Examines prior learning in physical geography of two cohorts of students on entry to a geography program in the United Kingdom. Identifies differences in comprehension of terminology and topic coverage based on secondary school curricula. Notes a dilemma for instructors of first-year courses trying to meet the varied backgrounds of their students.…

Provides background information on Andrew Clark specifically addressing his work in geography while in New Zealand in order to place Clark's 1941 paper entitled "A Philosophy of Geography for New Zealand Schools" into intellectual context by emphasizing links between this paper and his later work. Provides his 1941 paper in full. (CMK)

Reviews surveys concerning the attitudes of San Marcos (Texas) school children toward geography in 1983 and 1993. Shows that they generally ranked geography low on their list of favorite subjects; however, discerns statistically significant improvement in the popularity of geography over the decade, tentatively associated with more active learning…

Considers the geographical issues involved in industrial disputes as a means for teaching economic geography. Highlights the 1998 dispute between General Motors (GM) and the United Auto Workers (UAW). Explains how to use the GM/UAW dispute to teach economic geography. Discusses Internet resources. (CMK)

Results are presented of a series of focus-group sessions held at Lancaster University during May 2002. Participants consisted of 12 undergraduate geography students chosen from amongst those identified as having strong antipathy towards quantitative material. The intention was to mine these students' perspectives on courses covering quantitative…

Hong Kong styles itself as "the city that never sleeps", "the ever changing city". The dynamism and pace of change in teacher education, however, has to be seen as laggardly in comparison. This is not to say there has been no experiment but changes have been piecemeal and "add-ons". Teacher education in Hong Kong has…

Geography as a subject is surviving quite well in Queensland. It is holding its own in an increasingly crowded curriculum. More importantly, many students of Geography across the state are engaging in interesting and worthwhile Geography courses. They are not only learning some Geography "content", they are learning important life-long…

There are major themes in geography, which all teachers should incorporate into the social studies. These themes assist students to organize information and relate relevant ideas. Teachers need to study and experiment with using a set of structural ideas to facilitate student learning. Otherwise, learning may comprise of isolated facts, concepts,…

This paper presents a review of geographic curricula, teaching methods, materials and assessments in Turkish high schools. Geopolitics and political instability have contributed to large fluctuations in emphasis on geography in Turkish education and have also affected the content of the geography curriculum.

Statistical and geographical literacy is essential for our daily lives. A new web portal for middle school students, published on the federal government statistics website, supports geographic and statistical education by providing age-appropriate online learning activities that teach how to use statistical summaries and their graphic…

Vision and mission statements are the foundation for the types of undergraduate degrees departments confer as well as other types of academic programs such as pre-major, certificate, and distance education curricula. Critical to each department should be careful administration of course selections and offerings and management of academic majors,…

This paper on the pre-college teaching of geography documents the teaching of geography in the United States from 1800 to the present and projects it into the future. Analyses of how views on physical, regional, and human geography have affected the elementary and secondary curricula and a history of the incorporation of geography into the social…

Richard Boyer and David Savageau's book "Places Rated Almanac" is described, and ways the book can be used in secondary and college geography classes are discussed. The book rates the quality of the following aspects of urban life: climate and terrain, housing, health care, environment, crime, transportation, education, and recreation.…

In this lesson, student teams role-play policy experts who identify, evaluate, and choose countries that will participate in an international education and assistance program. Students evaluate political, economic, environmental, historical, and geographical issues. Teams will judge which countries should or should not receive aid and recognition.…

This essay examines the ways in which geography, as a discipline, has been influenced by feminist scholarship in the field. It explains that early feminist critiques of the discipline examined the extent to which geography had overwhelmingly dealt with the lives of men and the ways in which its theories, methods, and content reflected men's…