Reconciling Discourse about Geography and Teaching Geography: The Case of Singapore Pre-Service Teachers

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Seow, Tricia

2016-01-01

This study draws upon a Foucauldian notion of discourse to explore how four pre-service geography teachers in Singapore made decisions about what geography is and how to enact their understandings of geography in their classrooms. This analysis of discursive power is particularly relevant to Singapore because of the high level of state control…

Development of an Attitude Scale to Assess K-12 Teachers' Attitudes toward Nanotechnology

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Lan, Yu-Ling

2012-05-01

To maximize the contributions of nanotechnology to this society, at least 60 countries have put efforts into this field. In Taiwan, a government-funded K-12 Nanotechnology Programme was established to train K-12 teachers with adequate nanotechnology literacy to foster the next generation of Taiwanese people with sufficient knowledge in nanotechnology. In the present study, the Nanotechnology Attitude Scale for K-12 teachers (NAS-T) was developed to assess K-12 teachers' attitudes toward nanotechnology. The NAS-T included 23 Likert-scale items that can be grouped into three components: importance of nanotechnology, affective tendencies in science teaching, and behavioural tendencies to teach nanotechnology. A sample of 233 K-12 teachers who have participated in the K-12 Nanotechnology Programme was included in the present study to investigate the psychometric properties of the NAS-T. The exploratory factor analysis of this teacher sample suggested that the NAS-T was a three-factor model that explained 64.11% of the total variances. This model was also confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis to validate the factor structure of the NAS-T. The Cronbach's alpha values of three NAS-T subscales ranged from 0.89 to 0.95. Moderate to strong correlations among teachers' NAS-T domain scores, self-perception of own nanoscience knowledge, and their science-teaching efficacy demonstrated good convergent validity of the NAS-T. As a whole, psychometric properties of the NAS-T indicated that this instrument is an effective instrument for assessing K-12 teachers' attitudes toward nanotechnology. The NAS-T will serve as a valuable tool to evaluate teachers' attitude changes after participating in the K-12 Nanotechnology Programme.

Designing GIS Learning Materials for K-12 Teachers

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Hong, Jung Eun

2017-01-01

Although previous studies have proven the usefulness and effectiveness of geographic information system (GIS) use in the K-12 classroom, the rate of teacher adoption remains low. The identified major barrier to its use is a lack of teachers' background and experience. To solve this limitation, many organisations have provided GIS-related teacher…

GIS Adoption among Senior High School Geography Teachers in Taiwan

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Lay, Jinn-Guey; Chen, Yu-Wen; Chi, Yu-Lin

2013-01-01

This article explores the adoption of geographic information system (GIS) knowledge and skills through in-service training for high school geography teachers in Taiwan. Through statistical analysis of primary data collected from a census of Taiwan's high school geography teachers, it explores what motivates these teachers to undertake GIS…

Teacher Perception of Barriers and Benefits in K-12 Technology Usage

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Carver, Lin B.

2016-01-01

This study explores K-12 teachers' perceptions of the benefits and barriers to technology integration by either teachers or students in K-12 instruction. The sample was composed of 68 students enrolled in online classes in the graduate studies in education department of a small private liberal arts institution in the southeast. Data was collected…

STUDY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER UNDERSTANDING ABOUT GEOGRAPHY LITERATION

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Sugiyanto Sugiyanto

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to: (1 know the teacher's understanding about the concept of Geography as a platform in Social Studies learning; (2 know the teacher's understanding about geography literacy as a platform in Social Studies learning; and (3 study the right literacy concept as platform for Social Studies lesson. This research uses survey method. The subjects of the study were Social Studies teachers in Surakarta City. Sampling using startified random sampling. The results showed: 1 76% of respondents do not understand about Geography as a platform in Social Studies learning; 2 80% of respondents have not understood geography literacy; 3 Edelson's geography literature which consist of interaction, interconnection, and implication components can be used as an alternative to the implementation of Geography policy as a Platform in Social Studies.

Geography Teachers' Usage of the Internet for Education Purposes

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Sezer, Adem

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine geography teachers' use of the Internet for education purposes and the extent to which Turkish Internet sites can fulfill the needs and requirements of geography teachers' Internet usage. Research is carried out using the screening method. Data were collected by means of a measurement tool that was…

Danish geography teachers' perceptions of their own teaching professionalism according to climate change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Søren Witzel

2015-01-01

This paper reports from research examining eight Geography teachers’ own perceptions of their teaching professionalism, understood as Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), in relation to the topic of climate change. Apparently, Geography teachers with a strong academic profile in Physical Geography...... and natural science are more familiar to teach the sub-subject of weather formation in connection to climatic change, than Geography teachers with a strong academic profile in Human Geography and social science. The teachers orientated against Human Geography put emphasis on the more problem......-oriented/discursive aspects of teaching climate change, some of them neglecting parts of the curriculum focused on weather formation. Most of the interviewed Geography teachers emphasize the collegial cooperation with science colleagues e.g. during professional development activities, when reflecting on their own teaching...

Geography Preservice Teachers' Disposition toward Teaching Spatial Thinking through Geography: A Comparison between China and Korea

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Lee, Jinhee; Jo, Injeong; Xuan, Xiaowei; Zhou, Weiguo

2018-01-01

Although geography education researchers in both China and Korea acknowledge that the education of spatial thinking and the development of teachers' dispositions toward teaching spatial thinking are important, very few studies are available on the topic. This article examines the dispositions of Chinese and Korean geography preservice teachers'…

An Investigation into Geography Teachers' Use of Current Events in Geography Classes

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Degirmenci, Yavuz; Ilter, Ilhan

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the extent to which geography teachers use current events within the context of their geography instruction, their sources of information about current events, the methods and techniques they adopt while using current events in their teaching and the skills and values they expect their students to develop. The…

Geography Teachers' Concepts of Working with Thinking through Geography Strategies--Results of an Empirical Reconstructive Study

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Applis, Stefan

2016-01-01

The educational standards in geography in the German-speaking world separately refer to the areas of competence of judgment and evaluation and thus attach outstanding importance to reflective value orientation in geography classes. The tasks and challenges that arise from that for geography teachers will be investigated in a…

The pedagogical content knowledge of Danish geography teachers in a changing schooling context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Søren Witzel

2016-01-01

the TSPK of geography teachers in ways that potentially have an impact on their classroom practice. Teachers´ responses to specific questions relating to their choice of learning goals and the content and organisation of their lessons show that geography teachers take into account not only the knowledge......This study examines the self-reported, topic-specific professional knowledge (TSPK) of Danish geography teachers seen as an aspect of their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) when teaching weather formation and climate change. This topic is considered representative of geography teaching...

Perceptions and attitudes of geography teachers to biotechnology: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-12-03

Dec 3, 2008 ... perceptions of geography teachers towards biotechnology and GM foods but also provided an ... Key words: Biotechnology, GM foods, perceptions, attitudes, geography education, Turkey. ..... Brazilian high school students.

English Primary Trainee Teachers' Perceptions of Geography

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Morley, Emma

2012-01-01

This paper summarises the findings of research conducted with one cohort of English undergraduate primary teacher trainees on point of entry to a 4-year course. The research examines the perceptions held of geography as a subject discipline and the purposes of teaching the subject. Two hundred and eleven trainees were asked to define geography and…

K-12 Teachers' Perceptions of School Policy and Fear of School Violence

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Ricketts, Melissa L.

2007-01-01

Since the 1990s, schools have focused their attention on policies designed to improve school safety. Most researches on school violence policies have concentrated on the needs of students and administrators. This study investigated the impact of school violence policies on K-12 teachers' fear. Using self-report data from 447 K-12 teachers from a…

Perceptions of Geography Teachers to Integrating Technology to Teaching and Their Practices

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Sanli, Cennet; Sezer, Adem; Pinar, Adnan

2016-01-01

In present study the objective has been to manifest perceptions and practices of geography teachers towards integrating technology to teaching geography. In 5 different types of schools within Nevsehir (Turkey) city center, a total of 22 geography teachers volunteering to participate in the research were included in this study in which data were…

THEORETICAL CONCEPTIONS OF GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS

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Eloy Montes Galbán

2007-11-01

Full Text Available The main goal of this research was to determine the current theoretical concepts handled by third stage basic education geography teachers. A non experimental descriptive study was made. Data was collected through a semi structured questionnaire. The population was conformed by the teachers who work at the National schools placed in the parishes Raul Leoni and Cacique Mara of Maracaibo city, Zulia State. There is not clarity in regard to the correct handling of the different geographic currents, and the slight notion teachers have leans towards a traditional, descriptive, retrospective memory based conception.

Influence of the geographical curriculum on competences of geography teachers

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Tatjana Resnik Planinc

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The paper analyses the influence of geographical curriculum on competences of geography teacher. It is focused on complex and symbiotic relation between curriculum and achieved and recommended competences of geography teacher and their importance for geographical education. The competences should therefore be derived from the theories, concerning values, knowledge, curriculum and whole educational process, which underpin good pedagogical practice.

Geography teachers PCK according to climate change - match between beliefs and reality?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Søren Witzel; Nielsen, Birgitte Lund

The aim of this study is to uncover differences or similarities between Geography teachers’ own perception of their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in relation to teaching weather formation and climate change and how they actually perform “in-action” in the lower secondary school. The concept...... with a strong academic profile in Physical Geography and natural science are more familiar to teach about weather formation in connection to teaching climate change, than Geography teachers with a strong academic profile in Human Geography and social science. The teachers orientated against Human Geography put...... more emphasis on the problem-oriented/discursive aspects e.g. how climate change affects peoples’ living conditions - some of them neglecting parts of the curriculum focusing on weather formation. Observations of the teachers “in-action” will take place during the spring of 2015....

K-12 Teacher Perceptions Regarding the Flipped Classroom Model for Teaching and Learning

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Gough, Evan; DeJong, David; Grundmeyer, Trent; Baron, Mark

2017-01-01

A great deal of evidence can be cited from higher education literature on the effectiveness of the flipped classroom; however, very little research was discovered on the flipped classroom at the K-12 level. This study examined K-12 teachers' perceptions regarding the flipped classroom and differences in teachers' perceptions based on grade level…

Transforming K-12 Rural Education through Blended Learning: Teacher Perspectives

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Kellerer, Paula; Kellerer, Eric; Werth, Eric; Werth, Lori; Montgomery, Danielle; Clyde, Rozella; Cozart, Joe; Creach, Laura; Hibbard, Laura; LaFrance, Jason; Rupp, Nadine; Walker, Niki; Carter, Theresa; Kennedy, Kathryn

2014-01-01

A qualitative study exploring rural teacher perspectives on the impact of blended learning on students and teachers was conducted in Idaho during the Fall of 2013. Researchers from Northwest Nazarene University's DOCEO Center in partnership with Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA) and the International Association for K-12 Online Learning…

Primary Teacher Educators' Perception of Desired and Achieved Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Geography Education in Primary Teacher Training

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Blankman, Marian; van der Schee, Joop; Volman, Monique; Boogaard, Marianne

2015-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a study conducted among primary geography teacher educators. The research examines the perceptions of educators of primary teacher students' desired and achieved levels of substantial knowledge, syntactic knowledge, and beliefs about the subject of geography. The findings indicate that primary teacher educators…

The Investigation of the Attitudes of Geography Teachers towards Environment in Turkey

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Karakus, Ufuk

2013-01-01

This study was carried out to reveal whether the attitudes of the geography teachers in Turkey towards the environment change according to different variables, using ''Attitude Scale" for 404 geography teachers working in various high schools throughout the country. The data were analysed by SPSS statistical software. The result revealed…

Comparison between Primary Teacher Educators' and Primary School Teachers' Beliefs of Primary Geography Education Quality

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Bent, Gert Jan; Bakx, Anouke; den Brok, Perry

2016-01-01

In this study teacher educators' beliefs concerning primary geography education have been investigated and compared with primary school teachers' beliefs. In this study 45 teacher educators and 489 primary school teachers completed a questionnaire, and nine teacher educators have been interviewed as well. It has been found that teacher educators…

Opinions of the Geography Teacher Candidates toward Mind Maps

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Seyihoglu, Aysegul

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of the teacher candidates about mind mapping technique used in Geography education of undergraduate program. In this study, the qualitative research techniques were used. The study group consists of 55 teacher candidates. The teacher candidates have been asked for their opinions about the process…

Lifelong Learning and the Professional Development of Geography Teachers: A View from Slovenia

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Kolenc Kolnik, Karmen

2010-01-01

Lifelong learning and continuing professional development (CPD) are considered important activities for geography teachers. However, research in Slovenia shows that many lose their enthusiasm for these activities when they leave university and enter professional practice. In Slovenia, whilst geography teachers have a sound undergraduate education,…

PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS OF FUTURE TEACHER TRAINING IN THE EFFECTIVE USE OF GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOK IN THE LESSON

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Volkhonskaya Anastasiya Andreevna

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes the problems of professional training of future teachers in the use of geography textbook in their classes. The author identifies the reasons for lack of young teachers’ attention to the textbook and the causes of insufficient training of future geography teachers in the effective use of the textbook in the class. Professional training of future teachers in the effective and proper use of the geography textbook in the class is possible only under certain pedagogical conditions. A specific feature of this work is theoretically sound pedagogical conditions of future teacher training in the effective use of geography textbook in the class, which can form and further develop the students’ readiness for effective use of geography textbook in the lessons.

