A Field-Based Technique for Teaching about Habitat Fragmentation and Edge Effects

Abstract

This article presents a field technique that exposes students to the indirect effects of habitat fragmentation on plant distributions through studying edge effects. This assignment, suited for students in an introductory biogeography or resource geography class, increases students' knowledge of basic biogeographic concepts such as environmental gradients and disturbance in addition to formulating research questions and design. In this exercise, fieldwork can be implemented with simple tools that are easily obtainable and found in most physical geography labs. In this example, student response to the exercise was positive; they indicated that the exercise was a fun and interactive way to learn fundamental biogeographic concepts.     

Retarded Children and the Concepts of Distance and Direction

Abstract

Ideally the test questions we give to students reflect our educational objectives. Recent curriculum developments in geography show a change in these objectives, from an emphasis on imparting knowledge towards a greater stress on involving students in solving geographic problems. Most teachers, however, are accustomed to writing questions which measure factual knowledge. What kinds of questions can we ask which would be better aligned with our objectives? This paper is an attempt to indicate some such questions. It discusses aspects of test design, item classification, and styles of presentation which facilitate the preparation of tests measuring a variety of objectives. It also comments briefly on student performance on different kinds of items.     

Environment and the federal government in Malaysia

The human impact on the natural systems of Malaysia has proceeded apace in recent decades. Rapid rural development at the expense of the rainforest, selective logging of hardwoods, processing of agricultural products and urbanization are among the processes that account for environmental change. The federal government has responded to the widening circle of environmental problems by introducing new legislation, creating a Department of Environment, including environmental considerations in certain of its national development plans and adopting certain kinds of stances in environmental disputes. Following a discussion of these responses, it is argued that the government has given insufficient attention to the relations between environmental change on the one hand and population growth and poverty, pace and scale of rural development, role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), indigenous knowledge systems and institutional arrangements on the other. It is concluded that the federal government should cooperate with NGOs, consider adopting a new fiscal relationship with the states and, in certain cases, place greater reliance on its constitutional powers.     

The Status of Geography in the Social Studies Curricula of Canadian Schools

Abstract

Successful curriculum development that will have impact upon individual American classrooms remains the key to maintaining the momentum of Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994. Teachers and students must be able to translate the national geography standards from the national stage to the local classroom setting to become geographically informed people. One example of this development for elementary urban geography is the Main Street lesson plan. It encourages observation and analysis required by Standard 4: The geographically informed student knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places. After testing in a variety of Missouri classrooms, instructors thought that Main Street was a unique way of studying urban places and allowing students to gain a greater understanding of place.     

Experiential Learning,Spatial Practice,and Critical Urban Geographies

Abstract

Experiential learning pedagogies are being adopted across undergraduate education and touted as an effective strategy for enhancing student learning. This paper develops an explanation for how and why such pedagogies can foster students' critical thinking and learning. Drawing on data collected from first-year students in “field based” urban geography courses at an urban university, I show how students' existing knowledge of urban spaces and specific parts of the city is constructed from a variety of sources and experiences, and can be incorporated in experiential learning activities in ways that foster critical learning. Such an approach is crucial to creating learning environments in higher education that include a greater diversity of student identities and life experiences.     

Using Paintings for Problem-solving and Teaching Physical Geography: Examples from a Course in Coastal Management

Abstract

Use of paintings in undergraduate courses is discussed to show their value in interpreting landscapes from the viewpoint of the physical sciences. Issues of realism and ways to distinguish evocative value from information value are evaluated. Paintings are used to (1) enliven lecture material, (2) test student knowledge and preconceptions, and (3) form the basis of term projects. Paintings reveal historic uses of coastal resources and changing cultural preferences and human values, and they reveal alterations that are of such small scale or local significance that they would be difficult to find in narrative accounts. Student projects evaluate landscape alterations revealed in works by the same artist or the artist's contemporaries or trace differences in alterations through time.     

