Presents an introductory exercise for a university course in political geography. First in pairs, then in groups of four, students explore diverse home locations and political experiences of one another. (KC)

Discusses software that educators can use to teach about distortions associated with alternative map projections. Examines the Projection, MicroCAM, World, and Atlas-GIS software programs. Suggests using the software in either introductory or more advanced courses dealing with map design or thematic cartography. Explains how to obtain the…

Presents an annotated bibliography of seven geography education resources for Canadian educators from the ERIC database. The materials include digests, monographs, journal articles, and academic papers. The citations include all relevant bibliographic information and a short abstract, as well as information on locating and ordering the materials.…

Argues that the Internet and the World Wide Web are excellent resources for geography education. Provides instructions for exploring geography resources on the Internet. Reviews six Internet sites (provides URLs) that allow geography teachers and students to interact. Provides instructions for accessing listserves and newsgroups related to…

Discusses concerns about geographic illiteracy and research on children's formation of geographic concepts. Elaborates five themes for teaching geography to young children: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region. (Contains 17 references.) (SK)

A phenomenographic approach to research into learning can be appropriate for exploring the approaches geography students adopt in their learning. This resources article provides a brief description of phenomenography. The essence of the approach is that it takes a relational qualitative perspective that aims to describe key aspects of variation in…

The World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg made it clear that political leadership the world over is incapable of rising to the challenges of sustainability. Yet, most of the hundred or so world leaders who attended have a higher education degree from some of the world's most prestigious universities. This paper tries to…

What are maps? Maps are representations of actual surface areas of the world. But what makes the use of maps so important for scientific thinking? The answer is simple: Map use relies on one's ability to identify relationships between two things. For example, the distance between Key West, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, is 1024 kilometers…

This commentary suggests that the first geography course a student takes is of critical importance because the relative success or failure of the instructor in offering an interesting, relevant, and well-taught class may strongly influence whether the student take additional geography courses later in his or her education career.

This study explores how graduate students enrolled in M.A./M.S. and Ph.D. geography programs perceive the social and academic climate of their departments. A second objective is to understand how these students self-assess their own professional abilities, values, and goals, and whether these self-assessments differ across demographic and…

The geography education literature touts the World Wide Web (Web) as a revolutionary educational tool, yet most accounts ignore its uses for public communication and creative expression. This article argues that students can be producers of content that is of service to local audiences. Drawing inspiration from the community networking movement,…

The author describes methods for using picture books to teach geography in middle school. Introducing students to geographic regions through narrative and visual text can provide background information about the area, stimulate student interest in the culture, and facilitate student comprehension of geographic concepts. The author provides…

The field of social studies is unique and complex. It is challenged by the differing perspectives related to the definition, goals, content, and purpose of social studies. Contemporary Social Studies: An Essential Reader discusses the contemporary issues surrounding social studies education today. Contemporary Social Studies: An Essential Reader…

In an increasingly competitive economy, the capacity for self-motivation, problem-solving skills and an ability to think critically are core graduate attributes. However, the capacity to create an educational environment that develops and harnesses such skills is a distinct challenge as resources become increasingly restricted. Geographical Skills…

Programs in geographic information systems (GIS) and related areas (e.g., GPS, remote sensing) have become important additions to the curriculum at colleges and universities of all sizes and types, including tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) such as Haskell Indian Nations University. This article discusses the recent development of a GIS…