Jumping the PBL Implementation Hurdle: Supporting the Efforts of K-12 Teachers

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Ertmer, Peggy A.; Simons, Krista D.

2006-01-01

While problem-based learning (PBL) has a relatively long history of successful use in medical and pre-professional schools, it has yet to be widely adopted by K--12 teachers. This may be due, in part, to the numerous challenges teachers experience when implementing PBL. In this paper, we describe specific hurdles that teachers are likely to…

Enhancing the Impact of Evidence-Based Publications on K-12 ESL Teacher Practices

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Abbott, Marilyn L.; Lee, Kent; Rossiter, Marian J.

2017-01-01

The reading of current research-informed publications is an essential component of teacher professional development that has the potential to lead to or reinforce the implementation of effective instructional practices. To our knowledge, no studies have examined kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) ESL teacher engagement in professional reading related…

Preparing Preservice Teachers to Incorporate Geospatial Technologies in Geography Teaching

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Harte, Wendy

2017-01-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of geospatial technology (GT) learning experiences in two geography curriculum courses to determine their effectiveness for developing preservice teacher confidence and preparing preservice teachers to incorporate GT in their teaching practices. Surveys were used to collect data from preservice teachers at three…

Primary Education Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs for Teaching Geography Lessons

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Bent, Gert Jan; Bakx, Anouke; den Brok, Perry

2017-01-01

This study was carried out to investigate the primary education teachers' self-efficacy regarding geography education, their beliefs regarding the classroom learning environment, and how these beliefs were related to each other and to teachers' background characteristics. Questionnaire data were collected from 489 Dutch primary school teachers.…

A Teacher's Perspective of Geography: A School Subject for Today, Tomorrow, and for All Time

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MacLeod, Douglas G.

2014-01-01

In this article, a retired long-time geography teacher offers his perspective on what a geography teacher needs to keep in mind when teaching geography. The author notes that geography is a useful school subject because it helps young people make their way in the world by giving them some tools to become lifelong learners. The author encourages…

Primary education teachers' self-efficacy beliefs for teaching geography lessons

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bent, G.J.W.; Bakx, A.W.E.A.; den Brok, P.J.

2017-01-01

This study was carried out to investigate the primary education teachers' self-efficacy regarding geography education, their beliefs regarding the classroom learning environment, and how these beliefs were related to each other and to teachers' background characteristics. Questionnaire data were

Development of an Attitude Scale to Assess K-12 Teachers' Attitudes toward Nanotechnology

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Yu-Ling

2012-01-01

To maximize the contributions of nanotechnology to this society, at least 60 countries have put efforts into this field. In Taiwan, a government-funded K-12 Nanotechnology Programme was established to train K-12 teachers with adequate nanotechnology literacy to foster the next generation of Taiwanese people with sufficient knowledge in…

A Critical Account of What "Geography" Means to Primary Trainee Teachers in England

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Puttick, Steven; Paramore, John; Gee, Nick

2018-01-01

Research on trainee teachers' conceptions of geography has criticised their views for being limited, and failing to appreciate the breadth or depth of geography. A body of research in this area has developed over the past two decades, producing well-established classifications through which to analyse conceptions of geography. This contribution…

What Do K-12 Teachers Think about Including Student Surveys in Their Performance Ratings?

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Dretzke, Beverly J.; Sheldon, Timothy D.; Lim, Alicia

2015-01-01

This study investigated K-12 teachers' opinions about the use of student surveys as a component of a teacher evaluation system. Surveys were administered to teachers at the beginning of the school year and again in the spring. Analyses of teachers' responses on the fall survey indicated tentative support for the inclusion of student feedback in…

The Preparation of Teacher Candidates for K-12 Online Learning Environments: A Case Study

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Williams, Nicole V.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how teacher education programs may better prepare teacher candidates to teach in K-12 online learning environments. The primary research question addressed was: What specific knowledge, skills, and dispositions should teacher education programs include in their curriculum to better prepare teacher…

Geography teachers' interpretation of a curriculum reform initiative ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article addresses how teachers in a specific developing world context interpreted a curriculum reform initiative. It is located within a broader interpretive study that investigated the integration of Environmental Education into the formal education system of Lesotho with particular reference to secondary school geography.

Geography Education Research in Serbia: A Teacher's Perspective

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Rajovic, Goran; Bulatovic, Jelisavka

2017-01-01

In all European Union countries have harmonized attitudes on the need and improving the quality geographic of education and his innovating. Modernization of geographic education is unthinkable without quality professional and personal development of teacher's geography. Renewal, modernization and supplement professional knowledge and skills…

Feedback from the Field: What Novice PreK-12 ESL Teachers Want to Tell TESOL Teacher Educators

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Baecher, Laura

2012-01-01

Programs in the United States that certify PreK-12 teachers in English as a second language (ESL) must meet high and consistent standards in their preservice preparation. However, there is little empirical evidence on the degree to which such preparation actually meets the needs of teachers once they begin their careers. Teaching English to…

#TwitterforTeachers: The Implications of Twitter as a Self-Directed Professional Development Tool for K-12 Teachers

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Visser, Ryan D.; Evering, Lea Calvert; Barrett, David E.

2014-01-01

This mixed-methods study explores how K-12 teachers use Twitter. An online survey was disseminated via Twitter to gauge their usage of, access to, and perceptions of Twitter. The results indicated that teachers highly value Twitter as a means of self-directed professional development. Respondents who reported using Twitter multiple times a day…

Physical Education Teacher Educator's Perceptions toward and Understanding of K-12 Online Physical Education

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Daum, David N.; Woods, Amelia M.

2015-01-01

K-12 online physical education (OLPE) is as an educational opportunity in at least 30 states in the US (NASPE, 2006; 2010; 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine physical education teacher educators' perceptions toward and understanding of K-12 OLPE. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (1986) served as the theoretical framework for this…

The Initial Training of Geography Teachers at the University of Porto: Model and Training, Practices and Representations

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Martins, Felisbela

2015-01-01

Since 2008, the initial training of Geography teachers in Portugal was combined with the initial training of History teachers. This forced union has led to implications in the practices and teaching of geography. This paper intends to explore the thoughts and actions of the student teachers at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of…

An Investigation of Non-Thesis Master's Program Geography Teacher Candidates' Attitudes towards Teaching Profession regarding Several Socio-Cultural Features

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Sezer, Adem; Kara, Hasan; Pinar, Adnan

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes of non-thesis master's degree program: geography teacher candidates towards teaching profession regarding several socio-cultural features. The study was conducted in different universities with 218 geography teacher candidates enrolled in the geography education non-thesis master's degree…

A Survey of K-12 Teachers' Utilization of Social Networks as a Professional Resource

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Hunter, Leah J.; Hall, Cristin M.

2018-01-01

Teachers are increasingly using social networks, including social media and other Internet applications, to look for educational resources. This study shares results from a survey examining patterns of social network application use among K-12 teachers in the United States. A sample of 154 teachers (18 males, 136 females) in the United States…

A Road Map for Improving Geography Assessment

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Wertheim, Jill A.; Edelson, Daniel C.; Hildebrant, Barbara; Hinde, Elizabeth; Kenney, Marianne; Kolvoord, Robert; Lanegran, David; Marcello, Jody Smothers; Morrill, Robert; Ruiz-Primo, Maria; Seixas, Peter; Shavelson, Richard

2013-01-01

In late 2012, both the second edition of the "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards" and the National Science Foundation-funded "Road Map for Geography Education Project" reports were released; the former document describes the conceptual goals for K-12 geography education, and the latter, a route to coordinating reform efforts to…

K-12 Online Teacher Beliefs: Relationships among Intelligence, Confidence, Teacher-Student Interactions, and Student Outcomes

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Vander Ploeg, Guadalupe

2012-01-01

The vigorous expansion of online learning in K-12 education is a recent change to the conceptualization of schooling that has been occurring for more than 10 years. However, methods used for recruiting, hiring, and preparing online teachers have not been altered beyond the current federal standard defined by No Child Left Behind of Highly…

The Role of Media in Geography Courses from the Perspectives of PreService Social Studies Teachers

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Cemalettin Ayas

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In this article, the authors explore the social studies teacher candidates’ understanding of the role of media in geography courses which they took. Qualitative research techniques were used in the study designed using phenomenological pattern. The study was conducted with 134 pre-service social studies teachers at a state university’s Faculty of Education, Department of Social Studies Education in the 2013-2014 academic year. Data were collected via semi-structured interview technique. Data of the study were analyzed by using qualitative descriptive analysis. According to results from the analysis, social studies teacher candidates have been accessing the geographical knowledge mostly by means of internet, but they didn’t use internet fruitful. Teacher candidates thought that their geography lecturers have not been using media in geography courses adequately. After appointment to teacher profession, they will have used instructional media technologies effectively.

Design and Development of a Geography Module for First-Year Primary Student Teachers

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Blankman, Marian; van der Schee, Joop; Boogaard, Marianne; Volman, Monique

2016-01-01

This paper describes the result of a design study in which a geography course was developed and tested aiming to develop the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of first-year primary student teachers. This resulted in a course called "Consciously Teaching Geography" with characteristics as (1) starting from students' preconceptions and…

Recent Trends in Geography Education in Louisiana

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Rohli, Robert V.; Binford, Paul E.

2016-01-01

Geography at elementary and middle schools in Louisiana, USA., remains a social studies strand along with civics, economics, and history, with no state-required geography course at any level. But because schools may require more geography than the state standard, this research examines the extent to which K-12 students are exposed to geography in…

A phenomenological case study concerning science teacher educators' beliefs and teaching practices about culturally relevant pedagogy and preparing K-12 science teachers to engage African American students in K-12 science

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Underwood, Janice Bell

Due to the rising diversity in today's schools, science teacher educators (STEs) suggest that K-12 teachers must be uniquely prepared to engage these students in science classrooms. Yet, in light of the increasing white-black science achievement gap, it is unclear how STEs prepare preservice teachers to engage diverse students, and African Americans in particular. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to find out how STEs prepare preservice teachers to engage African American students in K-12 science. Thus, using the culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) framework, this phenomenological case study explored beliefs about culturally relevant science teaching and the influence of reported beliefs and experiences related to race on STEs' teaching practices. In the first phase, STE's in a mid-Atlantic state were invited to participate in an electronic survey. In the second phase, four participants, who were identified as exemplars, were selected from the survey to participate in three semi-structured interviews. The data revealed that STEs were more familiar with culturally responsive pedagogy (CResP) in the context of their post-secondary classrooms as opposed to CRP. Further, most of the participants in part one and two described modeling conventional ways they prepare their preservice teachers to engage K-12 students, who represent all types of diversity, without singling out any specific race. Lastly, many of the STEs' in this study reported formative experiences related to race and beliefs in various manifestations of racism have impacted their teaching beliefs and practices. The findings of this study suggest STEs do not have a genuine understanding of the differences between CRP and CResP and by in large embrace CResP principles. Secondly, in regards to preparing preservice teachers to engage African American students in science, the participants in this study seemed to articulate the need for ideological change, but were unable to demonstrate pedagogical changes

NGSS-Aligned, K-12 Climate Science Curricula, taught with citizen science and teacher-led inquiry methods

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Zainfeld, S.

2017-12-01

Teacher-led inquiry into student learning is a promising method of formative assessment to gain insight into student achievement. NGSS-aligned K-12 Climate Science curricula taught with citizen science and teacher-led inquiry methods are described, along with results from a scientist-teacher collaboration survey.

CESAME: Providing High Quality Professional Development in Science and Mathematics for K-12 Teachers

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Hickman, Paul

2002-04-01

It is appropriate that after almost half a century of Science and Mathematics education reform we take a look back and a peek forward to understand the present state of this wonderfully complex system. Each of the components of this system including teaching, professional development, assessment, content and the district K-12 curriculum all need to work together if we hope to provide quality science, mathematics and technology education for ALL students. How do the state and national standards drive the system? How do state policies on student testing and teacher licensure come into play? How do we improve the preparation, retention and job satisfaction of our K-12 teachers? What initiatives have made or are making a difference? What else needs to be done? What can the physics community do to support local efforts? This job is too big for any single organization or individual but we each can contribute to the effort. Our Center at Northeastern University, with support from the National Science Foundation, has a sharply defined focus: to get high quality, research-based instructional materials into the hands of K-12 classroom teachers and provide the support they need to use the materials effectively in their classrooms.

