Discusses concerns about geographic illiteracy and research on children's formation of geographic concepts. Elaborates five themes for teaching geography to young children: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region. (Contains 17 references.) (SK)

A phenomenographic approach to research into learning can be appropriate for exploring the approaches geography students adopt in their learning. This resources article provides a brief description of phenomenography. The essence of the approach is that it takes a relational qualitative perspective that aims to describe key aspects of variation in…

The World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg made it clear that political leadership the world over is incapable of rising to the challenges of sustainability. Yet, most of the hundred or so world leaders who attended have a higher education degree from some of the world's most prestigious universities. This paper tries to…

What are maps? Maps are representations of actual surface areas of the world. But what makes the use of maps so important for scientific thinking? The answer is simple: Map use relies on one's ability to identify relationships between two things. For example, the distance between Key West, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, is 1024 kilometers…

This commentary suggests that the first geography course a student takes is of critical importance because the relative success or failure of the instructor in offering an interesting, relevant, and well-taught class may strongly influence whether the student take additional geography courses later in his or her education career.

This paper explores how Geography's position in British Columbia (BC), Canada's school social studies curricula has been affected by changes in educational cycles over the twentieth century. The amount of instructional time, the importance assigned to the subject and the content of the subject have varied in accordance with the pre-eminence given…

This article suggests that there is an overwhelming support for fieldwork among a prominent group of professionals in Singapore. Professionals were surveyed to assess how fieldwork is viewed amongst the subject leaders (heads of departments, subject heads and geography coordinators) and the various stakeholders (school leaders comprising…

Land management and land administration are defined as a system of planning, management and administration methods and techniques that aims to integrate ecological with social, economic and legal principles in the management of land for urban and rural development purposes. The main objective is to meet changing and developing human needs, while…

This article describes the results of a study where the digital versatile disc (DVD) was used as a variant of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in order to aid in the teaching and learning of map work in geography at secondary school level. A group of grade 10 learners of a previously disadvantaged school in South Africa comprised the…

This research set out to compare the quality, length and nature of (1) exam responses in combined question and answer booklets, with (2) responses in separate answer booklets in order to inform choices about response format. Combined booklets are thought to support candidates by giving more information on what is expected of them. Anecdotal…

This study explores how graduate students enrolled in M.A./M.S. and Ph.D. geography programs perceive the social and academic climate of their departments. A second objective is to understand how these students self-assess their own professional abilities, values, and goals, and whether these self-assessments differ across demographic and…

The geography education literature touts the World Wide Web (Web) as a revolutionary educational tool, yet most accounts ignore its uses for public communication and creative expression. This article argues that students can be producers of content that is of service to local audiences. Drawing inspiration from the community networking movement,…

The author describes methods for using picture books to teach geography in middle school. Introducing students to geographic regions through narrative and visual text can provide background information about the area, stimulate student interest in the culture, and facilitate student comprehension of geographic concepts. The author provides…

The field of social studies is unique and complex. It is challenged by the differing perspectives related to the definition, goals, content, and purpose of social studies. Contemporary Social Studies: An Essential Reader discusses the contemporary issues surrounding social studies education today. Contemporary Social Studies: An Essential Reader…

In an increasingly competitive economy, the capacity for self-motivation, problem-solving skills and an ability to think critically are core graduate attributes. However, the capacity to create an educational environment that develops and harnesses such skills is a distinct challenge as resources become increasingly restricted. Geographical Skills…