THE CLASSROOM AS THE FIELD FOR STUDYING GEOGRAPHICAL EDUCATION

ABSTRACT. Recent attempts by U.S. politicians to reform the nation'sschools have shifted the goal of education to school accountability as assessed in standardized testing. Such an emphasis undermines geographical education in schools because of geography'ssuperficial representation in tests and in the social studies curriculum. Fieldwork done in the classroom can point to means of circumventing this dilemma. Collaborative fieldwork between college faculty members and public‐school teachers has the potential for adding geography to the social studies curriculum in a substantive way. Work conducted jointly by Hartwick College and the Oneonta (New York) Middle School exemplifies such a partnership.     

GIS in the K-12 Curriculum: A Cautionary Note

Two qualitative case studies, one focusing on K-12 teachers and the other on middle school students, explore key factors associated with using Geographic Information Systems in the classroom. In both studies, access to appropriate hardware is a critical barrier. Time is another critical barrier—time to learn the GIS software and time in the curriculum to incorporate GIS as a learning experience. In both case studies, learning the technology at the expense of learning spatial analysis was a danger, suggesting the need for conscious focus on the goal of using GIS to learn how to “do geography.”     

River Views of Beginning Pre-service Teachers: Content Knowledge Use

Abstract

How beginning teachers organize themselves to teach new or unfamiliar topics is an important issue for research. This paper discusses information about rivers in pre-service teachers' lessons taught to fourth grade students. Lessons were videotaped and transcribed for analysis. The data consisted of all information about rivers found in the lessons. Lesson content was analyzed for accuracy, coherence, centrality, over-simplification, and undue emphasis.

Seven kinds of problems with lesson content occurred because the beginning teachers lacked sufficient knowledge about rivers. Inaccurate information was either presented or allowed to stand unchallenged in the lessons. The lessons lacked coherence, because the beginning teachers tended to make passing references to concepts. About twice as many of the lesson concepts were peripheral to the study of rivers, the problem of centrality. The relationships between some river-related ideas were misunderstood or ignored. Both physical and human geography concepts were consistently over-simplified. The recreational use of rivers was consistently over-emphasized.     

Kindergarten Geography: Teaching Diversity to Young People

Abstract

A Southern Poverty Law Center grant enabled purchasing dolls representing children of different races, ethnicity, and condition of disability. The teacher used these with other materials to sensitize kindergarten children to human differences. She directed them to cut pictures from National Geographic Magazine showing people who are “somehow different/' Responses from children were classified. Nine commented on adornment, three on household setting, two on occupation, and one on race. Little research exists on teaching geography to kindergarteners except on the ability to read maps. The authors contend that kindergarteners are quite ready to learn about regional differences among human populations.     

Geographical Positions of Base Lines and Principal Meridians Governing the Public Surveys

Abstract

Richard Edes Harrison. The Ginn World Atlas. Ginn &; Co., Statler Office Bldg., Boston 17, Mass., 1963. 62 pages (single page 7 1/2 × 10 in.) with table of contents, colored maps and index. $1.00.

National Geographic Society. Atlas of the World. National Geographic Society, Washington 6, D.C., 1963. 304 pages, including 115 pages of 11-color maps, with 127,071 place names. With introduction, table of contents, etc. The price for the standard edition in a flexible, leather-grained plastic cover is $18.75. The deluxe edition with hard-backed cover in a matching slipcase and gold-stamped lettering with the owner's name is $24.50.

Mary Louise Clifford. The Land and People of Afghanistan. J. B. Lippincott Company, E. Washington Sq., Philadelphia, Pa., 1962. 160 pages, illustrated with photographs, map and index. $3.25.

Pradyumna P. Karan and William M. Jenkins, Jr. The Himalayan Kngdoms: Bhutan, Sikkim, and Nepal. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 120 Alexander St., Princeton, N.J., 1963. 144 pages with preface, table of contents, appendix, bibliography and index. Included are maps and sketches. $1.45.

Donald B. Cole. Atlas of American History. Ginn and Co., Statler Office Bldg., Boston 17, Mass., 1963. 151 pages with table of contents, maps and index. $1.60. (paperback)

D. M. LeBourdais. Stefansson: Ambassador of the North. Harvest House Limited, 220 Elm Ave., Montreal 6, P. Q., Can., 1962. 204 pages with table of contents, map and index. $2.50 (paperback)

Elvajean Hall. The Land and People of Norway (Portraits of the Nations Series). J. B, Lippincott Co., E. Washington Sq., Philadelphia 5, Pa., 1963. 158 pages with table of contents, one place name map, photographs and index. $3.25.

Sir Alan Burns. Fiji. British Information Services, 845 Third Ave., New York 22, N.Y., 1963. xv and 255 pages with table of contents, illustrations, photographs, drawings, maps, appendices and index. $6.00.

