Career counseling programs by members of college geography departments should stress the need for students to plan their futures. Career planning is a more sensible approach to employment than drastically altering current teaching programs to include the latest technical skills. California State University at Northridge is used as a case study.…

A survey of 2,092 high school seniors in 16 Georgia schools shows that geography is liked the least of social science subjects by the most students and liked the most by the fewest. Reasons are teacher attitudes and methods. Recommendations include better teacher training, more use of the inquiry approach, and more emphasis on social concepts and…

Teaching the geography of the United States to gifted elementary-level children in a way that challenges preconceived ideas about people and places is the focus of this article. Detailed student instruction is described, including thinking and writing activities that enable students to compare preconceived notions and reality. (CR)

Explores the interplay between geographic concepts and geographers' Web site design. Draws on the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and phenomenologically oriented geographers to propose the structure of cyberplace. Explores two examples of virtual field trips, "Virtually Hawaii" and "Bosnia Virtual Fieldtrip", stating that three…

Provides an activity that enables students to learn and remember the names of the original thirteen states in the United States. Uses a humorous story that incorporates a mnemonic (a memory aid) strategy. Includes a copy of the story and a map of the original thirteen states in 1776. (CMK)

Examines what the "Journal of Geography in Higher Education" has published throughout its history on teaching and learning in relation to people and places referred to in scholarship as the "Other." Addresses themes of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, and the developing world. Includes references. (CMK)

Introduces the symposium, "International Perspectives on Learning and Teaching in Geography in Higher Education," presented in this journal issue. Discusses the background on how this symposium was created and highlights each of the papers included. (CMK)

Addresses three questions: (1) What is high quality geography teaching in higher education; (2) how can high quality teaching be identified and evaluated; and (3) to what extent are faculty and departments held accountable for teaching quality? Explores how the answers to these questions vary between the United Kingdom and the United States. (CMK)

Argues that one dimension of quality improvement in geography education is closing the gap between perceived social usefulness and the realities of what geography offers as a preparation for the workplace. Provides reflections on the nature of communication strategies in geography organizations within New Zealand and the United States. (CMK)

Explores key issues related to the internationalization of geography in higher education. Poses questions that need to be addressed when developing a network that are based on the goals, roles, outcomes, ownership, management, and operation of a proposed international network for teaching and learning in geography for higher education. Includes…

Discusses the four sections of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course focusing on agriculture: (1) development and diffusion of agriculture; (2) major agricultural production regions; (3) rural land use and change; and (4) impacts of modern agricultural change. Includes references and a resource list. (CMK)

Addresses the relationship between teaching and research within geography. Focuses specifically on undergraduate teaching. Argues that the teaching-research relationship must be explored in the context of research and scholarly literature. Provides suggestions on how to deliver teaching-research relationships. Includes references. (CMK)

Explains the reasons for the British Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education's benchmark statements providing a background on the benchmarks and a discussion on the preparation of the benchmarks. Introduces the articles within the symposium called the "Benchmark Standards for Higher Education." (CMK)

Provides a copy of the British benchmark statements for geography in higher education by the Quality Assurance Agency. Includes the introduction, aims of an honors program, knowledge and understanding, student skills, abilities and attributes, processes and contexts of learning, assessment, standards and levels of achievement, and the conclusion.…

Reviews the benchmark statements of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom. States that overall the statement gives a positive view of the geography discipline and can be regarded as a constructive exercise worthy of adoption. Discusses two challenges that emerged. (CMK)