This article describes the findings of a study involving a professional development program that prepared middle school teachers to integrate content on the earliest eras of world history and world geography. In particular, this study focused on participants' (n = 37) use of geographic resources to integrate geography and history and to encourage…

This article reports the results of a case study that employed user-centered design to develop training tutorials for helping middle school social studies teachers use Web-based GIS in their classrooms. This study placed teachers in the center of the design process in planning, designing, and developing the tutorials. This article describes how…

Teaching world cultures in the middle-level geography classroom presents challenges both because of the complexity of culture and because of the characteristics of students of this age. One effective way to teach about a culture is through the use of cultural artifacts. This article discusses how to collect and use cultural artifacts in the…

Swiss-born Arnold Henri Guyot (1807-1884) was the first professionally trained geographer to hold an academic position in the United States. After his migration to this country in 1848 he lived for several years in Massachusetts. During this period he introduced contemporary German-Swiss ideas of geography to key opinion leaders in an important…

This article examines the results of an online national survey of K-12 educators who attended a series of GIS training workshops conducted by the authors between 1998 and 2004. Data from the self-report survey (N = 186) suggest new information about potential changes in instruction and assessment patterns following GIS training. The survey…

Geographic information systems (GIS) are computer-based tools for geographic data analysis and spatial visualization. They have become one of the information and communications technologies for education at all levels. This article reviews the current status of GIS in schools, analyzes the requirements of a GIS-based learning environment from…

Discusses the teaching of geographic concepts through the use of childrens books. Suggests following up the books with a geographically focused activity to increase children's geographic awareness and knowledge. Includes an extensive annotated bibliography. Links specific books to the geographic themes of place, location, movement, regions, and…

Environmental impact statements are informational documents representing a systematic study of long- and short-term relations between a proposed project and its environments (i.e. physical, social, economic, etc.), written for the layman, and easily adapted to the classroom for use in student research activities. (JR)

Notes that the National Geographic Society (NGS) has produced curriculum materials since 1972 and that its current catalog contains over 635 multimedia products for the K-12 curriculum. This article details the range of recent NGS activities which are designed to improve the teaching of geography at all grade levels. (JDH)

Notes that the recent outcry for geographic literacy often stresses place-location geography, the weakest argument for including geography in the elementary and secondary school curriculum. Maintains that K-12 geography courses must clearly define those skills, world patterns, and conceptual frames of reference that geographers consider essential…

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.

Presents a model compiled from discussions of geographers with competitively funded grants about translating and developing geographic ideas. Describes a process in which geographers seek input, develop objectives, and choose an approach for explanation and a medium for delivery. Discusses format, staff, communication, funding proposals, and…

Geographic information systems (GIS) technology and methods have transformed decision-making in society by bringing geographic analysis to the desktop computer. Although some educators consider GIS to be a promising means for implementing reform, it has been adopted by less than 2 percent of American high schools. The reasons behind the interest…

Presents a classroom exercise entitled, "Latitude, Longitude, Spell It" designed to reinforce the concepts of latitude and longitude. Teachers divide the class into teams, provide them with a map and latitude-longitude coordinate cards, and ask them to record cities found within a given radius of each coordinate. Includes necessary…

Presents three physical geography lessons for teachers who may lack either formal training or resource materials in physical geography. The lessons are in response to the new Utah state requirements for junior high schools. Overviews each lesson, suggests activities, and lists materials needed each day. (KO)