An Exploratory Study on K-12 Teachers' Use of Technology and Multimedia in the Classroom

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Martin, Florence; Carr, Marsha L.

2015-01-01

21st century has seen new technology and multimedia made available for integration in K-12 classrooms. This exploratory study examines K-12 teachers' use of technology and multimedia in the classroom in two southern counties in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of the study was to answer the following five research questions: 1) What…

Addressing the NETS*S in K-12 Classrooms: Implications for Teacher Education

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Niederhauser, Dale S.; Lindstrom, Denise L.; Strobel, Johannes

2007-01-01

The National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S) were developed to provide guidelines for effective and meaningful technology use with K-12 students. In the present study we used the NETS*S as a framework to analyze ways that teachers integrated instructional technology use and provided opportunities for their students to…

Primary Geography in Australia: Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Understandings of Weather and Climate

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Lane, Rod

2015-01-01

Recent curriculum introductions and revisions on a global scale have highlighted the importance of primary teachers' content knowledge in geography and the lack of research in this area (Catling, 2014). This has become a particular focus in Australia with the introduction of the "Australian Curriculum: Geography" in 2013 and the…

Developing Partnerships between Higher Education Faculty, K-12 Science Teachers, and School Administrators via MSP initiatives: The RITES Model

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Caulkins, J. L.; Kortz, K. M.; Murray, D. P.

2011-12-01

The Rhode Island Technology Enhanced Science Project (RITES) is a NSF-funded Math and Science Partnership (MSP) project that seeks to improve science education. RITES is, at its core, a unique partnership that fosters relationships between middle and high school science teachers, district and school administrators, higher education (HE) faculty members, and science education researchers. Their common goal is to enhance scientific inquiry, increase classroom technology usage, and improve state level science test scores. In one of the more visible examples of this partnership, middle and high school science teachers work closely with HE science faculty partners to design and teach professional development (PD) workshops. The PD sessions focus on technology-enhanced scientific investigations (e.g. use of probes, online simulations, etc.), exemplify inquiry-based instruction, and relate expert content knowledge. Teachers from these sessions express substantial satisfaction in the program, report increased comfort levels in teaching the presented materials (both via post-workshop surveys), and show significant gains in content knowledge (via pre-post assessments). Other benefits to this kind of partnership, in which K-12 and HE teachers are considered equals, include: 1) K-12 teachers are empowered through interactions with HE faculty and other science teachers in the state; 2) HE instructors become more informed not only about good pedagogical practices, but also practical aspects of teaching science such as engaging students; and 3) the PD sessions tend to be much stronger than ones designed and presented solely by HE scientists, for while HE instructors provide content expertise, K-12 teachers provide expertise in K-12 classroom practice and implementation. Lastly, the partnership is mutually beneficial for the partners involved because both sides learn practical ways to teach science and inquiry at different levels. In addition to HE faculty and K-12 science teacher

A Relative Investigation on Purposes of Computer and Internet Use of Prospective Geography Teachers in Turkey and China

Science.gov (United States)

Turan, Ilhan

2015-01-01

This study investigated Chinese and Turkish prospective geography teachers' use of computer and internet applications as indispensable instruments in and out of education. 292 prospective geography teachers students from Shanghai, China, and Izmir, Turkey, participated in this study. The aim of this study was to examine the use of computers and…

A Typological Analysis of South Korean Primary Teachers' Awareness of Primary Geography Education

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Dong-min

2018-01-01

This study illuminates primary teachers' awareness of geography education. Data were collected through interviews with twenty-one teachers and analyzed using Straussian-grounded theory. A total of 210 concepts were categorized into twenty-two categories. The participants were categorized into three types. Many participating teachers (type 1 and 2)…

The landscape of PreK-12 engineering online resources for teachers: global trends

OpenAIRE

Bagiati, Aikaterini; Evangelou, Demetra; Magana, Alejandra; Kaloustian, Garene; Zhu, Jiabin; Yoon, So Yoon

2014-01-01

Background: The newly formed discipline of engineering education is addressing the need to (a) enhance STEM education for precollege students and (b) identify optimum ways to introduce engineering content starting, perhaps, from the early ages. Introducing engineering at the Prekindergarten through 12th grade (PreK-12) education level requires significant changes in teacher preparation and support. It highlights the need for developing developmentally appropriate content knowledge and ped...

Climate change science: The literacy of Geography teachers in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This response requires, among other things, teachers who are fully literate about climate change science, so that they can explain the concepts underlying the causes, impacts and solutions of climate change as accurately as possible to learners. The main intention of this study was to understand high school Geography ...

What Influences Geography Teachers' Usage of Geographic Information Systems? A Structural Equation Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Lay, Jinn-Guey; Chi, Yu-Lin; Hsieh, Yeu-Sheng; Chen, Yu-Wen

2013-01-01

Understanding the usage of the geographic information system (GIS) among geography teachers is a crucial step in evaluating the current dissemination of GIS knowledge and skills in Taiwan's educational system. The primary contribution of this research is to further our understanding of the factors that affect teachers' GIS usage. The structural…

Development of Geography Text Books Used by Senior High School Teachers Case Study at East Java-Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Purwanto, Edy; Fatchan, Ach.; Purwanto; Soekamto, Hadi

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the geography text book for: (1) identify and describe the errors in the organization of geography textbooks, and (2) identify and describe the content of the textbook standard errors of geography. The text book is currently being used by teachers of Senior High School in East Java. To analyze the contents of…

Infusing Multicultural Education into the Curriculum: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Address Homophobia in K-12 Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Joseph R.

2015-01-01

This article discusses the role multicultural education can play in addressing homophobia in K-12 schools. The author explores the lack of multiculturalism courses in undergraduate teacher education programs. To address the lack of multiculturalism courses, three instructional activities are offered that faculty in teacher education programs can…

Geography Teachers and Climate Change: Emotions about Consequences, Coping Strategies, and Views on Mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Hermans, Mikaela

2016-01-01

It has been indicated that teachers' emotions about climate change and their views on mitigation influence their instruction and students' engagement in mitigation actions. The aim of the study is to explore Finnish secondary geography teachers' emotions about the consequences of climate change, their strategies for coping with these emotions, and…

Does the High School Geography Experience Influence Enrollment in University Geography Courses?

Science.gov (United States)

Leydon, Joseph; McLaughlin, Christina; Wilson, Heather

2017-01-01

The literature suggests that owing to profound difficulties with high school geography curricula, teachers play a vital role in stimulating student interest and in providing a platform for continuation in the study of geography at university. Yet, with little empirical evidence offered in support, it is unclear why students select geography at…

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Factors that Influence the Retention, Turnover, and Attrition of K-12 Music Teachers in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Robert D.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to construct a profile of K-12 music teachers in the United States and develop a model to predict their retention, turnover, and attrition. Responses to the "Schools and Staffing Survey" from 47,857 K-12 public and private school teachers, including 1,903 music teachers, were analyzed using comparative…

GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT to study geography: the homepage and reflections from the users

Science.gov (United States)

Pajtok-Tari, I.

2009-04-01

The main objective of the GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT is to convey structured information to teachers and pupils, as well as, professors and students of geography. This learning aid is a homepage, first published in Hungarian still in 2006 (http://netszkozkeszlet.ektf.hu), to help in orientation among the rapidly growing information on the Internet, to provide extra digitalized professional materials that are not yet available digitally and to share experiences of the teachers and professors working in the same area of interest and language environment. At present, its English version is already prepared and partly available at the same address. The GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT can be used free after registration, at present the homepage counts 2807 registered users. The interested user first enters a virtual office where the entries of the Menu can be opened by clicking at the drawer, shelf, wall map, globe, laptop, TV-set, etc. These entries are professional lesson plans using digital technology, photos, video clips, animations on physical and social geography. The homepage also mirrors pieces of music, maps, collection of minerals, database links, diagrams, bibliography, lecture notes, dictionaries, scientific and popular journals, geography games, web pages, etc. The whole set of appliances is based on Dreamweaver MX program. During the past 2.5 years some experience has been gained about the GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT in use, mainly from teachers of geography, who downloaded and responded to the questionnaire. Another source of information is the group of students in the College, where future teachers of geography are trained in a one-semester course on application of the Info-Communication Technology. From the first group, i.e. 59 active teachers of geography, 54 % use the Internet "always" or "frequently" in the classroom, whereas 75 % of them rely on it for preparation to the lessons. Before trying the homepage, these numbers were 25 % and 54 %, only. From among the listed

The Perceived Work Ethic of K-12 Teachers by Generational Status: Generation X vs. Baby Boom Generation

Science.gov (United States)

Petty, Gregory C.

2013-01-01

This was an investigation of the work ethic of K-12 educators from Generation X and Baby Boomer generations. Teachers of the baby boom generation were born between 1946 and 1964, and many are beginning to retire. There is an impending teacher shortage due to the large numbers of this group retiring or leaving the profession. School administrators…

Tech-Savvy Science Education? Understanding Teacher Pedagogical Practices for Integrating Technology in K-12 Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Hechter, Richard; Vermette, Laurie Anne

2014-01-01

This paper examines the technology integration practices of Manitoban K-12 inservice science educators based on the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content knowledge (TPACK) framework. Science teachers (n = 433) completed a 10-item online survey regarding pedagogical beliefs about technology integration, types of technology used, and how often…

Soil Science Society of America - K-12 Outreach

Science.gov (United States)

Lindbo, David L.; Loynachan, Tom; Mblia, Monday; Robinson, Clay; Chapman, Susan

2013-04-01

The Soil Science Society of America created its K12 Committee in 2006 in part to compliment the Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit that opened in July 2008 at the Smithsonian's Institution's Nation Museum of Natural History (of which SSS was a founding sponsor). The committee's work began quickly with a website designed to provide resources for K12 teachers. The first accomplishments included reviewing and posting links to web based information already available to teachers. These links were sorted by subject and grade level to make it easier for teachers to navigate the web and find what they needed quickly. Several presentations and lessons designed for K12 teachers were also posted at this time. Concurrent with this effort a subcommittee review and organized the national teaching standards to show where soils could fit into the overall K12 curriculum. As the website was being developed another subcommittee developed a soils book (Soil! Get the Inside Scoop, 2008) to further compliment the Dig It! exhibit. This was a new endeavor for SSSA having never worked with the non-academic audience in developing a book. Peer-reviews of this book included not only scientist but also students in order to make sure the book was attractive to them. Once the book was published and the website developed it became clear more outreach was needed. SSSA K12 Committee has attended both the National Science Teachers Association (since 2008) the USA Science and Engineering Festival (since 2010) with exhibits and workshops. It has cooperated and contributed to the American Geologic Institutes' Earth Science Week materials with brochures and lesson plans and with National Association of Conservation Districts by providing peer-review and distribution of materials. The most recent developments from the committee include a web redesign that is more student and teacher friendly, the development of a peer-review system to publish K12 Lesson Plans, and finally the publication of a new soils

"Doing Geography": Evaluating an Independent Geographic Inquiry Assessment Task in an Initial Teacher Education Program

Science.gov (United States)

Harte, Wendy; Reitano, Paul

2016-01-01

The assessment task of the final course in a bachelor of secondary education program is examined for opportunities for preservice geography teachers to achieve the course aims of integrating, consolidating, applying, and reflecting on the knowledge and skills they have learned during their initial teacher education program. The results show that…

Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover Intention of Online Teachers in the K-12 Setting

Science.gov (United States)

Larkin, Ingle M.; Brantley-Dias, Laurie; Lokey-Vega, Anissa

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to measure and explore factors influencing K-12 online teachers' job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (1954), Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory of Satisfaction (1959, 1968), Meyer and Allen's measure of Organizational Commitment (1997), and Fishbein and…

Schooling Teachers, Schooling Ourselves: Insights and Reflections from Teaching K-12 Teachers How to Use Hip-Hop to Educate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Irby, Decoteau J.; Hall, H. Bernard; Hill, Marc L.

2013-01-01

Hip-hop-based education (HHBE) research analyzes how hip-hop culture is used to produce favorable educational outcomes. Despite its richness, the work reveals little about how to prepare practicing K-12 teachers to use HHBE toward the critical ends reflected in extant HHBE literature. In this article, we challenge many tacit assumptions of HHBE…

Design and Development of a Geography Module for First-year Primary Student Teachers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blankman, M.; van der Schee, J.; Boogaard, M.; Volman, M.

2016-01-01

This paper describes the result of a design study in which a geography course was developed and tested aiming to develop the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of first-year primary student teachers. This resulted in a course called ‘Consciously Teaching Geography’ with characteristics as (1)

Meeting the Challenge of Systemic Change in Geography Education: Lucy Sprague Mitchell's Young Geographers

Science.gov (United States)

Downs, Roger M.

