This activity book is part of a series designed to take a concept or idea from the existing school curriculum and develop it in the context of the Great Lakes using teaching approaches and materials appropriate for students in middle and high school. The subject of this book is land and water interactions. Students examine how the Great Lakes were…

Outlines the teaching environment that led to the conception of a digital tutor for teaching the concepts and techniques of geographic information systems (GIS). Explains the design and prototyping, introduces the tutor's capabilities, and shares insights gained from using this teaching aid. Includes teachers' and students' responses. (MJP)

Outlines issues involved in the curriculum and teaching methods for a senior-year core course in the philosophies of contemporary geography. Discusses syllabus issues, course texts, and innovations in curriculum delivery, including the use of tutorless groups as a way of managing large numbers of students. (MJP)

Gathers information about children's emerging concepts of geography and teachers' successful instructional interventions in an attempt to ascertain which approaches work best with various learning difficulties. Briefly describes successful strategies and interventions used by geography teachers. Includes a table listing geographic theme, grade,…

Describes a community study project that uses history and the five fundamental themes of geography as a framework. The project involves organizing committees to study the need for a traffic signal in a small town. By studying various dimensions of the issue, the committees are able to demonstrate the need for a signal. (KO)

Provides a progress report on the development process for the National Standards in Geography project. Discusses content and changes made in the fourth draft of the standards. Expresses disappointment in the comments of many geographic educators who criticized the standards for being too difficult or too lengthy. (CFR)

Presents a historical overview of the educational reform movement that produced the "Guidelines for Geographic Education: Elementary and Secondary Schools" and the "Fundamental Themes of Geography." Describes the efforts that led to the identification of the five fundamental themes and their translation into ordinary language.…

Asserts that improvement of curriculum and instruction in geography must include the integration of spatial technologies. Argues the future requires the development of exemplary curriculum materials, a greater network of users, distribution of hardware and software to teachers, and agreement about ethics in information processing. (CFR)

Presents a classroom lesson in which students interpret historical cause and effect through the analysis of U.S. census data. Recommends the use of local historical census data to help students learn about their community's experience. Includes a map and charts of census data. (CFR)

Examines the spatial implications of farm lot shape. Specifically discusses three aspects of farmstead location: the location of the house, the location of the barn, and the distance and direction relationships between the barn and the house. Explores the role of farm lot shape within the farm survey system. (MJP)

This document summarizes the results of a national survey that tested 4th, 8th, and 12th graders' ability to analyze geographic data in a variety of formats; explain complex geographic phenomena and processes; and show knowledge of relationships between human and geographic events. The survey tested three content dimensions: space and place,…

Research was conducted to determine whether teacher training institutes provide adequate education in map and globe skills and whether prospective teachers are capable of transmitting map and globe skills to students. To test these questions, a total of 495 elementary education majors at the University of Central Florida took the Nystrom Map and…

Designed for elementary and secondary teachers around the world, this book presents a variety of strategies, objectives, and content for teaching geography. The first of 10 chapters takes a critical look at some of the recent changes in geography and education. Chapter 2 examines learning problems in light of research by Piaget and Bruner.…

This book provides an introduction to basic sources of selected information about geography for both student and librarian. The objective is to identify the most useful, significant, and authoritative sources of general geography and within each branch of the subject. Written in a narrative style, the book emphasizes recently published reference…

This newsletter presents practical information of interest to geography teachers at the elementary, secondary, and college levels. Typical issues contain practical teaching suggestions, reports of experimental programs, information about new teaching materials, fieldwork, syllabuses, viewpoints, and letters. This particular issue provides…