George B. Cressey. Asia's Lands and Peoples. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 330 West 42nd St., New York 36, N.Y., 1963. 652 pages plus table of contents and index. $9.95.

S. Carl Hirsch. The Globe for the Space Age. The Viking Press, 625 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y., 1963. 88 pages including table of contents, index, drawings, suggestions for further reading and list of globe manufacturers. $8.75.

Cuchlaine A. M. King. An Introduction to Oceanography. McGraw Hill Book Company, Inc., 330 West 42nd Street, New York 36, N.Y., 1963. xii and 337 pages with table of contents, index and illustrations. $7.95.

William Bixby. Waves, Pathways of Energy. David McKay &; Co., Inc., 119 W. 40th St., New York 18, N.Y., 1963. 160 pages, illustrations, suggested further readings index. $3.50.

Hans H. Lansberg, Leonard L. Fischman and Joseph L. Fisher. Resources in America's Future: Patterns of Requirements and Availabilities 1960–2000. Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 18, Md., 1963. 1067 pages with black and white and colored ilustrations, table of contents, appendices and index. $15.00.

C. Daryll Forde. Habitat, Economy &; Society. E. P. Dutton &; Co., Inc., 201 Park Avenue South, New York 3, N.Y., 1963. xv and 500 pages with preface, table of contents, illustrations, maps, drawings, chapter references, bibliography and index $2.35.

Patricia Horkheimer Suttles. Educators Guide to Free Science Materials, 4th ed. Educators Progress Service, Randolph, Wis., 1963. XV and 313 pages with publisher's foreword, table of contents, general directions, title index, subject index, source and availability index and eleven units. $7.75.

Irwin Isenberg (associate editor). The Soviet Satellites of Eastern Europe. Scholastic Book Services, Scholastic Magazines, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1963. 159 pages with photographs and index. Sixty-five cents, (paperback)     

Demographic Transition: Threat to Developing Nations

Abstract

As computers become commonplace in the nation's schools, interactive maps are finding their way into the geography classroom. Students can use electronic atlases to access information as well as use authoring software to produce their own interactive maps. Does this change in media correspond to better geography education for our children? This article addresses whether using interactive maps for gathering and presenting information can have a positive influence on learning geography content. A two-week experiment was conducted in five 7th grade classrooms. Students in four of the classes researched and produced map products using both traditional and computer-assisted techniques. The fifth class was a control group. A pretest and two post-tests were given to quantitatively assess student learning after each project. Also, students were given a qualitative questionnaire to determine their attitude towards the different techniques. Quantitative results of the study indicate that there was no significant difference in student post-test performance after using each of the techniques, but qualitative results suggest that students prefer using the computer techniques over the traditional methods for gathering and presenting information.     

论现代航海技术与高等航海教育

针对航海技术的现状和发展趋势 ,提出了高等航海教育应向国际化、高素质化、现代化、技能化、规范化发展 ,以培养高素质的国际航运人才。     

Simple gravity corer suitable for educators

Instructions for construction and use of a simple and inexpensive sediment coring device are presented. The sampler is suitable for use in high school and undergraduate science courses.     

The Role of Education in the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program

Tsunami education activities, materials, and programs are recognized by the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP) as the essential tool for near-source tsunami mitigation. Prior to the NTHMP, there were no state tsunami education programs outside of Hawaii and few earthquake education materials included tsunami hazards. In the first year of the NTHMP, a Strategic Plan was developed providing the framework for mitigation projects in the program. The Strategic Plan identifies education as the first of five mitigation strategic planning areas and targets a number of user groups, including schools, businesses, tourists, seasonal workers, planners, government officials, and the general public. In the 6 years of the NTHMP tsunami education programs have been developed in all five Pacific States and include print, electronic and video/film products, curriculum, signage, fairs and workshops, and public service announcements. Multi-state education projects supported by the NTHMP include TsuInfo, a bi-monthly newsletter, and Surviving a Tsunami, a booklet illustrating lessons from the 1960 Chilean tsunami. An additional education component is provided by the Public Affairs Working Group (PAWG) that promotes media coverage of tsunamis and the NTHMP. Assessment surveys conducted in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California show an increase in tsunami awareness and recognition of tsunami hazards among the general population since the NTHMP inception.     

Combining Geography,Math, and Science to Teach Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

This study examines the effectiveness of integrating geography into existing math and science curriculum to teach climate change and sea level rise. The desired outcome is to improve student performance in all three subjects. A sample of 120 fifth graders from three schools were taught the integrated curriculum over a period of two to three weeks. They were given a pretest and posttest comprised of questions measuring knowledge relevant to the lesson in terms of geography, math, science, and spatial skills. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted to determine significant differences in student performance. These t-tests indicate statistically significant improvements in all but one instance across all subjects, at all schools for both boys and girls. No statistically significant results were observed for a control group of an additional twenty-seven fifth graders. These results demonstrate the value of combining geography with math and science to improve student performance in STEM knowledge.