2016-01-01

The history of K-12 geography education has been characterized by recurrent high hopes and dashed expectations. There have, however, been moments when the trajectory of geography education might have changed to offer students the opportunity to develop a thorough working knowledge of geography. Lucy Sprague Mitchell's geography program developed…

Application of Digital Technologies in the Geography Teaching Process from the Teachers' Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Karolcík, Štefan; Cipková, Elena; Mázorová, Henrieta

2016-01-01

This survey focused on the analysis of opinions and attitudes expressed by Geography teachers participating in the national project called "Modernization of the Educational Process in Elementary and Secondary School", in selected training centres in Slovakia during 2008-2013. The main objective of the course was innovation and…

Emotional Geographies of Teaching.

Science.gov (United States)

Hargreaves, Andy

2001-01-01

Introduces emotional geographies, which describe patterns of closeness and distance in human interactions that shape the emotions people experience about relationships to themselves, others, and the world around them. Using an interview-based study of elementary and secondary teachers, the paper describes five emotional geographies of…

The Practices of Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Bednarz, Sarah Witham

2016-01-01

Sarah Bednarz begins by thanking Rebecca Theobald for the invitation to contrubute to this issue of "The Geography Teacher"("TGT"). As a member of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) Publications Committee and coeditor of the "Journal of Geography," Bednarz confesses that she was not favorably…

Perceptions of Pre-Service Social Sciences Teachers Regarding the Concept of "Geography" by Mind Mapping Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk Demirbas, Cagri

2013-01-01

The objective of this study is to present the perceptions of preservice social sciences teachers regarding the concept of geography. In the study, the study group consists of 46 preservice social sciences teachers, who receive education at Ahi Evran University. The data were collected in December, 2010. Mind maps were used as data collection tools…

Scientific Participation at the Poles: K-12 Teachers in Polar Science for Careers and Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Crowley, S.; Warburton, J.

2012-12-01

PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded program in which K-12 teachers participate in hands-on field research experiences in the polar regions. PolarTREC highlights the importance of involving teachers in scientific research in regards to their careers as educators and their ability to engage students in the direct experience of science. To date, PolarTREC has placed over 90 teachers with research teams in the Arctic and Antarctic. Published results of our program evaluation quantify the effect of the field experience on the teachers' use of the real scientific process in the classroom, the improvement in science content taught in classrooms, and the use of non-fiction texts (real data and science papers) as primary learning tools for students. Teachers and students both report an increase of STEM literacy in the classroom content, confidence in science education, as well as a markedly broadened outlook of science as essential to their future. Research conducted with science teams affirms that they are achieving broader impacts when PolarTREC teachers are involved in their expeditions. Additionally, they reported that these teachers making vital contributions to the success of the scientific project.

The Effect of Participation in Professional Development on Perceived Change in Teaching Practice by Minnesota K-12 Physical Education Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Sertich, Sally Krause

2013-01-01

This study used a conceptual framework of professional development theory to identify characteristics of effective learning activities specific to 259 Minnesota K-12 public school physical education and developmental adapted physical education (PE/DAPE) teachers during 2012-2013. Study results confirmed that as PE/DAPE teacher participation in…

Laboratory Safety Guide for Arkansas K-12 Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Arkansas State Dept. of Education, Little Rock.

This document presents laboratory safety rules for Arkansas K-12 schools which were developed by the Arkansas Science Teachers Association (ASTA) and the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). Contents include: (1) "Laboratory Safety Guide for Arkansas K-12 Schools"; (2) "Safety Considerations"; (3) "Safety Standards for Science Laboratories";…

Teacher-librarian collaboration (TLC in a highly diverse branch: supporting information literacy of geography students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Kakkonen

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to present an example of teacher-librarian collaboration (TLC in a highly diverse branch of geography as a part of bachelor's seminar teaching. One can say that everything is geography if the phenomenon in question is delimited in a certain region, place or space. Thus every other discipline provides its methods, paradigms and information sources into the use of geography. This obviously presents a challenge to the librarian as he tries to support the geography students' information seeking. The topics can vary between cellular biology applications to sociological perception which also means a large variety in information needs. In our paper we aim to describe different approaches of collaboration this kind of variety requires based on the experiences and feedback gathered in a project, the aim of which was to integrate information literacy (IL into the academic curriculum. Collaborating with teachers with different backgrounds and from different scientific traditions can be challenging for the librarian. Not only the information sources, databases and methods are different but it is the whole approach to the science that is different. Thus it is fairly obvious that the competence of a single librarian or a teacher is not sufficient for an effective IL instruction. The key here is the collaboration when librarian's information literacy and teacher's academic subject competence complete each other. A successful TLC gives opportunity for both marketing the idea of information literacy and the competence of a library professional. It may also increase the efficiency of teaching and studies and even shorten the time for a student to graduate. Especially in the case of seminar teaching TLC seems to give a valuable opportunity to instruct the students' seminar thesis along the way. In 2008, Kumpula Campus Library launched a project to integrate the IL teaching into the academic curriculum and to enhance the collaboration

Are K-12 school environments harming students with obesity? A qualitative study of classroom teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kenney, Erica L; Redman, Morgan T; Criss, Shaniece; Sonneville, Kendrin R; Austin, S Bryn

2017-03-01

Weight bias can negatively impact health, and schools may be risky environments for students with obesity. We aimed to explore teachers' perceptions of the school experiences and academic challenges of students with obesity. We conducted interviews with 22 teachers in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest in July-August 2014. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed for important themes by two researchers using the immersion/crystallization approach. Most teachers felt that students with obesity were more likely to have academic difficulties. Two main perceptions of the reasons for these difficulties emerged: (1) obesity led to lower self-esteem that caused students to participate less, and (2) poorer nutrition, increased screen time, and reduced physical activity were simultaneously causing obesity and poorer academic performance. A few teachers described colleagues who felt students with obesity were not as motivated to work hard in school as their peers. Many teachers described school health promotion efforts focused on weight reduction that could exacerbate weight stigma and risk of disordered eating. Students with obesity, particularly girls, may be at risk for negative social and academic experiences in K-12 schools and may be perceived as struggling academically by their teachers.

NASA Education Activity Training (NEAT): Professional Development for Montana K-12 Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Kathryn; McKenzie, D.; Des Jardins, A.; Key, J.; Kanode, C.; Willoughby, S.

2012-05-01

Piloted during the 2011-2012 academic year, the NASA Education Activity Training (NEAT) teacher workshop program has introduced five solar astronomy and space weather activities to over forty Montana K-12 teachers. Because many Montana schools are geographically isolated (40% of Montana students live more than 50 miles from a city) and/or serve traditionally underrepresented groups (primarily Native Americans), professional development for teachers can be costly and time consuming. However, with funding shared by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly EPO team and the Montana Space Grant Consortium, graduate student specialists are able to host the two-hour NEAT workshops on-site at the schools free of charge, and participating teachers earn two continuing education credits. Leveraging the existing catalogue of research-based NASA activities, the featured NEAT activities were chosen for their ease-of-use and applicability to Montana science standards. These include three advanced activities for older students, such as a paper plate activity for the June 5th, 2012 Transit of Venus, Kinesthetic Astronomy, and the Herschel Infrared experiment, along with two simpler activities for the younger students, such as Solar Cookies and the Electromagnetic War card game. Feedback surveys show that NEAT workshop participants were interested and engaged in the activities and planned on using the activities in their classrooms. With such positive responses, the NEAT program has been a huge success and can serve as a model for other institutions looking to increase their space public outreach and education.

Discussing nuclear issues at school by history and geography teachers in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guigue, J.

1994-01-01

A brief survey involving 30 history and geography teachers from the Paris region shows that they address nuclear energy in class. National programs allow various approaches at different levels, without really focusing on the subject. The discussion brings the question down to a trivial issue, in accordance with the general french consensus, but that does not prevent pupils from asking questions, preoccupied as they are by certain choices which have already been made for the future. In order to answer those questions to the best extent possible in view of the underlying ethical problem, teachers would welcome better training, up-to-date, pluri-disciplinary and objective information, as well as appropriate and easy-to-use educational material

OER Quality and Adaptation in K-12: Comparing Teacher Evaluations of Copyright-Restricted, Open, and Open/Adapted Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Kimmons, Royce

2015-01-01

Conducted in conjunction with an institute on open textbook adaptation, this study compares textbook evaluations from practicing K-12 classroom teachers (n = 30) on three different types of textbooks utilized in their contexts: copyright-restricted, open, and open/adapted. Copyright-restricted textbooks consisted of those textbooks already in use…

Using an Interdisciplinary Approach to Enhance Climate Literacy for K-12 Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Hanselman, J. A.; Oches, E. A.; Sliko, J.; Wright, L.

2014-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (2014) will begin to change how K-12 teachers teach science. Using a scaffolding approach, the standards focus on a depth of knowledge across multiple content areas. This philosophy should encourage inquiry-based teaching methods, provided the teacher has both the knowledge and the confidence to teach the content. Although confidence to teach science is high among secondary science (biology, general science, chemistry) teachers, depth of knowledge may be lacking in certain areas, including climate science. To address this issue, a graduate course in climate science (Massachusetts Colleges Online Course of Distinction award winner) was developed to include inquiry-based instruction, connections to current research, and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching science. With the support of the InTeGrate program (SERC) at Carleton College, a module was developed to utilize cli-fi (climate science present in fictional literature) and related climate data. Graduate students gain an appreciation of scientific communication and an understanding of climate data and its connection to societal issues. In addition, the graduate students also gain the ability to connect interdisciplinary concepts for a deeper understanding of climate science and have the opportunity. By the end of the course, the graduate students use the content learned and the examples of pedagogical tools to develop their own activities in his or her classroom.

Using Grounded Theory to Understand the Recognition, Reflection on, Development, and Effects of Geography Teachers' Attitudes toward Regions around the World

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Dong-min

2018-01-01

This study attempts to illuminate the recognition, reflection, development, and effects of geography teachers' attitudes toward regions around the world (ATRAWs) using Straussian grounded theory. A total of 194 concepts were categorized into 18 categories, and three types were identified. The findings of this study show that geography teachers…

Increasing the Roles and Significance of Teachers in Policymaking for K-12 Engineering Education: Proceedings of a Convocation

Science.gov (United States)

Olson, Steve

2017-01-01

Engineering is a small but growing part of K-12 education. Curricula that use the principles and practices of engineering are providing opportunities for elementary, middle, and high school students to design solutions to problems of immediate practical and societal importance. Professional development programs are showing teachers how to use…

The present status of geography education in boys' intermediate schools of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Gahtany, Abdulrahman Mohammed

The purpose of this study was to describe the present status of geography education in boys' intermediate schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as perceived by geography teachers and supervisors; that is, to investigate the objectives, content, methods of teaching, tools and resources that are available and used in classrooms, evaluation techniques, and problems encountered in the teaching of geography. To collect data from this representative sample population, a questionnaire was developed by the researcher specifically for this study. Questionnaire data was collected from 19 social studies supervisors and 213 geography teachers. Percentages, frequencies, means, and standard deviations were computed for each questionnaire item. Chi Square tests were applied to determine if any significant differences could be identified between the observed and expected responses of supervisors and teachers. Major findings of the study indicated that both supervisors and teachers tend to strongly support the identified geography objectives. Most teachers and supervisors also indicated that the current geography curriculum contains enough information about Saudi Arabia, the Arabic world, and the Islamic world. In addition, the also indicated that geography content promotes a sense of patriotism and cultural pride. Responses indicated that educators see deficiencies in the content: it does not focus sufficiently on current events nor on developing student skills such as research and technical skills like drawing maps. Lecture and discussion are the most commonly used strategies in the teaching of geography. Field trips, role-playing, scientific competitions, scientific games, solving problems, and individual learning are less commonly used. Teaching tools most commonly used are wall maps and earth globes, whereas the use of geographical transparencies, models, and instruments is not common. Most of the teachers do lot use computers in their teaching. Evaluation techniques depend

Learning to Teach Online: A Systematic Review of the Literature on K-12 Teacher Preparation for Teaching Online

Science.gov (United States)

Moore-Adams, Brianne L.; Jones, W. Monty; Cohen, Jonathan

2016-01-01

There is a growing need for qualified online instructors to teach the expanding population of online K-12 students. To meet this need, teachers must be provided learning opportunities to acquire the specific types of knowledge and skills necessary to teach online. In this systematic review of the literature, we utilize the TPACK framework to…

Teacher Directed Design: Content Knowledge, Pedagogy and Assessment under the Nevada K-12 Real-Time Seismic Network

Science.gov (United States)

Cantrell, P.; Ewing-Taylor, J.; Crippen, K. J.; Smith, K. D.; Snelson, C. M.