Regions and western europe

Abstract

Regional geography is undergoing important changes in its method of study in order to achieve a greater degree of relevancy in the context of a dynamic global system. Effective knowledge of regional identities can no longer be confined to facts that establish patterns, it also demands a critical appreciation of processes and spatial interrelationships. Western Europe is taken as a case study to reflect this new approach to regional geography, Despite the complexity of this major world region, two basic models are proposed as a basis on which to develop detailed study. Essential patterns of Western Europe are established through six generalizations: location; quality of the environment; industrialization; urban development and trade; population and culture; and the European Community/European Union. Processes and interrelations are reviewed through a core-periphery model. Changing regional patterns are highlighted which suggest a movement away from a national focus for regional study to one which is more international.     

Investigating Student Perceptions of Knowledge Acquisition within a Role-Play Simulation of the Convention on Biological Diversity

Abstract

This article investigates the particular mechanisms through which a role-play simulation impacts student perceptions of knowledge acquisition. Longitudinal data were mobilized in the form of quantitative and qualitative surveys to examine whether the simulation succeeded in increasing knowledge around both content and skills. It then delves deeper into the relationship between simulations and knowledge transmission by exploring the role of online technologies and stakeholder choice as mediators. This analysis reveals two major insights: (1) the importance of thoughtfully embedding the simulation within the overarching logic of the course itself, and (2) the potential contribution of online technologies to enhancing student knowledge acquisition.     

Individualized Learning in An Open Geography Classroom

Abstract

In the last few years a great deal of educational literature has been devoted to the concept of individualized learning in an open classroom, i This approach is based on the premise that students are capable of analytical and creative thought when given the opportunity to work on their own initiative and at their own rates. It is an alternative to the traditional teacher-centered classroom and is justified by the belief that the student learns more effectively when he is interested; that the student develops greater responsibility; that the slower, generally passive student is brought into a position of active participation in the learning process.

Little has been written about the applicability of such an approach to the field of geography. Interest in this method prompted the author to experiment with such a program in her own classes during her first year of teaching. This article describes the results of individualized learning in two ninth grade physical geography classes conducted at Western Illinois University's Laboratory School.     

THE NEED FOR PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

As a viable intellectual and professional pursuit with well defined goals, physical geography is alive and kicking but demands greater commitment from the geography profession generally. In particular, physical geographers are exhorted to be thoroughly trained in the subject matter and methodology of their own and related disciplines, to be integrative in the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data, to be predictive in their work, and to be proud of the role that they can play in serving society's environmental needs.     

Lessons Learned from Reviewing Research in GIS Education

Abstract

Traditional lectures generally force students to play a passive role in the classroom. In an effort to promote active learning, we added discussion sections to a large lecture hall course. Field trips, student journals, and group-based assignments, in particular, enhanced the learning experience. To ensure the success of the new format, course planners must enlist the sustained cooperation of key faculty and administrators on campus, as well as teaching assistants assigned to the new sections. The new discussion sections allowed students to acknowledge the environmental impact their actions have on campus and to recognize that environmental problems occur at multiple scales.     

Geographical Notes

Abstract

To improve student retention and to combat problems of declining enrollments, many colleges are turning to freshman or first year experience (FYE) programs. These programs are designed to aid students in the transition to college, and in doing so make students more satisfied and more successful in their new environments. FYE programs are offered in many forms, one of which is to offer FYE instruction as an integral part of the existing curriculum. Using existing courses makes the inclusion of introductory geography courses viable for FYE programs. The inclusion of FYE-related materials in an Introduction to Geography course, as illustrated here, can result in greater student satisfaction with faculty and the institution as a whole, higher rates of retention, and student skill development without a significant loss in geographic course content. Although the resulting improvements may be modest, when projected over an entire incoming class, even small gains may affect significant numbers of students. Participation in FYE may give geography programs greater exposure to incoming students and could help to attract new majors to the discipline.     

Comparing Teacher-Directed and Computer-Assisted Instruction of Elementary Geographic Place Vocabulary

Abstract

Increased knowledge of geographic place name vocabulary continues to be important to student academic success. Place knowledge is a vital part of students' learning to be responsible citizens by helping them become more conscious of the world around them and preparing them to enter a global workplace. This study compares computer-assisted to teacher-directed instruction for teaching elementary geographic place name vocabulary. Direct instructional methods can improve student performance with clearly identified student objectives, structured content delivery, and monitoring of progress. Instruction provided via computers appears to be a more effective method than traditional direct instruction.     

