Arguing that place has a composite aspect that is the heart of geography, this article traces common cultural perceptions and geographical realities of the Midwest. Concludes that regional/cultural changes have shaped the Midwest reality into the heartland of the country through a new idea in place and perserverence. (TRS)

A college course in the geography of agriculture presents a unique opportunity for an integrated study of economic, physical, and human geography. A teaching model which uses a systems analysis approach is presented. (RM)

Urges that college level geography students will develop greater appreciation of population projections when they are directly and systematically involved in making and using them. An exercise is described in which students are directed to make several population projections, compare their projections with published projections, and explain…

Suggests a way to resolve conflicts among college level teachers of geography regarding what should be taught in introductory human geography courses. The method centers on a list of core concepts which could be taught in all sections of the course. Concepts, selected through analysis of commonly used textbooks, include agriculture, industry, land…

Asserts that the theme of movement in physical geography is important but difficult to convey to students. Contends that repeat photography, portraying movement of physical features on the landscape through the seasons of a year, is a valuable instructional method. (CFR)

Scholars have provided numerous critical analyses of the structural causes of poverty. Unfortunately, many teachers are still led to believe, via best selling books and mainstream discourse, that behaviors, neighborhoods, and families determine educational outcomes. This "culture of poverty" theory must be disproved; educators need to be…

The use of content-based language instruction (CBI) offers an innovative and effective method for teaching core geographic concepts and skills while students study a second language. This article focuses on a collaborative initiative developed and tested by university and high school level geography and second-language educators. The goal of the…

The teaching guide for an elementary geography in-service course provides a framework for broad geographic understandings. The emphasis is upon helping teachers better understand the structure of geography themselves so they may implement a social studies program in which students use the facts of geography to develop understandings of basic…

Although study abroad trips provide an opportunity for affective and cognitive learning, it is largely assumed that they improve learning outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a study abroad field trip improved cognitive learning by comparing test performance between the study abroad participants (n = 20) and their peers who…

This study investigates the counter-intuitive observation that older students tend to thrive better than younger students in online classes. We use a variety of measures to compare performance and attitudes of undergraduates and continuing adult professionals in separate but nearly identical class sections led by the same instructor at a US…

The authors sought to better approximate the practice of "real" science in our classrooms by having students study a newly built storm-water remediation wetland on campus. The wetland was meant to gather and clean storm water running off of student parking lots--thus students had ownership in the problem and potential solution. Participating…

Statistics is the art and science of gathering, analyzing, and making conclusions from data. However, many people do not fully understand how to interpret statistical results and conclusions. Placing students in a collaborative environment involving project-based learning may enable them to overcome misconceptions of probability and enhance the…

A geography skills test was administered to over 3,000 Indiana college students enrolled in introductory geography courses in 1987. The National Council for Geographic Education Competency-Based Geography Test, Secondary Level, Form D, was used to measure geographic ability in the area of map skills, place name location, physical geography, and…

There is a lack of objective and detailed measurement of the geographical patterns of economic activity. The need for countries to establish geographical institutions to monitor and measure social and economic problems is discussed. For address of journal see SO 504 028. (Author/RM)