2004-12-01

Education professionals and seismologists under the emerging SUN (Shaking Up Nevada) program are leveraging the existing infrastructure of the real-time Nevada K-12 Seismic Network to provide a unique inquiry based science experience for teachers. The concept and effort are driven by teacher needs and emphasize rigorous content knowledge acquisition coupled with the translation of that knowledge into an integrated seismology based earth sciences curriculum development process. We are developing a pedagogical framework, graduate level coursework, and materials to initiate the SUN model for teacher professional development in an effort to integrate the research benefits of real-time seismic data with science education needs in Nevada. A component of SUN is to evaluate teacher acquisition of qualified seismological and earth science information and pedagogy both in workshops and in the classroom and to assess the impact on student achievement. SUN's mission is to positively impact earth science education practices. With the upcoming EarthScope initiative, the program is timely and will incorporate EarthScope real-time seismic data (USArray) and educational materials in graduate course materials and teacher development programs. A number of schools in Nevada are contributing real-time data from both inexpensive and high-quality seismographs that are integrated with Nevada regional seismic network operations as well as the IRIS DMC. A powerful and unique component of the Nevada technology model is that schools can receive "stable" continuous live data feeds from 100's seismograph stations in Nevada, California and world (including live data from Earthworm systems and the IRIS DMC BUD - Buffer of Uniform Data). Students and teachers see their own networked seismograph station within a global context, as participants in regional and global monitoring. The robust real-time Internet communications protocols invoked in the Nevada network provide for local data acquisition

Commonsense Geography.

Science.gov (United States)

McHoul, Alec

1990-01-01

Presents an ethnomethodological study of how Australian high school geography teachers and students rely on common sense knowledge and reasoning to facilitate learning. Analyzes portions of transcripts from a class activity in which students built a scale model of a city. Explains location categorization devices, illustrating how learning involves…

Inspiring the Next Generation: Astronomy Catalyzes K12 STEM Education

Science.gov (United States)

Borders, Kareen; Thaller, Michelle; Winglee, Robert; Borders, Kyla

2017-06-01

K-12 educators need effective and relevant astronomy professional development. NASA's Mission Science provides innovative and accessible opportunities for K-12 teachers. Science questions involve scale and distance, including Moon/Earth scale, solar system scale, and distance of objects in the universe. Teachers can gain an understanding of basic telescopes, the history of telescopes, ground and satellite based telescopes, and models of JWST Telescope. An in-depth explanation of JWST and Spitzer telescopes gave participants background knowledge for infrared astronomy observations. During teacher training, we taught the electromagnetic spectrum through interactive stations. The stations included an overview via lecture and power point, the use of ultraviolet beads to determine ultraviolet exposure, the study of lenticulars and diagramming of infrared data, looking at visible light through diffraction glasses and diagramming the data, protocols for using astronomy based research in the classroom, and infrared thermometers to compare environmental conditions around the observatory. An overview of LIDAR physics was followed up by a simulated LIDAR mapping of the topography of Mars.We will outline specific steps for K-12 infrared astronomy professional development, provide data demonstrating the impact of the above professional development on educator understanding and classroom use, and detail future plans for additional K-12 professional development.Funding was provided by Washington STEM, NASA, and the Washington Space Grant Consortium.

Implementation Challenges of the New Geography Diploma ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study focused on implementation challenges of the new Geography Diploma Syllabus in Tanzania. The study used Korogwe and Dakawa Teachers' Training Colleges as a case. Dakawa teachers' training college is located in Morogoro region while Korogwe teachers' training college is based in Korogwe district, ...

Informal Tools in Formal Context: Adoption of Web 2.0 Technologies among Geography Student Teachers in Ghana

Science.gov (United States)

Gyamfi, Stephen Adu

2017-01-01

Despite the popularity of Web 2.0 technologies and their educational benefits in the 21st century classroom environment, their use for teaching and learning purposes is still very limited. This study extended the technology acceptance model (TAM) to empirically examine factors that determine Ghanaian geography student teachers' acceptance of Web…

The State of Geography in Basic Education Schools in Muscat, Oman

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Nofli, Mohammed Abdullah

2013-01-01

There have been remarkable changes in the Omani educational system since the implementation of the Basic Education Reform in 1998. The current study was an attempt to offer insights into the state of geography in the current reform. Particularly, the study examined teachers' preferred reasons for teaching geography, teachers' views on important…

BiteScis: Connecting K-12 teachers with science graduate students to produce lesson plans on modern science research

Science.gov (United States)

Battersby, Cara

2016-01-01

Many students graduate high school having never learned about the process and people behind modern science research. The BiteScis program addresses this gap by providing easily implemented lesson plans that incorporate the whos, whats, and hows of today's scienctific discoveries. We bring together practicing scientists (motivated graduate students from the selective communicating science conference, ComSciCon) with K-12 science teachers to produce, review, and disseminate K-12 lesson plans based on modern science research. These lesson plans vary in topic from environmental science to neurobiology to astrophysics, and involve a range of activities from laboratory exercises to art projects, debates, or group discussion. An integral component of the program is a series of short, "bite-size" articles on modern science research written for K-12 students. The "bite-size" articles and lesson plans will be made freely available online in an easily searchable web interface that includes association with a variety of curriculum standards. This ongoing program is in its first year with about 15 lesson plans produced to date.

Some thoughts about a new international geography test

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Schee, J.A.; Notté, H.; Zwartjes, L.

2010-01-01

An important question for geography teachers all over the world is how to define, stimulate and test geographic literacy. Although modern technology is no guarantee of quality, it offers new possibilities for teaching and testing, as can be seen in contemporary geography learning/teaching units

Dispositions toward Teaching Spatial Thinking through Geography: Conceptualization and an Exemplar Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Jo, Injeong; Bednarz, Sarah Witham

2014-01-01

The primary objectives of this article are: (1) to conceptualize teacher dispositions related to teaching spatial thinking in geography classrooms; and (2) to propose an exemplar assessment that can be used to prepare teachers who are disposed toward teaching spatial thinking through geography. A detailed description of the construction procedures…

An Investigation of the Factors That Motivate K-12 Christian School Teachers to Participate in Professional Development and the Relationship to Job Satisfaction and Retention

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Bonita Wingfield

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to advance knowledge by examining the reasons that motivate teachers to participate in professional development and the relationship to teacher job satisfaction and retention in Christian-based K-12 Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) member schools. The study contributes to the literature in the field…

Enriching K-12 Science and Mathematics Education Using LEGOs

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Keeshan; Igel, Irina; Poveda, Ronald; Kapila, Vikram; Iskander, Magued

2012-01-01

This paper presents a series of illustrative LEGO Mindstorms-based science and math activities, developed under an NSF GK-12 Fellows project, for elementary, middle, and high school grades. The activities, developed by engineering and science graduate Fellows in partnership with K-12 teachers, are grade appropriate, address pertinent learning…

Applications of evolutionary economic geography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boschma, R.A.; Frenken, K.; Puranam, Krishna Kishore; Ravi Kumar Jain B., xx

2008-01-01

This paper is written as the first chapter of an edited volume on evolutionary economics and economic geography (Frenken, K., editor, Applied Evolutionary Economics and Economic Geography, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, expected publication date February 2007). The paper reviews empirical applications of

Overcoming Constraints of Building Successful Partnerships Incorporating STEM Research Into K-12 Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Radencic, S.; McNeal, K. S.; Pierce, D.; Hare, D.

2011-12-01

The Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE) program at Mississippi State University (MSU), funded by the NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK12) program, focuses on the advancement of Earth and Space science education in K-12 classrooms. INSPIRE is currently in its second year of partnering ten graduate students from the STEM fields of Geosciences, Engineering and Chemistry at MSU with five teachers from local, rural school districts. The five year project serves to increase inquiry and technology experiences in science and math while enhancing graduate student's communication skills as they create interactive lessons linking their STEM research focus to the state and national standards covered in the classrooms. Each graduate student is responsible for the development of two lessons each month of the school year that are then published on the INSPIRE project webpage, www.gk12.msstate.edu, where they are a free resource for any K-12 classroom teacher seeking innovative activities for their classrooms. Many of the participating teachers and graduate students share activities developed with non-participating teachers, expanding INSPIRE's outreach throughout the local community. Numerous challenges were met during the formation of the program as well as throughout the first year in which the project management team worked together to find solutions ensuring that INSPIRE maintained successful partnerships for all involved. Proposed solutions of the following key components were identified by INSPIRE through the development, implementation, and continuous evaluation (internal and external) of the first year of the program as areas that can pose challenges to the construction of strong relationships between STEM research and K-12 classrooms: initializing the partnerships with the K-12 classrooms and STEM graduate fields at the university; maintaining strong partnerships; providing appropriate training and support; developing sound

Teaching GUI-Programming Concepts to Prospective K12 ICT Teachers: MIT App Inventor as an Alternative to Text-Based Languages

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Mihci, Can; Ozdener Donmez, Nesrin

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research is to investigate the short and long-term effects of using GUI-oriented visual Blocks-Based Programming languages (BBL) as a 2nd tier tool when teaching programming to prospective K12 ICT teachers. In a mixed-method approach, the effect on academic success as well as the impact on professional opinions and preferences…

Applying Disciplinary Literacy in Elementary Geography

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Britt, Judy; Ming, Kavin

2017-01-01

In this article, a social studies teacher and a literacy teacher describe a vision for social studies that highlights reading practices that foster disciplinary literacy in elementary geography. Their purpose is to share a practical approach for enriching elementary social studies lessons and activities with a geographic lens. During the…

Project BioEYES: Accessible Student-Driven Science for K-12 Students and Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shuda, Jamie R; Butler, Valerie G; Vary, Robert; Farber, Steven A

2016-11-01

BioEYES, a nonprofit outreach program using zebrafish to excite and educate K-12 students about science and how to think and act like scientists, has been integrated into hundreds of under-resourced schools since 2002. During the week-long experiments, students raise zebrafish embryos to learn principles of development and genetics. We have analyzed 19,463 participating students' pre- and post-tests within the program to examine their learning growth and attitude changes towards science. We found that at all grade levels, BioEYES effectively increased students' content knowledge and produced favorable shifts in students' attitudes about science. These outcomes were especially pronounced in younger students. Having served over 100,000 students, we find that our method for providing student-centered experiences and developing long-term partnerships with teachers is essential for the growth and sustainability of outreach and school collaborations.

Preservice Teacher Perceptions of Their Best and Worst K-12 Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Aagaard, Lola; Skidmore, Ronald

This study investigated student teachers' views on their best and worst teachers' characteristics. Students in four sections of a sophomore-level teacher education program prerequisite course were required to write half-page descriptions of their best and worst teachers from elementary and high school, focusing on the behaviors and attitudes that…

Some Thoughts about a New International Geography Test

Science.gov (United States)

van der Schee, Joop; Notte, Henk; Zwartjes, Luc

2010-01-01

An important question for geography teachers all over the world is how to define, stimulate and test geographic literacy. Although modern technology is no guarantee of quality, it offers new possibilities for teaching and testing, as can be seen in contemporary geography learning/teaching units using digital maps and interactive tests. Tests such…

K-12 Online Learning and the Training Needs for School Psychology Practitioners

Science.gov (United States)

Tysinger, P. Dawn; Tysinger, Jeff; Diamanduros, Terry; Kennedy, Kathryn

2013-01-01

K-12 online learning is growing at an exponential rate in the United States and around the world. Students and teachers are entering and embracing the K-12 online learning environment. Thus, it becomes imperative for school psychologists to follow. In order to offer the most productive learning environment for all students, the services provided…

Generic vs. Modality-Specific Competencies for K-12 Online and Blended Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Pulham, Emily B.; Graham, Charles R.; Short, Cecil R.

2018-01-01

Although research has explored teacher competencies in K-12 blended and online learning, it has not specified which competencies are appropriate to an online or digital medium, which refer to blending in-person with online experiences, or which are generic--applicable in any teaching modality. This article explores selected K-12 online and blended…

The Engaged Microbiologist: Bringing the Microbiological Sciences to the K-12 Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Westenberg, David J

2016-03-01

Exposing K-12 students to cutting edge science that impacts their daily lives can bring classroom lessons to life. Citizen-science projects are an excellent way to bring high-level science to the classroom and help satisfy one of the cornerstone concepts of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), "engaging in practices that scientists and engineers actually use." This can be a daunting task for teachers who may lack the background or resources to integrate these projects into the classroom. This is where scientific societies such as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) can play a critical role. ASM encourages its members to engage with the K-12 community by providing networking opportunities and resources for ASM members and K-12 teachers to work together to bring microbiology into the classroom. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.

An Investigation of University Student and K-12 Teacher Reasoning about Key Ideas in the Development of the Particulate Nature of Matter

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Amy D.

