Argues that students with limited high school geography education may identify regional courses with typical geography, and that these courses may play a significant role in recruiting geography majors. Discusses the role of a regional course in a geography curriculum and the structuring of the course to avoid common instructional deficiencies.…

Argues that introductory texts in population geography overlook many important issues and current debates. Suggests that teaching population geography would benefit from reading and discussing Malthus' actual words; examining fertility dynamics and influences on reproductive choice; and considering gender issues. Presents a classroom activity to…

Presents an activity in which students construct models to explain glacial action. Describes the models, which recreate specific glacial processes, and discusses 11 glacial actions. Students examine the economic implications of glaciation and use maps to identify the locations and effects of glaciers. (CMK)

Reviews the historical writings about the development of information science (IS), focusing on the literature between 1989 and 1994. Highlights include a background; intellectual frameworks of IS, relationships of IS with other fields, and research and development in IS; techniques and technology; information-related behavior; application areas;…

Presents an interdisciplinary curriculum developed to be used in science, art, and music classes. Studies the connections between plants, animals, and the environment in the oceans, and compares the amount of land with the amount of ocean. Describes how to integrate the study of oceans into art and music. (Contains 13 references.) (YDS)

Considers the principal geographical themes relevant to researching multiculturalism and citizenship in European cities by reviewing the work of mainly English-speaking geographers around four-selected themes: (1) scales of territory and citizenship; (2) flows and networks; (3) space; and (4) difference and place (how social relations of…

Reviews three works that each examine a specific area of metahistory: (1) "World Historians and their Goals" by Paul Costello; (2) "The Structure of Big History" by Fred Spier; and (3) "The Myth of Continents" by Martin Lewis and Karen Wigen. (CMK)

Suggests that scoring criteria should be used in order to reduce teacher subjectivity in scoring classroom assessments. Describes scoring criteria as specific expectations made clear in task instructions used to evaluate student work. Provides an example assessment task for high school geography and addresses three common teacher errors. (CMK)

Provides background information on an expedition up the Missouri River led by the German Prince Maximillian who hired the artist Karl Bodmer to record everything he observed. Includes various activities and a reproduction of Bodmer's artwork "View of the Stone Walls." Offers a description of the painting that he did on the expedition. (CMK)

Discusses the philosophy of Core Knowledge that was developed by E. D. Hirsch and provides a description of the Core Knowledge curriculum sequence. Examines the history and language arts Core Knowledge curricula that foster civic virtue and the relationship between Core Knowledge and character education. Describes one program focusing on character…

Presents an annotated list of Web site educational resources kindergarten through eighth grade. The Web sites this month cover the following subjects: countries (general); electricity; geography; health; children's literature; and plants. Includes a list of "Calendar Connections" to Web site sources of information on Earth Day in April…

Explores the connection between U.S. college students' increased career orientation and the growth of geographic information systems (GIS) and experiential education in the curricula of U.S. geography programs. Maintains that the discipline should not focus only on the technical aspects of geography but beware also of neglecting the general…

Describes standards-based social studies activities for elementary school students that uses computer technology to support curriculum. The first has students use HyperStudio to create postcards when they study regions of the United States. The second has students participate in ongoing correspondence with e-mail pals from around their state. (SM)

Maintains that utilizing the Internet in geography education changes the learning paradigm from the traditional lecture hall to a technology-rich, constructivist environment. Addresses the opportunities this paradigm offers for improving teaching and learning. Discusses the Colorado Geography-Web Project at the University of Colorado in which the…

Highlights the social construction of scale on the Internet and how some scale relationships are represented in web-based visual images. Maintains that web sites contain story lines that can act as guides through these scale representations. Shows the need for a "visual grammar" that will enable people to understand the logic behind the Internet.…