issues of spatial development. This "practical turn" raises the importance of inter- and transdisciplinary work, management and capability building skills, with case study projects and…

"The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Ask Dr. de Blij (Dr. Harm de Blij); (2) Meet GADO (TGT); (3) Why French? (David Bulambo Bitingingwa);…

In this article, I propose using the "field trip-based learning community" as a way to foster informal interaction among students and faculty. By incorporating students into the design and implementation of a field trip, faculty can engineer an environment where student and teacher encourage and learn from one another in an environment not tied to…

One of the major components of Dr. Montessori's plan for peace education is a curriculum that de-emphasizes nationalism. The "big picture" of the cultural curriculum encourages the perspective that people are citizens of Earth first, and only secondarily American, Japanese, Polish, or other nationalities. Through the fundamental needs…

Making educational places more inviting to learners is a key aspect of Invitational Theory. This paper introduces a simple technique for sensitizing learners and instructors to how their environment affects their feelings and ability to learn. It describes a learning exercise that may be used to assess, evaluate and transform places, to promote…

In two experiments we investigated the effects of temporal and spatial contiguity on learning from a computer-based geographic map and associated text. In Experiment 1, participants were randomly assigned to conditions that presented text either contiguous to (temporal or spatiotemporal) or noncontiguous to corresponding map features. The results…

This article is based on a doctoral dissertation study, "Expanding Geographic Understanding in Grade 8 Social Studies Classes through Integration of Geography, Music, and History: A QuasiExperimental Study" that took place in a high-achieving, suburban middle school in Southern California. The study compared learning as a result of nine…

This research examines "lesson study" as a traditional model of creating professional knowledge in schools. "Lesson study," typically defined as teachers' classroom based collaborative research, has a long history in Japan as a shared professional culture with potential for enhancing learning, enriching classroom activities and…

This article reports the findings of a case study where microteaching was implemented to assist geography teacher-trainees in the planning, design, and implementation of learner-centered instruction in the classroom. The data were collected via questionnaires completed by B.Ed. Geography teacher-trainees (n = 24); structured interviews with some…

This paper presents an analysis of the current situation of Spanish geography in higher education. The authors show that Spanish geography has undergone a profound transformation in the new democratic era, resulting in a thriving community struggling to find its place amongst other disciplines. To assess the current health of the discipline in…

This article discusses the current state of the geography discipline in higher education institutions in Australia. Geography in Australia is vulnerable--and perhaps more so than in many of the other countries covered in this special issue. Reasons for this are discussed. Amidst description of a series of struggles, this article also seeks to…

As higher education institutions worldwide seek to internationalize academic programmes, questions arise as to how institutions can effectively involve and support faculty in that process. The present study rests on the premise that professional development can play a decisive role in advancing two important components of…