2011-01-01

This dissertation describes a systematic investigation of university student and K-12 teacher reasoning about key ideas relevant to the development of a particulate model for matter. Written assessments and individual demonstration interviews have been used to study the reasoning of introductory and sophomore-level physics students, introductory…

Geography Education and Citizenship Education in Portugal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Helena Esteves

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The contribution of geography education to citizenship education is recognized by geography educators. Still, globalization created new territories and new “borders” not always easy to cross—but they all exist and coexist giving new meanings to the idea of space appropriation. Geographical space has gained all these dimensions and can no longer be viewed in terms of its materiality. This article addresses the concept of citizenship education for Portuguese geography teachers within the multicultural nature of Portuguese society and schools. A final reference is given to the importance of cities as places of citizenship education.

One Model for Scientist Involvement in K-12 Education: Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic Program

Science.gov (United States)

Meese, D.; Shipp, S. S.; Porter, M.; Bruccoli, A.

2002-12-01

Scientists involved in the NSF-funded Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA) Program integrate a K-12 science teacher into their polar field project. Objectives of the program include: having the science teacher immersed in the experience of research; 2) through the teacher, leveraging the research experience to better inform teaching practices; and 3) sharing the experience with the broader educational and general community. The scientist - or qualified team member - stays involved with the teacher throughout the program as a mentor. Preparation of the teacher involves a week-long orientation presented by the TEA Program, and a two week pre-expedition visit at the scientist's institution. Orientation acquaints teachers with program expectations, logistical information, and an overview of polar science. While at the scientist's institution, the teacher meets the team, prepares for the field, and strengthens content knowledge. In the field, the teacher is a team member and educational liaison, responding to questions from students and colleagues by e-mail, and posting electronic journals describing the research experience. Upon return, the teachers work closely with colleagues to bring the experience of research into classrooms through creation of activities, design of longer-term student investigations, and presentations at scientific, educational, and community meetings. Interaction with the scientific team continues with a visit by the scientist to the teacher's classrooms, collaboration on presentations at scientific meetings, and consultation on classroom activities. In some cases, the teacher may participate in future expeditions. The involvement by scientists in mentor relationships, such as those of the TEA Program, is critical to improving science education. Many teachers of science have not had the opportunity to participate in field research, which offers valuable first-hand experience about the nature of science, as well as about specific

Environmental Concerns in the Geography Curriculum: Perceptions ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper, I use the qualitative data generated from my PhD study to show how three of the geography teachers grapple with the meaning of environmental education, sustainable development and education for sustainable development. The data reveals that the three teachers have conceptual difficulties regarding ...

Are Learning Assistants Better K-12 Science Teachers?

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Kara E.; Webb, David C.; Otero, Valerie K.

2010-10-01

This study investigates how the undergraduate Learning Assistant (LA) experience affects teachers' first year of teaching. The LA Program provides interested science majors with the opportunity to explore teaching through weekly teaching responsibilities, an introduction to physics education research, and a learning community within the university. Some of these LAs are recruited to secondary science teacher certification programs. We hypothesized that the LA experience would enhance the teaching practices of the LAs who ultimately become teachers. To test this hypothesis, LAs were compared to a matched sample of teachers who completed the same teacher certification program as the LAs but did not have the LA "treatment." LAs and "non-LAs" were compared through interviews, classroom observations, artifact packages, and observations made with Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP) collected within the first year of teaching. Some differences were found; these findings and their implications are discussed.

Exploring Arizona K-12 Virtual Educator Experiences and Perspectives Developing Collaborative Learning Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Deborah Iyron

2015-01-01

Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) provided an instructional alternative to nearly fifty thousand K-12 students in Arizona during the 2012-2013 school year. Growth in online education underscores the importance of evolving the role of the K-12 virtual teacher as the human agent (Turvey, 2008) demonstrating social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) by…

Using "Petites Projects" to Further Engage Students in Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Richard

2013-01-01

The challenge of teaching AP Human Geography to high school students is to make geography relevant, engaging and "real world." Often the pace of teaching AP classes constrains the ability of teachers to do creative projects and truly engage students until after the exam is over in May. In this lesson plan, the author suggests using "Petites…

K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators and Higher Education Faculty: Partners Helping Rural Disadvantaged Students Stay on the Pathway to a Geoscience Career

Science.gov (United States)

Slattery, W.; Antonucci, C.; Myers, R. J.

2013-12-01

The National Science Foundation funded project K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators and Higher Education Faculty: Partners Helping Rural Disadvantaged Students Stay on the Pathway to a Geoscience Career is a research-based proof of concept track 1 pilot project that tests the effectiveness of an innovative model for simultaneous K-12 teacher professional development, student learning and workforce development. The project builds a network of science experiences designed to keep eighth and ninth grade students from the Ripley, Union, Lewis, Huntington (RULH) Ohio school district on the path to a geoscience career. During each summer of the ongoing two-year project teams of RULH students, parents, teachers, administrators and college faculty traveled to the facilities of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium at Sandy Hook, New Jersey to study science from an Earth system perspective. Teachers had the opportunity to engage in professional development alongside their students. Parents participated in the science activities alongside their children. Administrators interacted with students, parents and their teachers and saw them all learning science in an engaging, collaborative setting. During the first academic year of the project professional development was provided to RULH teachers by a team of university scientists and geoscience educators from the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA), a National Science Foundation funded project. Teachers selected for professional development were from science disciplines, mathematics, language arts and civics. The teachers selected, taught and assessed ESSEA Earth system science modules to all eighth and ninth grade students, not just those that were selected to go on the summer trips to New Jersey. In addition, all ninth grade RULH students had the opportunity to take a course that includes Earth system science concepts that will earn them both high school and college science credits. Professional

Explaining Technology Integration in K-12 Classrooms: A Multilevel Path Analysis Model

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Feng; Ritzhaupt, Albert D.; Dawson, Kara; Barron, Ann E.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to design and test a model of classroom technology integration in the context of K-12 schools. The proposed multilevel path analysis model includes teacher, contextual, and school related variables on a teacher's use of technology and confidence and comfort using technology as mediators of classroom technology…

A Study of the Relationship of Perceived Principal Supervision and Support to the Perceived Self-Efficacy of Beginning and Experienced K-12 Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Spearing, Leonard M.

2013-01-01

In this quantitative study the author examined the relationship between the perceived level of principal supervision and support to the perceived self-efficacy of K-12 teachers in a suburban public school district. The impact of perceived self-efficacy upon the commitment to remain in teaching was also considered. Finally the differential…

STUDY OF GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS FOR 9th, 10th, 11th AND 12th GRADES. CASE STUDY: MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARIANA-DOINA CÎINEANU

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The introduction conveys some data on learning in India and on designing Geography textbooks in this country. The present paper is reliant on four Geography textbooks, ranging from the 9th to the 12th grade. As regards each textbook, the study considers their learning units, then analyses their structure, the unitary way of designing them, the components of the panels of authors, the texts, illustrative materials, drills, learning activities, language, the wealth of Geography lexis, and the glossary.

Assessment of the Policy Guidelines for the Teaching and Learning of Geography at the Senior High School Level in Ghana

Science.gov (United States)

Ababio, Bethel T.; Dumba, Hillary

2014-01-01

This article empirically assessed the extent to which geography teachers adhered to the Ghana Education Service policy guidelines on the teaching of geography at the Senior High School Level in Ghana. Census survey was used to collect data from seven geography teachers because of the researchers' objective of gaining a quick insight into the…

Inquiring into the teaching-learning process of geography in Cuban Educational System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfonso, Luis Francisco

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The article provides an insight into the teaching-learning of geography in Cuba, particularly in Camagüey province. The information has been gathered and analyzed following the Education Quality Appraisal System questionnaires and guidelines, current evaluation exercises, and test given by supervising commissions. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of these texts leads the researchers to arrive at conclusions related to frequent cognitive mistakes and the corresponding strategies teachers should use in facing them. On the basis of the main findings suggestions are given for teaching geography. These suggestions have been taken into account by Geography National Commission of the Ministry of Education of Cuba as a working tool for teachers, principals and supervisors.

The SERC K12 Educators Portal to Teaching Activities and Pedagogic Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, K.; Kirk, K. B.; Manduca, C. A.; Ledley, T. S.; Schmitt, L.

2013-12-01

activities and approaches that use maps as the basis of instruction for a wide range of topics commonly taught in K12 science courses such as natural hazards, urban development, plate tectonics, climate change, ocean science, and water resources; and (2) Providing easy access to a vast collection of materials specifically for teachers of AP and IB classes including collections of teaching activities for all science disciplines as well as pedagogic approaches that are appropriate for the lab-intensive nature of these classes. The contents of the K12 portal are drawn from a number of projects and collaborations, including CLEAN, Earth Exploration Toolbook, Minnesota Science Teachers Education Project, Pedagogy in Action, EarthLabs, NAGT and On the Cutting Edge. Teachers can add their own materials to the site by sharing lessons plans, activities, and labs. K12 educators of all levels will find a wide variety of resources to spark the curiosity and interest of students. Explore the SERC K12 Educators Portal at: http://serc.carleton.edu/k12/index.html

Walking and Talking Geography: A Small-World Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Fertig, Gary; Silverman, Rick

2007-01-01

When teaching geography to students in the primary grades, teachers should provide firsthand experiences that young children need to make meaningful sense of their world. David Sobel, author of "Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Years," suggests that teachers in the early grades adopt a small-world approach to…

Mapping Geographical Knowledge and Skills Needed for Pre-Service Teachers in Teacher Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terri Bourke

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In Australia, for more than two decades, a “social science” integrated framework was the favored approach for delivering subjects such as history and geography. However, such interdisciplinary approaches have continued to attract criticism from various parts of the academic and public spheres, and since 2009, a return to teaching the disciplines has been heralded as the “new” way forward. Using discourse analysis techniques associated with Foucauldian archeology, the purpose of this article is to examine the Australian Curriculum: Geography document to ascertain the discourses necessary for pre-service teachers to enact effective teaching of geography in a primary setting. Then, based on pre-service teachers’ online survey responses, the article investigates whether such future teachers have the knowledge and skills to interpret, deliver, and enact the new geography curriculum in primary classrooms. Finally, as teacher educators, our interest lies in preparing pre-service teachers effectively for the classroom, so that the findings are used to inform the content of a teacher education course for pre-service primary teachers.

Advanced Placement® Human Geography: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Science.gov (United States)

Lanegran, David A.; Zeigler, Donald J.

2016-01-01

Over the past fifteen years, AP Human Geography has grown in numbers and spread to almost every state. This article synopsizes the early history of the subject, summarizes the course and the exam, highlights positive impacts on the discipline of geography, and focuses on the following three issues: teachers who come to the course having majored in…

C-MORE Science Kits: Putting Technology in the Hands of K-12 Teachers and Students

Science.gov (United States)

Achilles, K.; Weersing, K.; Daniels, C.; Puniwai, N.; Matsuzaki, J.; Bruno, B. C.

2008-12-01

The Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) is a NSF Science and Technology Center based at the University of Hawaii. The C-MORE education and outreach program offers a variety of resources and professional development opportunities for science educators, including online resources, participation in oceanography research cruises, teacher-training workshops, mini-grants to incorporate microbial oceanography-related content and activities into their classroom and, most recently, C- MORE science kits. C-MORE science kits provide hands-on classroom, field, and laboratory activities related to microbial oceanography for K-12 students. Each kit comes with complete materials and instructions, and is available free of charge to Hawaii's public school teachers. Several kits are available nationwide. C-MORE science kits cover a range of topics and technologies and are targeted at various grade levels. Here is a sampling of some available kits: 1) Marine Murder Mystery: The Case of the Missing Zooxanthellae. Students learn about the effect of climate change and other environmental threats on coral reef destruction through a murder-mystery experience. Participants also learn how to use DNA to identify a suspect. Grades levels: 3-8. 2) Statistical sampling. Students learn basic statistics through an exercise in random sampling, with applications to microbial oceanography. The laptops provided with this kit enable students to enter, analyze, and graph their data using EXCEL. Grades levels: 6-12. 3) Chlorophyll Lab. A research-quality fluorometer is used to measure the chlorophyll content in marine and freshwater systems. This enables students to compare biomass concentrations in samples collected from various locations. Grades levels: 9-12. 4) Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD). Students predict how certain variables (e.g., temperature, pressure, chlorophyll, oxygen) vary with depth. A CTD, attached to a laptop computer, is deployed into deep water

K-12 STEM Educators and the Inclusive Classroom

OpenAIRE

Li, Songze

2016-01-01

The United States public schools promote inclusion and educational equity among diverse student populations. Considerable and growing numbers of students with categorical disabilities and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are enrolled in regular classrooms. The systemic barriers in learning that they have could impact teacher perceptions and decisions about teaching practices as well as the teaching profession. These students have challenged K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathemat...

