Geography for Teachers

Course Syllabus

Course Overview:  

The study of geography represents a distinct “way of knowing.”  As such it is associated with a specific set of skills and knowledge that present the educator with a unique instructional challenge.  This course is designed to provide the student with an overview of the basic concepts of cultural and physical geography as represented in the Five Fundamental Themes of Geography, the National Geography Standards, and the Virginia Standards of Learning that relate to geography.  The course is intended for teachers who have little or no previous experience as a student of geography.  This is a content oriented course focused primarily on basic geographic knowledge and the professional literature relating to the teaching of geography.  To a lesser degree the course will also address specific teaching strategies for integrating geography into classroom instruction and instructional resources.

Course Objectives:

Based upon student reading, class discussion, and practical exercises, the student will be able to:

1. Identify and explain the Five Fundamental Themes in geographic learning.
2. Describe and explain the purpose and uses of the National Geography Standards and the skills specified in those standards.
3. Explain and apply geographic based inquiry including
   • Formulating a geographic question
   • Gathering geographic information
   • Presenting geographic information
   • Analyzing geographic information
   • Developing and testing geographic generalizations
4. Demonstrate the use of geography as a vehicle for interdisciplinary study.
5. Demonstrate geographic thinking through the integration of a geographic perspective into a specific learning exercise.

Required Text:

1. Philip J. Gersmehl, Teaching Geography, 2nd Ed., The Guilford Press, 2008. (ISBN: 9781593857158)
2. Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, National Geographic Research and Exploration, 1994. (Available from NCGE code bp79, $7.00+S&H)
3. Curriculum Framework: World Geography, Virginia Department of Education, 2008

Optional Text:

1. Hardwick and Holtgrieve, Geography for Educators, Prentice-Hall, 1996.
2. An atlas, preferably Goode’s World Atlas, 21st edition, Rand McNally, which will be used in class. Used copies of Goode’s are frequently available in the GMU bookstore, however, any good world atlas by Nystrom, Hammond, or Rand McNally will suffice.

Student Requirements:  

As a graduate level course, the student assessment will focus on critical reading and writing as well as application of concepts. Students will be expected to complete three reviews of articles from the professional literature related to teaching geography (Annex A), a reflective essay on the application of a geographic perspective to learning (Annex B), a book review (Annex C), and a lesson plan illustrating the application of geographic skills in specific content areas (Annex D). There will be no written exams in this class.

Grading Scheme and Policy:

Letter grades of A, A-, B+, B, C, F will be assigned for completion of this course based on the cumulative score of all assigned work. Rather than assign individual letter grades for the individual projects listed below, they will be evaluated on a per cent basis from which the final, total, score will be determined. As a graduate level course the following grading scale will be used: A = 100-97, A- = 96-94, B+ = 93-91, B = 90-85, B- = 84-82, C = 81-70, F = 69 or below. A grade of incomplete must be requested in writing in advance, no later than 7/13, and can only be approved with a passing grade average.

• Article Reviews 30%
• Reflective Essay 20%
• Lesson Plan 30%
• Book Review 20%

Tentative Class Schedule

As of: 05/20/2009

In the event of class cancellation for inclement weather, be prepared to pick up where we left off. Adjustments to the calendar will be made later and announced in class and posted to the web-site.

Annex A: Article Reviews from the Professional Literature

Each student will submit three reviews of articles related to the teaching of geography selected from scholarly or professional journals, including ERIC documents. I recommend articles from the Journal of Geography (NCGE) which you will find in the periodical section of Fenwick Library. If in doubt about any article you wish to review, please consult with me in advance.

Reviews are due as indicated in the class schedule. There is flexibility but every effort should be made to adhere as closely as possible to the schedule. At all costs avoid submitting all three reviews at the end of the course.

A review is not a summary of the article; it is an analysis of what the author is saying. A brief summary of the main points of the article is appropriate; but then you must comment on the author’s objective. The most important point to consider is how this article contributes to your understanding of the challenges of incorporating geography throughout the curriculum. Please support your ideas with specific examples drawn from the article.

The format for the review will be two to five pages maximum, double spaced with one inch margins and using 10 or 12 pitch font. Your name, student number, and a bibliographic entry for the article you are reviewing will appear at the top of the first page. References in the body of the review should be cited in the APA style.

The reviews will be graded on the following grounds.

• Mechanics – including following the format, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Organization and Logic – including cohesive, logical development of your point.
• Intellectual Rigor – including support for your statements, no vague generalities.

Think about what you have read before you write. Look for new insights or new ways of thinking about old problems. Challenge your own presumptions, describe how these authors may changed your perspective. Three or four well-supported ideas are better than five pages of vacuous rubbish.

