This article describes the use of the "powerful knowledge" concept in geography education in primary schools. First, the concept of powerful knowledge is briefly introduced in the context of building geographical thinking. Next, the authors describe four key geographical concepts: place, space, environment, and interconnection. The main…

The aim of this study was to investigate students' understanding of the Gulf Stream as a geographical phenomenon and in relation to geospatial conceptualizations focusing on the geographical concepts of location, distribution and interaction. Data consists of 134 responses from 12-13-year-old students who completed an assignment in the Swedish…

The aim of the presented study is to evaluate the influence of the quality of visuals in printed geography textbooks on the character of children's conceptions using the example of the geographical location concept. Visuals are a graphical representation of a certain phenomenon. A two-tier diagnostic test without and with three types of high and…

Geographical practice power is a key competency essential for students' overall development. It is, therefore, important to understand its concepts, contexts, and content. Practical activities following scientific and operable principles in real geographical situations would enable students to unleash their potential across the curriculum. The…

"Location and Transformation" skills are critical tools for navigating the world and establishing foundational steps for geometric reasoning associated with co-ordinate grids and the Cartesian plane. The contextual nature of using local landmarks to understand students' mental representation of large-scale space has the potential to…

In 2019, the State of South Carolina (USA) adopted new social studies standards with an emphasis on disciplinary skills in addition to content throughout the social studies areas of history, geography, civics, and economics. These skills were introduced for all grades, kindergarten through grade 12. Geography courses were added in grades 3 and 7.…

The aim of this study is to determine the awareness of primary teachers about the teaching of location and direction concepts. The study was designed according to a qualitative research model, and the data was collected through a semi-structured interview form developed by researchers consisting of open-ended questions. The study group consisted…

This study aims to find out the effect of activities and practices on concept education to help carry out activities to teach these concepts more effectively and permanently, and determine student preconceptions about the concepts related to the landforms in the 5th-grade social studies curriculum in the learning subdomain called "People,…

What parent doesn't hope to give their children "the world," and at the earliest possible age start their journey in becoming responsible global citizens? Through play, children as young as 3 years old can assume active roles in learning important cultural-historical concepts. At home, parents can provide cultural information and…

Interest is a central learning prerequisite for teaching. The article deals with a survey among 1600 primary school pupils in forms 2, 3 and 4 (ages 7-10) in the German federal state of Bavaria who were interviewed on their interest in geographical topics and working methods. They were given a questionnaire including 40 items to indicate their…

In this research, the geographical concepts that are recommended to be taught for primary school fifth grade students are analyzed. Three of these concepts are in developmental level whereas eight of them are in consolidation level. Of the three geographical concepts which it is recommended the students acquire at a developmental level, it was…

The cornerstone of sound social studies pedagogy is the ability of teachers to use materials that spur students to think critically, reflect honestly, and to participate purposefully and passionately. This article illustrates how elementary teachers can use select children's literature that prompts students to think critically about their…

This document provides the framework to guide the development of the assessment instruments for the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in geography. Altogether, four documents will be designed to guide the geography assessment and this Assessment Framework is the first. This framework is designed to assess the outcomes of…

We surveyed the use of Great Lakes online learning materials by a sample of K-8 teachers. Analyses tested for correlation of use with 1) whether teachers learned about the resources in pre- or in-service education, 2) geographical significance, and 3) whether teachers taught about the topics emphasized in the online learning materials. We compared…

When teaching geography to students in the primary grades, teachers should provide firsthand experiences that young children need to make meaningful sense of their world. David Sobel, author of "Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Years," suggests that teachers in the early grades adopt a small-world approach to…