Introduces this special issue of "Journal of Geography" focusing on the teaching of Advanced Placement (AP) human geography. States that essays were developed by members of the AP Human Geography Development Committee focusing on areas in the human geography course outline which are included in the appendix. (CMK)

Explores the concept of culture focusing on how to demonstrate the complexity of cultural patterns and processes in the Advanced Placement human geography course. Describes key concepts and approaches such as cultural differences, environmental impact of cultural attitudes, cultural landscapes, and cultural identity. (CMK)

Explores the political geography aspect of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course that provides students with an understanding of the nature and significance of political organization of territory. Focuses on issues such as the nature and significance of political boundaries and the evolution of the contemporary political pattern. (CMK)

Discusses the cities and urban land use section of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course, focusing on the: (1) definitions of urbanism; (2) origin and evolution of cities; (3) functional character of contemporary cities; (4) built environment and social space; and (5) responses to urban growth. (CMK)

Examines the outcomes of a two-year trial of computer-mediated conferencing (CMC) conducted at a British university during the final-year undergraduate course in glacial and periglacial geomorphology. Discusses the issues related to CMC and describes the experience over the last two years of using CMC conferencing. (CMK)

Provides an overview of the National Commission on Social Studies in the Schools' publication, "Charting a Course: Social Studies for the 21st Century." Reprints the report's curriculum characteristics and goals segments, which briefly outlines content placement. Presents conflicting conceptions of social studies education and questions…

Reports findings of a study that tested the geographic knowledge of preservice and inservice teachers using the same National Council for Geographic Education's test given to elementary and secondary students. Concludes geography instruction for teachers is inadequate and that this helps perpetuate geographic illiteracy in the United States.…

Provides 10 class activities for primary grade students on the five themes of geography. Activities cover location, place, human and environment interaction, movement, and region. (LS)

Offers suggestions about what to teach within the five themes of geography in California's History-Social Science Framework (1988). States that the use of these themes (location, place, relationships, movement, and regions) along with the 15 basic concepts of geography provide a structure for understanding the substance of geography and its…

Explains the new format of the University Entrance and Bursary Examinations for New Zealand. Points out that open-ended questions based on field work carry the same weight as those questions referred to as internal assessment. Concludes that these types of questions allow the teacher to cover a greater range of topics. (GG)

Examines the content-based approach and the form-based approach to values education in order to determine the more effective approach for Hong Kong geography instructors to adopt. Finds that the form-based approach is more popular among educators because it eliminates the danger of indoctrination. An exemplar unit, "Apartheid in South…

Questions value of the National Geography Bee proposed by the National Geographic Society because the public may see geography content as unrelated facts; students may not be motivated; and content can be trivialized. Encourages group competitions that focus on conceptual and regional themes combined with societal, environmental, and locational…

Presents a study which identifies experienced classroom teachers' beliefs about what should be included in the geography curriculum. Tables show how questionnaire respondents ranked the importance of specific items in three categories: geographic skills, human geography, and physical geography. Concludes that teacher perceptions must be considered…

Discusses spatial interaction in terms of the movement of people. Classifies human movement into the categories of: (1) displacement involved; (2) motivation of migration; and (3) boundaries crossed. Concludes that movement is always linked to the spatial and socioeconomic configuration of a country. Two secondary lesson plans and two elementary…

Presents a geographic inquiry lesson designed to supplement a unit on the Vietnam War. Students work in a cooperative learning situation which emphasizes critical thinking skills. Provides background information and lists references and sources from which a variety of visual activities can be derived. Reports a high degree of satisfaction among…