Why geography is essential and central to the mission of education at all levels and why the profession or occupation of geographers should become increasingly recognized are discussed. Some common complaints lodged against geography and ways to deal with these complaints are first examined. For example, it is often said that geography has…

As historians, we know that "factual" information should never be uncritically accepted. And yet, too often, that is exactly what we do with the maps we use to locate ourselves and our students. Evelyn Sweerts and Marie-Claire Cavanagh, who now work in a European School in Brussels but until recently worked in English schools, have…

The concept of social relevance to geographic education and some of the implications of this concept for curriculum development and classroom teaching are explored. Geographic educators must be concerned with adopting new philosophies to the teaching of their subject, developing more appropriate strategies and curricula, and aiding in the…

The purpose of this document is to inform foreign (i.e., non-Dutch) geographers about Ranstad Holland. Ranstad Holland--a term which originated in the 1930's--describes the loose confederation of towns which lie close together in the rough form of a 110 mile wide horseshoe facing the Noordzee in the west of the Netherlands. Because boundaries of…

The paper presents a course outline intended for use in a one semester geography of religion course on the college level. Geography of religion is interpreted to include all aspects of the impact of religion on cultural, political, and economic geography. Objectives are to emphasize distributional aspects of religion and religious phenomena,…

Intended to supplement undergraduate college geography courses, this resource paper investigates several concepts which are prerequisite to the study of physical geography. The student is provided with a "systems" approach to physical geography, which combines the underlying principles of physics with the contextual application of these principles…

Included in this bibliography are resource materials available to both college instructors and students on statistical applications in geographic research. Two stages of statistical development are treated in the bibliography. They are 1) descriptive statistics, in which the sample is the focus of interest, and 2) analytical statistics, in which…

Because economic geography is viewed as a field with too many different aspects for one person to master, teaching an introductory course in the subject poses the challenge of selecting an organizing theme. One specific approach, organized around higher level generalizations and theories, is the use of location theory. Coupling location theory…

This is one of several module clusters developed for the Camden Teacher Corps project. This module cluster is designed to introduce students to urban studies through the application of a geographic approach. Although geography shares with other social sciences many concepts and methods, it has contributed a distinctive set of viewpoints and a…

A comparison of freehand sketch maps of the world provides a simple but effective means of exploring images of the world. The maps of 60 high school students from Nogales, Arizona, and 60 from Nogales, Sonora, were analyzed according to number of map features included, percent of features for each continent, frequency of country identification in…

This article considers the idea that an analysis of the structure of geography and of the nature of spatial concept development in children will reveal a valuable conceptual link that might serve as a theoretical basis for developing objectives in geographic education. (Author)

Reviews the history, content, and trends in geography teaching and research in Ireland from the 19th century to the present. All educational levels and geographical societies are described. In the past, Irish geographic education had significant influences abroad; however, its recent development has been affected by external factors. (Author/AV)

Discusses the role of geography in achieving the objectives of environmental education, including environmental awareness, concern, and commitment. Strategies are suggested for teaching about environmental limits, links, complexity, and patterns. For journal availability, see SO 505 721. (Author/DB)

Describes the objectives and philosophical orientation of the 1985 meeting of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE). Reviews the session offerings and explains the six-step problem-solving process model that was used in the program. Discusses the use of the NCGE "Guidelines for Geographic Education." (ML)

Describes an assignment for secondary or college geography instruction in which students are appointed as the "Minister of Development" of a developing nation. As students plan their country's future, they confront different facets of development and the consequences of their actions. Includes student and instructor activities, identifying…