THE ARCHIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHERS

Although numerous courses in geographic information systems (GIS) have been introduced into the geography curriculum over the past few years, there has been remarkably little debate over the issues involved. This paper first discusses the arguments for geography as an appropriate disciplinary setting for GIS teaching at the undergraduate level. This is followed by a discussion of the nature of GIS courses and their appropriate place in the undergraduate geography curriculum. The final section of the paper describes the NCGIA Core Curriculum project and examines its significance in this broader context.     

Index to Volume 100

Abstract

The integration of GIS into the secondary curriculum can aid student learning of geography. Through a partnership between a local high school and our university, high school students received nine hours of classroom instruction and field-based training on GIS and GPS to complete a mapping project. Upon completion, a test based on seven geography core curriculum units was administered to these students and to a group of university students who did not receive GIS training. Results of the test revealed that high school students significantly outperformed the university students, suggesting that GIS does aid in the learning of geographic principles.     

NCGIA education activities: the core curriculum and beyond

Abstract

Education has been part of the NCGIA's mission from the earliest discussions of the concept of the Center at the National Science Foundation. To respond to the need for short-term solutions to the shortage of adequately trained personnel in GIS, the Center developed a set of teaching materials or core curriculum. The steps in its development are described and an analysis of initial distribution statistics is presented. Current efforts to develop a framework for laboratory materials are outlined. The paper ends with an assessment of the project and comparison with other disciplines.     

Developing Map Skills Through Reading Instruction

Abstract

The map skills development component of an elementary level social science reading curriculum project was tested for effects. The criterion measure was the map skills subtest of the ITBS, administered in a pre-treatment post-treatment research design. Analyses show significant (p.05) mean score differences in favor of the experimental group on the post measurement. An example of the learning activities used is included for possible teacher application of the technique.     

Teaching American Indian Geography and History with New Perspectives: The Lodge Pole River Project Example

Abstract

A three-year institute called “The Lodge Pole River Project” was designed to change educator perceptions of American Indian historical geography and encourage the creation of balanced and culturally sensitive American Indian K-12 curriculum. This project offered unique opportunities to assess a geography institute's impact upon teacher knowledge and perceptions towards Native people and pedagogical approaches to teaching about American Indians and their landscapes. The assessment suggests that three weeks of field work, archival research, and curriculum writing increased participant knowledge of American Indian history and culture, solidified sympathetic perceptions and attitudes towards Native people, and strengthened the ability of educators to offer different interpretations of American Indian geography and history to their students.     

ESRC/NERC joint programme on geographical information handling A progress report†

Abstract

At the Department of Geoinformation of the Technical University of Vienna, a European Community funded project to develop an International Post-Graduate Course on GIS is underway. This intensive course is intended for participants with a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and experience who need a broad theoretical overview of GIS coupled with the necessary knowledge and skills to apply GIS in real situations. As curriculum design for GIS courses is normally carried out by a very small group of individuals, curricula generally reflect the specifics of the experience or disciplinary environment of these individuals. For this European project, a widely acceptable course curriculum was needed. This required the cooperation of experts from different disciplines, across many application areas and from different countries. A Delphi survey method combined with a meeting of a small number of GIS education specialists was used to achieve the necessary balance in the curriculum. The survey was used to determine the general content of the course and allowed the varied opinions of the group of European GIS experts to be merged towards a consensus. It resulted in the development of a list of important topics that need to be taught. Following completion of the survey, the GIS education experts met to review this list and discuss the concerns raised in the survey. These discussions led to the development of a Course Blueprint which describes the organisation of the course into 18 instructional units and outlines the objectives and contents that will be achieved in each of them.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

This paper summarizes a research project conducted to investigate the strategies developed by middle school students to solve a route-finding problem using Arc View GIS software. Three different types of route-finding strategies were identified. Some students were visual route-finders and used a highly visual strategy; others were logical route finders and used GIS software tools to apply a more analytical and systematic approach. A third group were transitional route-finders who used an approach that showed evidence of one that was shifting from a visual strategy to one that was more logical. The findings suggest that to be most effective, GIS teaching and curriculum development strategies should begin with an assessment of student understanding of spatial relationships and continue with a progression that spirals according to the evolution of student cognitive mapping skills over time.     

An Approach to leaching Applied GIS: Implementation for Local Organizations

Abstract

Geographic information systems (GIS) is a fairly new and evolving curriculum area within geography and other disciplines at colleges and universities in the United States. The challenge of teaching underlying concepts of GIS functionality, the details of computer operation and software interfaces, as well as the contexts of various applications can be a difficult one. At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a teaching strategy—Client-Life Cycle GIS Project Learning—has been introduced in which students in an upper level GIS course work with local organizations, faculty from other university departments, and governmental entities. This allows students with some GIS background to work with real clients; utilize and operationalize the concepts of the GIS Project Life Cycle; make the connection between data development, analysis, and applications development; provide expertise and needed data to local organizations; and see the utility and impact of their work. A group pilot project from the spring semester of 1998 is discussed to illustrate how students responded to this method of teaching GIS.     

The shifting sand of geography in South Africa

South African geography, like other subjects, has to undergo the arduous process of curriculum change in order to meet the demands of the new education system and to contribute to a broader agenda of national reconstruction. Changes within geography can shed light on the impact and implications of the new national curriculum on teaching subjects. The paper suggests that the introduction of environmental education into Curriculum 2005 offers geography educators the opportunity and the challenge to advance geographic knowledge.     