Creating a Road Map for 21st Century Geography Education: Project Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Edelson, Daniel C.; Wertheim, Jill A.; Schell, Emily M.; Shavelson, Richard; Bednarz, Sarah; Heffron, Susan; Roth, Kathy; Dobson, Jerome

2013-01-01

The National Geographic Society, the Association of American Geographers, the American Geographical Society, and the National Council for Geographic Education partnered to outline a "road map" for long-term strategies to improve K-12 geography education. The partner organizations assembled three committees to create synthesis reports, each of…

Credentialing high school psychology teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, Kenneth A

2014-09-01

The National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula (American Psychological Association, 2013b) require a teacher with considerable psychology content knowledge to teach high school psychology courses effectively. In this study, I examined the initial teaching credential requirements for high school psychology teachers in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Thirty-four states (the District of Columbia is included as a state) require the social studies credential to teach high school psychology. An analysis of the items on standardized tests used by states to validate the content knowledge required to teach social studies indicates little or no presence of psychology, a reflection of psychology's meager presence in the social studies teacher preparation curricula. Thus, new teachers with the social studies teaching credential are not prepared to teach high school psychology according to the National Standards. Approval of The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013) presents an opportunity to advocate for establishing a psychology credential in the 34 states. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Zero Energy Schools: Designing for the Future: Zero Energy Ready K-12 Schools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torcellini, Paul A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-29

Designing, building, and operating zero energy ready K-12 schools provides benefits for districts, students, and teachers. Optimizing energy efficiency is important in any building, but it's particularly important in K-12 schools. Many U.S. school districts struggle for funding, and improving a school building's energy efficiency can free up operational funds that may then be available for educational and other purposes.

Interstellar Molecules in K-12 Education

Science.gov (United States)

Kuiper, T. B. H.; Hofstadter, M. D.; Levin, S. M.; MacLaren, D.

2006-12-01

The Lewis Center for Educational Research (LCER) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) collaborate in a K-12 educational project in which students conduct observations for several research programs led by radio astronomers. The Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) program provides participating teachers with curriculum elements, based on the students' observing experiences, which support national and state academic standards. The current program is based on 2.2-GHz and 8.4-GHz radiometric observations of variable sources. The research programs monitor Jupiter, Uranus, and a selected set of quasars. The telescope is a decommissioned NASA Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California. In the next three years, a second telescope will be added. This telescope will at least operate at the above frequencies as well as 6 GHz and 12 GHz. Possibly, it will operate in a continuous band from 1.2 GHz to 14 GHz. In either case, the telescope will be able to observe at least the 6.6-GHz and 12.2-GHz methanol maser lines. The success of the GAVRT program depends critically on the participation of scientists committed to the research who have the ability and enthusiasm for interacting with K-12 students, typically through teleconferences. The scientists will initially work with the LCER staff to create curriculum elements around their observing program.

Infrared Astronomy Professional Development for K-12 Educators: WISE Telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Borders, Kareen; Mendez, B. M.

2010-01-01

K-12 educators need effective and relevant astronomy professional development. WISE Telescope (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer) and Spitzer Space Telescope Education programs provided an immersive teacher professional development workshop at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico during the summer of 2009. As many common misconceptions involve scale and distance, teachers worked with Moon/Earth scale, solar system scale, and distance of objects in the universe. Teachers built and used basic telescopes, learned about the history of telescopes, explored ground and satellite based telescopes, and explored and worked on models of WISE Telescope. An in-depth explanation of WISE and Spitzer telescopes gave participants background knowledge for infrared astronomy observations. We taught the electromagnetic spectrum through interactive stations. The stations included an overview via lecture and power point, the use of ultraviolet beads to determine ultraviolet exposure, the study of WISE lenticulars and diagramming of infrared data, listening to light by using speakers hooked up to photoreceptor cells, looking at visible light through diffraction glasses and diagramming the data, protocols for using astronomy based research in the classroom, and infrared thermometers to compare environmental conditions around the observatory. An overview of LIDAR physics was followed up by a simulated LIDAR mapping of the topography of Mars. We will outline specific steps for K-12 infrared astronomy professional development, provide data demonstrating the impact of the above professional development on educator understanding and classroom use, and detail future plans for additional K-12 professional development. Funding was provided by WISE Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, Starbucks, Arecibo Observatory, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Washington Space Grant Consortium.

Advancing climate literacy in Idaho K-12 schools using STEM education approaches, open source electronics, and Maker culture as vehicles for teacher training

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, A. N.; Gelb, L.; Watson, K. A.; Steimke, A.; Chang, C.; Busche, C.; Breidenbach, J.

2016-12-01

A climate literate citizenry is essential to the long-term success of climate change adaptation and to enhancing resilience of communities to climate change impacts. In support of a National Science Foundation CAREER award, we developed a teacher training workshop on a project that engages students in creating functioning, low-cost weather stations using open source electronics. The workshop aims to improve climate literacy among K-12 students while providing an authentic opportunity to acquire and hone STEM skills. Each station measures temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, light level, soil moisture, and precipitation occurrence. Our day-long workshop focuses on three elements: (1) providing context on the scientific importance of climate observation, (2) equipping teachers with technical skills needed to assemble and use a station from provided components, and (3) highlighting relevant educational standards met by the weather station activities. The workshop was attended by twelve 4th-9th grade teachers from southwest Idaho, all of whom teach at rural and/or Title I schools. Attendees reported having minimal or no previous experience with open source electronics, but all were able to effectively use their weather station with less than two hours of hands-on training. In written and oral post-workshop reflections teachers expressed a strong desire to integrate these activities into classrooms, but also revealed barriers associated with rigid curricular constraints and risk-averse administrators. Continued evolution of the workshop will focus on: (1) extending the duration and exploratory depth of the workshop, (2) refining pre- and post-assessments and performing longitudinal monitoring of teacher participants to measure short- and long-term efficacy of the workshop, and (3) partnering with colleagues to engage school district administrators in dialog on how to integrate authentic activities like this one into K-12 curriculum.

Geography Education Students' Experiences with a Problem-Based Learning Fieldwork Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Raath, Schalk; Golightly, Aubrey

2017-01-01

This article reports on a problem-based learning (PBL) fieldwork activity carried out by geography education students on the Mooi River in the North West province of South Africa. The value of doing practical fieldwork using a PBL approach in the training of geography teachers was researched by means of an interpretative multimethods approach.…

Education for a Green and Resilient Economy: An Educator Framework for Teaching Climate and Energy Literacy for K-12 Teachers Across the Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Niepold, F., III; Ledley, T. S.; Lockwood, J.; Youngman, E.; Manning, C. L. B.; Sullivan, S. M.

2015-12-01

The U.S. is embarking on a major transition to a green and resilient economy, a monumental change requiring all sectors and segments of the population to pull together. Transforming our nation's economic, energy, and environmental systems to in this way will require a sustained level of expertise, innovation, and cooperative effort unseen since the 1940s to meet the challenges involved. Education can - and must - help people understand the true connections, the linkages and interdependencies, between the environment, our energy sources and the economy which underpin and form the very foundation of the concept of a green and resilient economy. To produce such a literate future workforce and citizenry, the United States will need to make major new investments in our educational systems. Teachers across the nation are helping to increase science-based understanding and awareness of current and future climate change, enhancing climate and energy literacy in K-12 classrooms, on college and university campuses. There has been tremendous progress to date, but there is still more work to be done. The new academic standards in mathematics and science (the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)) represent a sea change from the nation's previous sets of standards. Addressing these standards in the currently over 40 percent of the nation's classrooms that have adopted or adapted the NGSS will demand that we prepare new and current teachers, who can effectively address the interdisciplinary nature of climate change and societal responses. To address this opportunity and need a collaboration between NOAA, TERC and CIRES has been established to develop an Educator Framework for Teaching Climate and Energy Literacy for K-12 teachers across the curriculum based on the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. This collaboration is developing an effective way to frame the use of

Expanding the Role of Maryland Community Colleges in K-12 Teacher Preparation: Benefits and Costs of Implementing the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) Degree

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Jennifer Vest

2012-01-01

This study uses benefit-cost analysis to compare three alternative scenarios for implementing the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree in Maryland community colleges. The first policy scenario is that community colleges retain their traditional role in K-12 teacher preparation by providing lower-division transfer courses and programs for…

AMS Professional Development Courses: Arming K-12 Teachers with the Tools Needed to Increase Students' Scientific Literacy

Science.gov (United States)

Brey, J. A.; Geer, I. W.; Weinbeck, R. S.; Moran, J. M.; Nugnes, K. A.

2012-12-01

To better prepare tomorrow's leaders, it is of utmost importance that today's teachers are science literate. To meet that need, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Education Program offers content-rich, professional development courses and training workshops for precollege teachers in the geosciences. During the fall and spring semesters, the AMS in partnership with NOAA, NASA, and SUNY Brockport, offers a suite of pre-college teacher development courses, DataStreme Atmosphere, DataStreme Ocean and DataStreme Earth's Climate System (ECS). These courses are delivered to small groups of K-12 teachers through Local Implementation Teams (LITs) positioned throughout the U.S. The courses use current, real-world environmental data to investigate the atmosphere, ocean, and climate system and consist of weekly online study materials, weekly mentoring, and several face-to-face meetings, all supplemented by a provided textbook and investigations manual. DataStreme ECS takes an innovative approach to studying climate science, by exploring the fundamental science of Earth's climate system and addressing the societal impacts relevant to today's students and teachers. The course investigates natural and human forcings and feedbacks to examine mitigation and adaptation strategies for the future. Information and data from respected organizations, such as the IPCC, the US Global Change Research Program, NASA, and NOAA are used throughout the course, including in the online and printed investigations. In addition, participants differentiate between climate, climate variability, and climate change through the AMS Conceptual Energy Model, a basic climate model that follows the flow of energy from space to Earth and back. Participants also have access to NASA's EdGCM, a research-grade Global Climate Model where they can explore various future climate scenarios in the same way that actual research scientists do. Throughout all of the courses, teachers have the opportunity to expand

Emotions Matter: Teachers' Feelings about Their Interactions with Teacher Trainers during Curriculum Reform

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Hong-biao; Lee, John Chi-Kin

2011-01-01

Compared with the rich exploration of teachers' emotional geographies in the West, there have been only a small number of studies conducted in Chinese societies that have adopted Hargreaves's emotional geographies to analyze human interactions in education. This study explores the nature of emotions felt by teachers during their interactions with…

The Place of Place-Based Education in the Australian Primary Geography Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Preston, Lou

2015-01-01

The idea for this paper emerged from a recent qualitative investigation which examined the ways in which six Australian primary teachers conceptualised geography and geography teaching (Preston, 2014b). A finding of this research was a strong correlation between the breadth of geographical understandings and the years of experience and age of…

Geography and Values in Higher Education: 2

Science.gov (United States)

Huckle, John

1978-01-01

The geography curriculum in higher education reflects values held by the geographical and educational communities and by society in general. Teachers should transmit an environmental ethic by adopting relevant approaches from moral and political education. For journal availability, see SO 506 224. (Author/AV)

Factors Affecting the Enrolment of Students in Geography in Public ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between availability and use of teaching/learning resources and enrolment in the subject. The study adopted a survey design. The target population consisted of Form III students, geography teachers and the head teachers of the thirty-one public secondary ...

Rediscovering the Teaching of Geography with the Focus on Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, David; Solem, Michael

2017-01-01

This paper arises from the Keynote we co-delivered at the 2017 AGTA Conference in Melbourne. In the paper, we outline the main theoretical resources that underpin the GeoCapabilities project (www.geocapabilities.org). This project has sought to engage teachers and teacher educators in geography with the principles of "curriculum…

Geography teachers' interpretation of a curriculum reform initiative: the case of the Lesotho Environmental Education Support Project (LEESP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohaeka Raselimo

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This article addresses how teachers in a specific developing world context interpreted a curriculum reform initiative. It is located within a broader interpretive study that investigated the integration of Environmental Education into the formal education system of Lesotho with particular reference to secondary school geography. More specifically the focus was on a Danish donor-fundedproject, known as the Lesotho Environmental Education Support Project (LEESP. Driven by a sustainable development imperative, the project was intended to assist Lesotho with the implementation of local action for Agenda 21 by introducing environmental education into the formal education system. It is widely accepted that teachers play an important role in implementing curriculum change. Using a previous framework, we generate insights for understanding how teachers' epistemologies interact with contextual factors to impede the process ofcurriculum sense-making. Furthermore, guided by the notion ofcurriculum as a contextualised social process, we present the findings on the contextual/structural factors enabling or constraining implementation ofthe LEESP curriculum policy intentions as perceived by the teachers.

Project Marco Polo: Experiences Applying Geography.

Science.gov (United States)

Trygestad, JoAnn; Nelson, Jasmine

1993-01-01

Describes a summer 1992 study tour of Egypt and Greece by 15 teachers, 15 students, and 5 geography administrators. Focuses on the experiences and attitudes of one eighth-grade student. Asserts that her presentations to student and adult groups have encouraged other students to become more interested in travel and other cultures. (CFR)

Sustaining K-12 professional development in geology: Recurrent participation in Rockcamp

Science.gov (United States)

Repine, T.E.; Hemler, D.A.; Behling, R.E.

