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Course
Introduction |
Course
Materials |
Course
Rationale |
Course
Requirements |
Expectations
and Procedures |
Explanation
of Assignments |
Readings
| Daily
Activities, Classroom Participation, Field
Work | Sequence
of WWW Skills and Activities
| Geographic
Information Systems
This course is designed to help you to translate formal coursework in geography and your understanding of the discipline into teachable concepts and experiences. It responds to findings of the National Center for Research in Teacher Learning (NCRTL) that majoring in an academic subject in college does not guarantee that teachers have the specific kind of subject matter knowledge needed for teaching.
NCRTL's research suggests that there are two reasons for this. First, in most college courses professors provide students with large amounts of discrete information which students digest, memorize, and report back. They are rarely given the opportunity to examine the material, construct a deep understanding of it, or explore relationships among principles and concepts learned. Second, in college, professors assume that students have a fundamental understanding of key concepts in their discipline, for example, how to read a map or why there are seasons or the difference between a mountain and a hill. Students are seldom called upon to think about how to explain fundamentals to others. However, their teaching success requires students to do just that.
Therefore, Concepts in Geographic Education proposes to give you opportunities to reason with and about geography, to think deeply about the discipline, to test ideas about what is and isn't, and to improve your understanding of important geography concepts and ability to explain them to others. In this class you will learn geography but also to reflect on how you are learning in order to become a good teacher yourself.
The class is a mixture of brief lectures, classroom and field activities, student-led discussions, and technology focused, computer-based instruction and production. You will complete a series of assignments to become fluent in research and teaching through the Worldwide Web and e-mail. You are encouraged to join the network of geography educators in the state through the Texas Alliance for Geographic Education. We will use scientific equipment and facilities in the course of completing instructional activities, homework, and projects
Geography Education
Standards Project. 1994. Geography for Life.
Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society Gersmehl, Philip. 1995.
Why Not Here: Teaching Geography to a New
Standard. Indiana, PA: NCGE Activities and
Readings in Geography Education (ARGE). Available
from Copy Corner, 1404 Texas Avenue (next to Jason's Deli),
College Station, 693-0640. Texas Social Studies Framework, available at http://socialstudies.tea.state.tx.us in PDF Format (See DOWNLOADS) TExAS Preparation Manual, Social Studies 4-8 and Social Studies 8-12 available at http://www.texes.nesinc.com/prepmanuals/prepman_opener.htm
Other materials in ARGE include blank outline maps and activities we will discuss this semester.
This course focuses on three questions:
In general terms, the goal of this course is to help you to become a geographically literate educator. Specifically the goals are:
1. Complete reading assignments and activities as assigned.
2. Complete and present a web page on a National Geography Standard. The web page will be presented to the class in lieu of a final exam.
3. Attend class on a regular basis.
4. Obtain and use e-mail and develop a competency in using the Internet (multimedia).