Geography in the International Baccalaureate

Abstract

The International Baccalaureate Organiz-ation (IBO) is doing much to promote the teaching of geography in schools. Since its establishment in 1968 to provide a common curriculum and university entrance credential for children of a geographically mobile international com-munity, it has evolved and now includes schools in national systems all over the world. As part of the curriculum group Individuals and Societies, geography is the-matic in organization, human in focus, and comprehensive in coverage. The geo-graphy syllabus can prove challenging to both teachers and students. Workshops are provided in each region to introduce new teachers to the assessment standards and practices of the IBO.     

Integration of Geospatial Science in Teacher Education

Abstract

One of the primary missions of our university is to train future primary and secondary teachers. Geospatial sciences, including GIS, have long been excluded from teacher education curriculum. This article explains the curriculum revisions undertaken to increase the geospatial technology education of future teachers. A general education class introducing geospatial technology to the general student body has been developed, a cartography class has been modified to provide applied geospatial experience explicitly for future teachers, and a service learning partnership with local K–12 schools has been established where students are working with teachers to integrate geospatial sciences in their academic programs.     

The Pecan. Its Culture and Commercial Value

Abstract

This paper addresses the neglect of social justice and social change in the undergraduate general education curriculum at a community college. The intended audience of this paper is community college instructors with heavy teaching loads of mostly general education courses. Without pretending to be a rigorous analysis of theories of radical pedagogy in the classroom, this article aims to balance a review of the discourse surrounding the undergraduate general education curriculum with examples of classroom practices.

The first step in preparing our students to become agents of social change is to equip them with understanding and empathy, in the hope of ending the alienation that is a barrier to action. Assignments in general education geography courses are shared and reflected upon as a first step in grounding theory and introducing students to the struggle for social justice at home and abroad.     

Curricular Changes in the Teaching of Geography in Swiss Upper Secondary Schools: An Attempt to Develop Skills for Lifelong Learning

Abstract

This article is an overview of the curriculum reform in Switzerland in the 1990s. It describes the grass-roots reform process in geography education in upper secondary schools and its impact on the development of new teaching materials. These ancillary materials are based on teaching methods and strategies, the effectiveness of which are empirically shown by results. The teaching units complement the thematic and methodological aims in the national curriculum and the federal regulations and were designed through a partnership of teachers, teacher educators and scientists. They can be translated directly into the practice of teaching and are available free to teachers through the World Wide Web.     

Teaching Experiential Learning in Geography: Lessons from Planning

Abstract

Geography increasingly relies on training of professionals who can apply geographic concepts to solve real-world problems. The planning profession for years has been training professionals to work in the area of community planning. Planning programs typically include experiential learning modules throughout the curriculum. This article looks at how community planning approaches can be incorporated into geography programs in lower level courses to: (1) provide exposure to practical applications of geographic concepts; (2) give students experience with team dynamics; and (3) provide students with experience in real-world client relations. Advantages and challenges of experiential learning are identified and discussed. An example of an experiential learning exercise adapted from a planning application is presented. The exercise was developed to enhance learning in a geography curriculum.     

Modern Agriculture in Advanced Placement Human Geography

Abstract

This article is an overview of the agriculture section in the outline of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course. It is intended to provide a more detailed framework on which teachers may develop their own curriculum for the AP class. Special emphasis is given to the practice of agriculture in contemporary industrial societies. It also encourages teachers to balance the cultural and historical views of agriculture contained in many textbooks with an economic and geographic focus. Agribusiness is also given special treatment.     

A Seventh Grade Problem Study of Czechoslovakia

Abstract

Computer technology has a rich history in geography education. The Internet represents the latest in technological advancements that continue to have important effects on geography curriculum and instruction. Many geographers are involved with Internet-based instruction, which some educators believe has potential to facilitate changes in how we teach and even what we teach. This article describes how the Internet is being used by some geographers for instructional purposes and discusses opportunities for improving teaching and learning with the Internet.     

Environmental “Education”: The Last Measure Of Man

Promotion of nonacademic geography is a logical response to curtailment of opportunity for new teaching careers. Yet this necessary redirection of effort must be accompanied by renewed dedication to education and especially to nonprofessional undergraduate education. The case for geography in the liberal arts curriculum may well be a strong one, but questions about what we can offer need to be raised more frequently among ourselves if we are to respond effectively when such questions are asked by outsiders.     

Applying Sequential Fieldwork Skills Across Two International Field Courses

Abstract

This article addresses the development of a conceptual model of fieldwork practice and the creation of an associated set of skills for the geosciences. The set of eight generic and seventeen specific skills is applied in two international field courses to demonstrate the utility of such a skills-centered model across a broad range of venues, curricula, and students. Both concept and practice from U.K. and U.S. universities have been welded as a means of internationalizing curriculum development. Further, it is suggested that there is merit in faculty viewing their field teaching within the framework of the whole subject curriculum such that field courses and sites are viewed as much for their contribution to the overall skill set as their support for the classroom topic.     

Agnotology as a Teaching Tool: Learning Climate Science by Studying Misinformation

Abstract

Foreign travel for secondary school teachers is beneficial for enhancement of classroom curriculum. The dual nature of the U.S. Navy-National Geographic co-sponsored trips is key to enriching the global geography perspective in the classroom. A travel study to Japan provides in-service benefit for teacher peers and community groups by enhancing geography through the link between the natural and social sciences.     

Geographic Inquiry in the Elementary School VIA ETV

Abstract

Many of the “new” social studies curriculum projects emphasize strategies for teaching-without-telling, and traditional materials are being adapted to promote more inquiry-oriented learning experiences. While this article explores the potential for using the television medium in a relatively nonexpository manner, the techniques described are applicable at all educational levels and with other instructional materials. The authors believe that the key to the development of more meaningful geographic concepts and generalizations is active pupil involvement in hypothesizing, observing, and selecting evidence upon which to make inferences and draw conclusions.