This article considers Australian receptions of C. P. Snow's "The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution" (1959), and of the controversy over the literary critic F. R. Leavis's combative 1962 response to it. Taking a lead from conceptual insights in global histories of science and the history of knowledge, the paper considers 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…

This article examines various meanings of the term landscape. It advocates a deep engagement with the concept to enable high school students to carry out a range of thought-provoking geographical inquiries. Each aspect of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority's definition of landscape, shown below, is examined by reference…

"Research has consistently found that pedagogy informed by knowledge of students' existing ideas is more efficient in promoting conceptual change than traditional methods of instruction". Learners in the sub-field of environmental geography exhibit preconceptions that frame and sometimes hinder their knowledge acquisition. Those…

Climatic hazards are a key feature of life. It is vital that teachers are knowledgeable about these phenomena in order to develop their students' understanding of them. This study used a mixed methods approach to examine the accuracy and depth of preservice primary teachers' (n = 430) knowledge of tropical cyclones. The findings suggest that…

This paper explores some of the political and methodological challenges involved in researching rural education. It begins by outlining the situation in Australia regarding the relationship between social justice and rural education. It first describes the disadvantages experienced by many rural communities and presents an analysis of rural…

Explores the use of concepts in geography teaching in Australia and reviews the relevant literature on the development of geographical concepts. For journal availability, see SO 505 212. (Author/DB)

Focuses on the 11th grade geography curriculum which was introduced into Australian schools in 1974. Outlines the background, objectives, structure, and content of the curriculum syllabus. For journal availability, see SO 505 212. (Author/DB)

Traces the development of environmental education in Australia and assesses change in the environmental content of geography curriculum. The conclusion is that teachers of geography should become more involved in environmental education. For journal availability, see SO 505 721. (Author/DB)

Presents examples of how fundamental geographic concepts, such as location and spatial interaction, may be used in the secondary classroom to stimulate inquiry learning. Available from: Business Manager, Geographical Education, Sydney Teachers College, P.O. Box 63, Camperdown, N.S.W. 2050, Australia. (Author/DB)

Explores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, related to geography skills (mapping, locational distribution, directional skills, locational change, decision making), on topics such as geographic place names, location of indigenous language speaking groups, traditional stories as navigational tools, shifts in population, and mining.…

This paper is part of a larger study, conducted as part of a Christa McAuliffe Fellowship research project, "A Comparative Geography of Three Ecologically Similar Regions." The study compared the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland with the Murray River region of South Australia and the Rio de la Plata region of Uruguay. The project was…

This paper shows comparisons among the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland, the Murray River region of South Australia, and the Rio de la Plata region of Uruguay. Through comparative geography, students are to draw their own conclusions about the similarities and differences of the three regions. Teachers are encouraged to use other resources to aid…

This lesson focuses on student use of magazine pictures of a region in Australia to understand the region and discover more about it. The students begin by mental mapping of the area to discover what they already know, then proceed to explore the pictures for verification or for new ideas which they had not considered previously. This is an…

This dissertation examines development of children's skills at map using and free-recall map sketching, with particular emphasis on map reasoning, competence in cartographic language, and performance in cartographic language. Cartographic language (the broad range of line, point, and area signs and map elements) is interpreted as the means by…