In efforts aimed at acquainting learners with "how to learn" skills rather than static content knowledge, more student centric instructional approaches are being increasingly adopted in informing curriculum design and delivery. Technology-rich problem solving environments offer great promise in scaffolding and facilitating…

This article examines the results of an online national survey of K-12 educators who attended a series of GIS training workshops conducted by the authors between 1998 and 2004. Data from the self-report survey (N = 186) suggest new information about potential changes in instruction and assessment patterns following GIS training. The survey…

GeoThentic, an online teaching and learning environment, focuses on engaging teachers and learners in solving real-world geography problems through use of geospatial technologies. The design of GeoThentic is grounded on the technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework as a metacognitive tool. This paper describes how the TPACK…

In this article we sought to understand how social studies teachers' metacognitive awareness of their technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) changed after their participation in a program that consisted of: (a) professional development for the use of an online learning environment; and (b) using an online learning environment in…

While some geographers have embraced active learning as a means to engage students in a course, many others stick to conventional teaching methods. They are often deterred by suggestions that it can be difficult to implement active learning where students have no prior knowledge of a subject, that active learning requires too much work of…

This lesson plan is designed for grade levels 2-12 to show how children's literature may be used to teach geography and reading at the same time. The focus of the lesson is on trees, and how humans interact with their environment. The information for teachers includes: grade level, purpose, time needed, theme, description, materials needed,…

This study is an investigation into the place names of West Virginia to see if they reveal a record of the history of the state. It was found that the study of place names is indeed a study of the history of the land, because the people who inhabit the land give names to it that commemorate themselves, their deeds, and their passions. The study of…

This ERIC Digest discusses "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994." The standards specify what students in U.S. schools should learn and be able to do with regard to geography. There are six essential elements of geography into which 18 standards are grouped: (1) the world in spatial terms; (2) places and regions; (3)…

Two lesson plans designed to teach the geographic theme of movement to third grade students are presented in this document. The first lesson involves the study of a can of fruit cocktail, and explores the ways in which the production of the fruit cocktail and its transportation connects the students' town to other towns. The second lesson involves…

A teaching unit illustrates how the application of certain common classification systems, using the same data set, can produce different spatial configurations on choropleth maps. It is hoped that students, after completing the unit, will not only take greater care in deciding upon a classification system to use on their own choropleth maps, but…

A description of how a topical seminar can be structured to emphasize student exploration and discovery is provided. (DE)

This article provides a survey of geography programs, classroom approaches, student enrollments, faculty training and specialization, working conditions, resources, professional organizations, and role in teacher training in 17 Asian countries. (DE)

A discussion of geography's place in the curriculum and suggested methods for teaching geography are presented in this paper. Geography may be included in the curriculum in a variety of ways, such as infusing it throughout the curriculum or designing an integrated curriculum with geography as the core. Principles of learning derived from…

Nearly 100 suggestions for community projects in environmental education and environmental awareness are included in this article. (JH)

An existential approach to geographic education refers to the individual's ability to conceive of and experience geographic phenomena; implies a responsibility toward, as well as appreciation of, spatially defined phenomena; and leads to aesthetic and advocacy geography. (JH)