Recent Publications

Abstract

A call for combining the strengths of geographic education with environmental education to produce an ‘education for sustainability’ addresses local problems for sustainable development. A place-based approach encourages civic responsibility among students. Using service-learning to extend education beyond the classroom in this case study connected students with local clients in a watershed-based initiative. Theoretical underpinnings of service-learning for geographic education are discussed, and the case study is viewed from instructor, student, and client perspectives to identify successful outcomes and provide suggestions for those who might adopt service-learning for the first time.     

An Investigation of the Use of Real-Time,Authentic Geospatial Data in the K–12 Classroom

Abstract

This article situates geospatial technologies as a constructivist tool in the K-12 classroom and examines student experiences with real-time authentic geospatial data provided through a hybrid adventure learning environment. Qualitative data from seven student focus groups demonstrate the effectiveness of using real-time authentic data, peer collaboration, and geospatial technologies in learning geography. We conclude with recommendations about geospatial technology curricula, geospatial lesson design, providing preservice teachers with geographic technological pedagogical content knowledge, and encouraging further research to investigate the impact, affordances, and pedagogical implications of geospatial technologies and data in the K–12 classroom.     

Inventing Geography: Writing as a Social Justice Pedagogy

Abstract

A critical geographic pedagogy of writing can help students participate in public life by gaining access to the means of knowledge production. Drawing on pedagogical and composition theory, this article analyzes student papers from an introductory-level geography course to show how geography teachers can create assignments that broaden the scope of student agency and expand access to power. This is one way to promote social justice in the classroom because it fosters habits and skills of critical citizenship and participatory democracy instead of passive, consumption-oriented attitudes. Students are better able to position themselves as active members of a community and as agents in the process of critically reshaping knowledge about the world.     

New Modes of Environmental Governance in Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation in Oregon

Abstract

Natural resource challenges often span administrative jurisdictions and include actors and processes operating at different spatial and political scales. We applied concepts of new environmental governance to analyze Oregon’s approach to greater sage-grouse conservation. Through one in-depth case study in Lake County, we traced features of new environmental governance (cross-scale interactions, decentralization, and capacities of actors) through different governance levels. Interviews and qualitative analysis revealed that decentralization of administrative functions facilitated cross-scale interactions and relied on intermediaries, gap-filling, and perceptions of legitimacy at lower levels. State and agency guidelines steered the effort and were accompanied by financial and technical resources from multiple arenas, which increased local capacity. This study adds to the understandings of environmental governance for implementing multi-actor, multi-level conservation arrangements in resource-dependent communities. Further exploration of connections between higher levels and local contexts will reveal important, new ways to link policies with on-the-ground outcomes.     

Assessing Collaborative Conservation: A Case Survey of Output,Outcome, and Impact Measures Used in the Empirical Literature

Abstract

Much existing research on collaborative conservation has focused on process, even as researchers have called for greater attention to explaining what results these processes yield. It is time to take stock of collaborative conservation research by mapping what kinds of variables researchers are including in analyses. Here we conduct a case survey from the SCAPE database of environmental decision-making cases. We include cases involving collaboration across government, environmental protection, and resource exploitation interests in western democratic countries. Results reveal patterns in what researchers include in their outputs, outcomes, and impacts measures of collaborative conservation. While there is little difference by publication type (peer-reviewed journals, scholarly book chapters, or gray literature) or over time, we find significant differences in explicit measures across variable types. In particular, variables more proximate to process in a logic chain are more often measured, as are social rather than ecological variables.     

The Politically Incorrect Mutual Fund: A Web-based Activity Focusing on Transnational and the Environment

Abstract

Geographers are challenged to find tools to enhance students' appreciation of the environmental implications of the development process. This paper discusses a novel method of engaging students in the analysis of the environmental impacts of transnational corporations (TNCs) by having them create a “politically incorrect mutual fund.” The goal is for students to determine whether it is financially rewarding to invest in the stocks of TNCs with poor environmental records in developing countries compared to the returns possible from other types of investments, including socially responsible mutual funds. The project involves intensive student use of the World Wide Web, including creation of their own Web sites.