Social studies instructional time in elementary schools has declined substantially. Responding to this, the National Geographic Society (NGS) developed a professional learning program called the Elementary Social Studies Community of Practice (ESSCoP). This article describes this program's design and content, as well as evaluates its…

The effectiveness of interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum remains understudied in geography education. Accordingly, we deployed and evaluated an interdisciplinary sustainability and STEM module for in-person and online sections of a fall 2018 Human Geography course. Results indicate that sustainability knowledge improved after the…

Globalization would appear to be a subject that easily could be addressed in geography classrooms, yet this is not always the case. In terms of pedagogy, many geographers are concerned whether the field has been adequately engaging various components of this topic (e.g., connectivity, core-periphery), especially in terms of making the subject…

Learning about climate change is tangible when it addresses impacts that can be observed close to home. In this program, sixty-four diverse middle and high school students produced videos about locally relevant climate change topics. Graduate and undergraduate students provided mentorship. The program engaged students in research and learning…

This article reports the results of a case study that employed user-centered design to develop training tutorials for helping middle school social studies teachers use Web-based GIS in their classrooms. This study placed teachers in the center of the design process in planning, designing, and developing the tutorials. This article describes how…

This article discusses use and modification of Lee and Bednarz's (2012) Spatial Thinking Ability Test (STAT) as a spatial thinking assessment device in Rwandan secondary schools. After piloting and modifying the STAT, 222 students total from our rural and urban test schools and one control school were tested. Statistical analysis revealed that…

Describes changes and improvements in a geography internship program at San Diego State University since its inception in 1969. The program, which integrates unpaid work experience with classroom study, has increased the variety of available jobs, developed guidelines for intern supervisors, places 300 percent more students in jobs, and requires…

Anxious to maintain student enrollments, geography departments have placed greater emphasis on the applied nature of the discipline. Described are (1) the advantages of internships in college geography curricula that enable students to gain firsthand knowledge about the usefulness of geography in real world situations and (2) operational models…

Examines seven surveys containing ratings of geography departments that appeared between 1924 and 1980. All the surveys attempted to assess the relative standing of Ph.D.-granting departments of geography in the United States. (RM)

This paper presents the design, implementation and assessment of the Columbia River Basin Environmental Research Project (CERP) curriculum. CERP is an online inquiry-based, regional geographic curriculum designed to improve technology skills and content knowledge about water quality and watershed-level processes. Student attitudes and knowledge…

Reports on the design, implementation, and results of a project structured as a means to investigate the potential of long-distance, collaborative student learning on an international basis. Offers an overview of the project's design and conclusions in order to encourage collaborative instruction using the Internet and the World Wide Web. (CMK)

Describes a school-community program based on and extending the efforts of the Michigan Model Family Geography Challenge. The program includes inviting community members to participate in hands-on activities, as well as, shared activities between parents and students followed by dinner and socializing. Discusses materials, assessment, and…

Maintains that the National Geography Standards provide university geographers opportunities in the areas of program assessment and development. Describes a process that can strengthen programs and maintains that it will enhance geography's role in the preservice education curriculum. (CFR)

Focuses on using the World Wide Web as a means for creating large-scale collaborations that cut across institutional boundaries. Examines different strategies for employing these collaborations; in particular, centralized publishing using common guidelines and format, distributed publishing using common interfaces and protocols, and…

Contends that excitement can be infused into the K-12 geography curriculum by involving teachers in real research projects led by professional geographers. Describes a project where K-12 teachers and geographers participated in geography field research in the mountain highlands of the Valle Nuevo Scientific Reserve of the Dominican Republic. (CMK)