This paper has two purposes: (1) to describe how qualitative studies, drawing on educational criticism, have thrown into relief some salient features of curriculum and instruction in social studies; and (2) to compare and contrast the current reform proposal to upgrade geography education. The qualitative studies that are reviewed are the…

This unit is designed to help social studies or science teachers incorporate ecological concepts into the teaching of science and Missouri geography. The unit includes: (1) a topic outline; (2) general unit objectives; (3) an introduction to basic biogeographical concepts; (4) descriptions of the glaciated prairie, unglaciated prairie, ozark, and…

High school students learn about the sun's effects on the earth by examining the concepts of latitude and longitude, seasons, and time. Each of these topics is treated in a separate, but similarly organized, unit. Relevant vocabulary is introduced, and complex terms are clarified with diagrams and illustrations. In the unit on time, potentially…

Geographers in the United States rely heavily on microcomputers. They employ microcomputers to enhance three general categories of tasks: word processing and other productivity needs, geographic instruction, and discipline-specific applications. Word processing and desktop publishing continue to be the primary uses of microcomputers by…

The Queensland (Australia) Board of Secondary School Studies developed a geography syllabus for senior classrooms which was implemented in 1980. Revisions of the syllabus took place in 1982 and 1986. Based on the 1986 evaluation, this report provides an evaluation, a summary of the findings, and advice to principals and teachers. Twelve case…

This project designed for stimulating student interest in their local neighborhood involves actual student contact with and research on the neighborhood business community. (Author/ND)

This report illustrates how geography can play an important role in improving America's performance in international matters. The degree of interdependence among nations intensifies daily. Today world interaction affects everyone. For example, a frost in Brazil raises coffee prices in the United States and a strike in Africa's Copperbelt affects…

This paper contains sample exercises that investigate weather and air quality relationships for use in college-level introductory courses in climatology and meteorology. The exercises will provide students with an opportunity to apply meteorological principles to a specific geographic location, in an effort to better understand the significant…

In this course guide to the teaching of urban ecology, six learning activities on the following topics are outlined: (1) city location and growth; (2) an in-depth study of New Orleans; (3) city shape and structure; (4) size and spacing of cities; (5) cities with special functions; (6) local community study. Educational objectives for each activity…

An undergraduate internship program in the geography department at Wittenberg University, Ohio, is described. During the late 1960s and early 1970s all vocational-type programs at Wittenberg were eliminated except those within education and business departments. However, members of the geography department recently decided to incorporate a…

The paper provides a brief overview of the state of geography instruction in the schools and discusses current problems within the discipline. Specifically, the paper examines enrollment and course offerings in geography in the elementary and secondary schools, textbooks, and student achievement. Findings indicate that less than 20% of all…

The paper presents an overview of enrollment in college-level geography courses from 1949 to 1978 and predicts enrollment trends for the near future. All data are based on the Directory of College Geography of the United States. First published in 1949, the directory lists all college and university departments offering geography, the size and…

The study examines the learning and personal experiences of college students in three geography courses. A major objective is to ascertain the personal meaning of the course, as denoted by the way students define the course experience, their learning, and its relation to later experiences. An additional objective is to develop a model for…

This is one in a series of eight discussion pamphlets produced by the Writing Across the Curriculum Project dealing with some of the issues connected with writing in the schools and their relation to learning. This pamphlet is specifically concerned with writing in the areas of geography, history and the social studies for the "teacher as…

The articles in this report describe how field work, which is highly relevant to modern research and theory, can be used to improve geographic instruction at several instructional levels. Chapter one places the role of field work in geographic instruction in the broader context of contemporary theories of learning. The second chapter describes an…