Annex B: Reflective Essay

Each Student will submit an essay based upon your thinking about the teaching of geography. The essay will be submitted twice during the semester, as indicated in the course calendar. The purpose of the essay is to document your thoughts about the nature of geography, teaching children to process spatial information, and how a geographic perspective can be applied in your setting as a teacher. In preparation for this essay you should consider keeping an informal journal to aid in reflecting upon the points listed above. The reason for submitting this essay twice is to capture any changes in your thinking over the course of the semester.

This is not intended to be a formal research paper or study. You will certainly want to include your reaction to the readings and class work in formulating the main ideas for your essay. The first submission should be 2-3 pages in length, with the final version 4-5 pages. The format should be double spaced with one inch margins and using 10-12 pitch font.

Each student will read and prepare a review of a book with a readily apparent geographic perspective. You any select any book from the list below. Should you want to review another book, please discuss that with me in advance. The review should focus on how this book has influenced your thinking about the nature of geography. You may also wish to comment on how this book may be useful in your teaching. The review should be 2-3 pages in length and follow the same general format of the article reviews. The review will be evaluated in the same manner as the article reviews. You should also be prepared to share your impression of the book you read with your classmates. During the last portion of the semester I will ask individuals to present a short (5 minute) talk about the book you read including any recommendation.

• Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Norton, 1997.

• William H. McNeill, Plagues and Peoples, Anchor Books, 1976.

• Andro Linklater,  Measuring America: How an Untamed Wilderness Shaped the United States and Fulfilled the Promise of Democracy, Walker and Company, 2002.

• Alfred W. Crosby, Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900, Cambridge University Press, 1993.

• _______________, The Columbian Exchange (Contributions in American Studies, No. 2 Series): Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003.

• Susan E. Hanson, 10 Geographic Ideas That Changed the World, Rutgers University Press, 1997.

• Dava Sobel, Longitude, Walker and Co., 1995.

• George Demko, Why in the World: Adventures in Geography,

• Clive Ponting, A Green History of the World, Penguin, 1991.

• Rondo Cameron, A Concise Economic History of the World, 3^rd ed, Oxford University Press, 1997.

• Harm de Blij, Harm de Blij’s Geography Book, Wiley, 1995.

• _________, Why Geography Matters, Oxford University Press, 2005.

• Mark Kurlansky, Cod: The Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, Viking Penguin, 1998.

• _____________, Salt: A World History, Walker and Company, 2001.

• Sidney Mintz, Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History, Viking Penguin, 1990.

• David Laskin, The Children’s Blizzard, Harper Collins, 2004

• David McCullough, Path Between The Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal , 1870-1914, Simon & Schuster, 1978

• ______________, 1776, Simon & Schuster, 2006

Each student will prepare a lesson plan that demonstrates your ability to identify a  geographical learning objective and develop an effective lesson leading to a demonstrable student learning outcome.  This lesson must explicitly incorporate content and skill standards contained in the Virginia Curriculum Framework for World Geography and the National Geography Standards.  The lesson design must incorporate practice in the following skills (see Chapter 3, Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, pp. 41-59):

• Formulation of a geographic question, derived by students on their own or through guided practice.

• Acquisition of geographic information from maps, charts, or tables.

• The organization of geographic information through the selection and design of maps, charts, and tables based upon types of data.

• The analysis of geographic information through the appropriate use of quantitative methods, comparisons of maps, and the application of evaluation and explanation.

• Arrive at an answer to the initial question based upon valid generalizations and the application of relevant geographic models and theories.

Obviously, maps must be employed throughout the lesson for purposes other than simply location.

 In lesson 10 you will submit your learning objectives and identify which of the geographical skills the lesson will teach. The learning objectives must specify the learning task, the necessary conditions for performing the task, and the performance measures to assess effective learning.

 The lesson may be from any content area and may be (should be) adapted from previously prepared work.  The lesson activity may cover one or more class periods.  To standardize all lesson plans use the format at Appendix 1 to this Annex.  Be prepared to explain and discuss your lesson in a small group setting at the end of the course.

Name:

Student Number:

Date:

Lesson Title

• Overall Lesson Objective: Include a description of the geographic content and themes you will address.

• Subject and Class Description: Content area and grade level.

• Themes and Standards Supported by this Lesson: Also include any relevant state SOL.

• Learning Objectives: Please be specific. Good learning objectives are the key to effective lessons.

• Geographic Skills: Include the specific geography skills you will teach (see National Geography Standards). 

• Materials: List all materials to be used in the activity

• Procedures:

  • Teacher:

  • Student:

• Evaluation: How will you determine if your students have mastered the geographic skills you described in your learning objectives.