The recent round of curriculum reform in China has proposed the educational goal of developing key competencies. This study examined how key competencies are integrated into geography textbooks for middle schools through pre-designed activities. The results showed that the textbooks emphasized the regional awareness competency. The activities in…

Field experiences continue to be a hallmark of a geographer's education and, for that matter, reeducation, as we all strive to remain current in the real world. Academic geographers beginning their ascent towards tenure and promotion might consider augmenting their portfolios with materials emerging from field teaching and learning activities.

Concerns about the decreasing quality of geography education within primary schools can be linked to a decrease of time spent on geography education and, for example, to low achievement on national or school-specific tests. Learning outcomes for geography stay behind in relation to what experts believe that pupils should perform. Results indicate…

This article presents research on evaluating problem-based learning using GIS technology in a Singapore secondary school. A quasi-experimental research design was carried to test the PBL pedagogy (PBL-GIS) with an experimental group of students and compare their learning outcomes with a control group who were exposed to PBL but not GIS. The…

Greenways are prominent features of many urban landscapes and synthesize several geographic topics: human-environment interactions, urban ecosystems, and the promotion of sustainability within riverine corridors. Greenways are easily accessible and provide an opportunity for students at various grade levels to study interactions across physical…

PlacesOnLine.org is a Web portal that provides easy access to high quality Web sites that focus on places from around the world. It is intended for use by a wide range of people, including professional geographers, teachers and students at all levels, and the general public. This article explores the potential uses of PlacesOnLine as an…

This article discusses how poetry can be used for teaching geography. The rational for using and writing poetry, its relationship to the National Standards for Geography, grade levels, pedagogical concerns associated with poetry writing, and subject integration are discussed. There are also classroom activities, sample discussion questions, lesson…

Dendrochronology is used widely to reconstruct the history of forest disturbances. I created an exercise that introduces the use of dendrochronology to investigate fire history and forest dynamics. The exercise also demonstrates how the dendrochronological technique of crossdating is employed to age dead trees and identify missing rings. I…

The use of analogy can be the most effective way of helping science students successfully formulate hypotheses and develop understandings of concepts. (JR)

Twenty suggestions in five conceptual areas -- interdependence, population, pollution, resource utilization, land use -- are offered to teachers incorporating environmental studies into their social studies curricula. (JH)

Map activities for kindergarten and a role play activity about migration in Africa are the classroom exercises described in two separate articles. (Author/KM)

A learning experience is described for upper elementary or junior high students involving the manufacture, transportation, and marketing of a product for consumers. Steps are given and roles are assigned for students to convert raw material (paper) to a finished product (paper airplanes) and to sell it. (AV)

Suggests projects to help elementary students learn about man-land relationships through field experience, inquiry techniques, and a thematic, interdisciplinary approach. Children study a natural community, a human community, solid wastes, and energy conservation. (Author/AV)

An exercise for high school students based on urban-oriented density measures involves calculation of gross and net population densities, lot coverage ratios, and floor space indices. (Author/AV)

Describes a classroom activity to introduce students to pros and cons of recent bottle bill legislation which proposes restrictions on the sale of nonreturnable beverage containers. Flowcharts are used to analyze the problem in a systems format. (Author/AV)