2004-01-01

A reconnaissance study of the geology professional development program known as RockCamp was initiated to examine the sustained, or recurrent, participation of K-12 science teachers. Open-ended interviews, concept mapping, and creative writing assignments were used to explore the perceptions of six teachers possessing an exceptional record of participation. Efficacy, fun, right time of life, and support emerged as unanimous reasons for recurrent participation. Content, friendship, and methodology were very important. College credit was not critical. These teachers' perceptions suggest their sustained involvement in the RockCamp Program is stimulated by situated learning experiences stressing a compare, contrast, connect, and construct pedagogy within a supportive learning community.

The London Geography Alliance: Re-Connecting the School Subject with the University Discipline

Science.gov (United States)

Standish, Alex; Hawley, Duncan; Willy, Tessa

2016-01-01

The London Geography Alliance was established to provide a network of subject-based support to primary and secondary schools, by linking teachers and university lecturers. Workshops and fieldwork were conducted over a 17-month period to address different aspects of the geography curriculum. The effects of the project were evaluated using…

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Engaging K-12 Educators, Students, and the General Public in Space Science Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

The session "Engaging K-12 Educators, Students, and the General Public in Space Science Exploration" included the following reports:Training Informal Educators Provides Leverage for Space Science Education and Public Outreach; Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science Education: K-12 Teacher Retention, Renewal, and Involvement in Professional Science; Telling the Tale of Two Deserts: Teacher Training and Utilization of a New Standards-based, Bilingual E/PO Product; Lindstrom M. M. Tobola K. W. Stocco K. Henry M. Allen J. S. McReynolds J. Porter T. T. Veile J. Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets: Space Science Applications of Physics and Chemistry for High School and College Classes -- Update; Utilizing Mars Data in Education: Delivering Standards-based Content by Exposing Educators and Students to Authentic Scientific Opportunities and Curriculum; K. E. Little Elementary School and the Young Astronaut Robotics Program; Integrated Solar System Exploration Education and Public Outreach: Theme, Products and Activities; and Online Access to the NEAR Image Collection: A Resource for Educators and Scientists.

Coğrafya Öğretmenlerinin Teknolojik Pedagojik Alan Bilgisi İle İlgili Yeterliliklerinin İncelenmesi / Examining the Skills of Geography Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esengül Doğru

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract The main purpose of this research was to determine the competencies of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK of geography teachers and to examine whether these competencies differed significantly according to various variables. The study included a total of a total of 42 geography teachers employed in Karabuk city centre and its districts in 20015-2015 education year. The data of the study was gathered though Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK developed by Pamuk, Ergun, Çakır, Yılmaz ve Ayas (2012. Frequency and percentage values along with Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S test, Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis H test were used to analyse the data of the current study. The results of the study revealed that the technological pedagogical content knowledge of geography teachers was not enough. Results also demonstrated the level of geography teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge did not differ significantly according to their skills and knowledge at using technology, seniority, education level and gender. Content Knowledge is one of the subscales of TPCK that geography teachers had the highest level of knowledge. Furthermore, the level of technological content knowledge of geography teachers was higher than that of technological pedagogical knowledge. The results of the study were discussed in line with the related literature and some suggestions were made.  Öz Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, Coğrafya öğretmenlerinin Teknolojik Pedagojik Alan Bilgisi (TPAB yeterliliklerinin tespit edilmesi ve bu yeterliliklerin çeşitli değişkenlere göre farklılık gösterip göstermediğinin incelenmesidir. Çalışmaya, 2015-2016 eğitim öğretim yılında Karabük il merkezi ve ilçelerinde görev yapmakta olan toplam 42 Coğrafya öğretmeni katılmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak, araştırmanın nicel kısmı için ölçme aracı olarak Pamuk, Ergun, Çakır, Yılmaz ve Ayas (2012 taraf

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: Books Published in 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Science and Children, 2016

2016-01-01

Science teachers and mentors continue to be challenged to meet the high expectations of "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" and the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"). Indeed the "Framework" urges to help learners "[build] progressively more sophisticated explanations of natural…

Internationalizing Geography Education: A Focus on India

Science.gov (United States)

Solem, Michael; Balachandran, Chandra Shekhar

2014-01-01

The Association of American Geographers (AAG), through its Center for Global Geography Education (CGGE) project, recently published a collection of online educational resources examining important geographic issues affecting people, places, and environments in India. The resources were created by a delegation of high school teachers and academic…

Increasing Diversity in K-12 School Leadership. Policy Brief 2018-3

Science.gov (United States)

Castro, Andrene; Germain, Emily; Gooden, Mark

2018-01-01

Principals represent the most "visible" form of leadership in schools, but current workforce data show that K-12 school principals are overwhelmingly white and fail to reflect the diversity within the student population. With increased policy focus on teacher diversity, equal attention must also be directed towards the lack of diversity…

Using a Non-Equivalent Groups Quasi Experimental Design to Reduce Internal Validity Threats to Claims Made by Math and Science K-12 Teacher Recruitment Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Moin, Laura

2009-10-01

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act national policy established in 2009 calls for ``meaningful data'' that demonstrate educational improvements, including the recruitment of high-quality teachers. The scant data available and the low credibility of many K-12 math/science teacher recruitment program evaluations remain the major barriers for the identification of effective recruitment strategies. Our study presents a methodology to better evaluate the impact of recruitment programs on increasing participants' interest in teaching careers. The research capitalizes on the use of several control groups and presents a non-equivalent groups quasi-experimental evaluation design that produces program effect claims with higher internal validity than claims generated by current program evaluations. With this method that compares responses to a teaching career interest question from undergraduates all along a continuum from just attending an information session to participating (or not) in the recruitment program, we were able to compare the effect of the program in increasing participants' interest in teaching careers versus the evolution of the same interest but in the absence of the program. We were also able to make suggestions for program improvement and further research. While our findings may not apply to other K-12 math/science teacher recruitment programs, we believe that our evaluation methodology does and will contribute to conduct stronger program evaluations. In so doing, our evaluation procedure may inform recruitment program designers and policy makers.

K-12 Professional Development at the Harvard Forest LTER

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, K.

2012-12-01

As part of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program, the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts seeks to train the next generation of researchers, by involving K-12 grade students and their teachers in hands-on, field-based, ecological research in their own schoolyard and community. Students learn to collect data on important long-term ecological issues and processes. Student data are then shared on the Harvard Forest website. To prepare teachers for project protocols, teachers are given direct access to Harvard ecologists with professional development workshops and on-line resources. With the Harvard Forest Schoolyard LTER program, students can participate in three different research projects focusing on phenology, invasive insects, and vernal pools. Teachers attend the Summer Institute for Teachers to learn project content and methods. They return in fall to participate in one of three levels of data workshops to learn how to input, manage, and analyze project data. In the spring, teachers again meet with the Harvard ecologists about project protocols, and to share, through a series of teacher presentations, the ways these project themes are being integrated into class curricula. These professional development opportunities result in long term collaborative partnerships with local schools and the Harvard Forest LTER. In addition to the LTER Schoolyard Ecology Program, the Harvard Forest has supported a successful Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program for the last six years. Throughout the summer, teachers work on research projects alongside Harvard Forest and affiliated scientists, post-docs, graduate students, and REU's (Research Experience for Undergraduates). The RET program provides teachers with the opportunity to build scientific knowledge, develop an understanding of research methods, and translate their new knowledge and experiences into cutting edge classroom lessons. The past two summers I have worked with Dr. Andrew Richardson

The Changing Climate of Teaching and Learning School Geography: The Case of Singapore

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chew-Hung

2012-01-01

Reflecting on a personal journey as a geography student, an academic, an educator and a teacher trainer, the article provides a critical narrative of the state of school geography in Singapore and argues that its development has remained relevant to the changing issues at a global level. Using personal reflections and document analyses, school…

K-12 Education

Science.gov (United States)

products laboratories publications nisee b.i.p. members education FAQs links education Education Program Internships K-12 Education Contact the PEER Education Program PEER's Educational Affiliates Student Design Competition Student Leadership Council Classes and Other Educational Activities Site Map Search K-12 Education

An Evaluation of Occupational Ethical Values of Geography Teacher Candidates in Turkey

Science.gov (United States)

Ünlü, Mehmet

2018-01-01

Geographers can be influenced by the occupational ethical values in their cultures. In this research, the opinions of the geography teaching candidates were determined according to occupational ethical values at Marmara University, Faculty of Education, Department of Geography Teaching. Occupational ethical values identified are used to collect…

Learning to teach geography for primary education : Results of an experimental programme

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blankman, M.; Schoonenboom, J.; van der Schee, J.; Boogaard, M.; Volman, M.

2016-01-01

Students training to become primary school teachers appear to have little awareness of the core concepts of geography (teaching). To ensure that future primary school teachers are able to develop their pupils’ geographical awareness, a six weeks programme was developed. The characteristics of this

The National Geographic Society's Teaching Geography Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Bockenhauer, Mark H.

1993-01-01

Contends that the National Geographic Society's Teaching Geography Project is an inservice teacher education success story. Describes the origins, objectives, and development of the project. Summarizes the impact of the project and contends that its success is the result of the workshop format and guided practice in instructional strategies. (CFR)

Efficacy of the World Wide Web in K-12 environmental education

Science.gov (United States)

York, Kimberly Jane

1998-11-01

Despite support by teachers, students, and the American public in general, environmental education is not a priority in U.S. schools. Teachers face many barriers to integrating environmental education into K--12 curricula. The focus of this research is teachers' lack of access to environmental education resources. New educational reforms combined with emerging mass communication technologies such as the Internet and World Wide Web present new opportunities for the infusion of environmental content into the curriculum. New technologies can connect teachers and students to a wealth of resources previously unavailable to them. However, significant barriers to using technologies exist that must be overcome to make this promise a reality. Web-based environmental education is a new field and research is urgently needed. If teachers are to use the Web meaningfully in their classrooms, it is essential that their attitudes and perceptions about using this new technology be brought to light. Therefore, this exploratory research investigates teachers' attitudes toward using the Web to share environmental education resources. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to investigate this problem. Two surveys were conducted---self-administered mail survey and a Web-based online survey---to elicit teachers perceptions and comments about environmental education and the Web. Preliminary statistical procedures including frequencies, percentages and correlational measures were performed to interpret the data. In-depth interviews and participant-observation methods were used during an extended environmental education curriculum development project with two practicing teachers to gain insights into the process of creating curricula and placing it online. Findings from the both the mail survey and the Web-based survey suggest that teachers are interested in environmental education---97% of respondents for each survey agreed that environmental education should be taught in K

GIS in the K-12 Classroom: Research Agenda from EDGIS '96

OpenAIRE

National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis; National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE); Technical Education Research Centers (TERC)

1996-01-01

This meeting of education researchers and teachers immediately followed the November 1996 Annual Meeting of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) in Santa Barbara, California. Participants explored the issues facing the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the K-12 classroom and developed a research agenda related to Pedagogy Issues, Curriculum Issues, Software Issues, and Cognitive Issues.

Exploring Relationships between K-12 Music Educators' Demographics, Perceptions of Intrapreneuring, and Motivation at Work

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Josef

2017-01-01

Gifford Pinchot III coined the term "intrapreneur" to recognize "dreamers who do": individuals who transform ideas into new endeavors within existing organizations. The purpose of this study was to gauge the salience of intrapreneuring for K-12 music teachers and examine how its attributes and behaviors relate to teachers'…

Problem-Based Learning to Foster Deep Learning in Preservice Geography Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Golightly, Aubrey; Raath, Schalk

2015-01-01

In South Africa, geography education students' approach to deep learning has received little attention. Therefore the purpose of this one-shot experimental case study was to evaluate the extent to which first-year geography education students used deep or surface learning in an embedded problem-based learning (PBL) format. The researchers measured…

3-D Teaching of Climate Change: An innovative professional learning model for K-12 teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Stapleton, M.; Wolfson, J.; Sezen-Barrie, A.

2017-12-01

In spite of the presumed controversy over the evidence for climate change, the recently released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for K-12 include a focus on climate literacy and explicitly use the term `climate change.' In addition to the increased focus on climate change, the NGSS are also built upon a new three dimensional framework for teaching and learning science. Three dimensional learning has students engaging in scientific and engineering practices (Dimension 1), while using crosscutting concepts (Dimension 2) to explore and explain natural phenomena using disciplinary core ideas (Dimension 3). The adoption of these new standards in many states across the nation has created a critical need for on-going professional learning as in-service science educators begin to implement both climate change instruction and three dimensional teaching and learning in their classrooms. In response to this need, we developed an innovative professional learning model for preparing teachers to effectively integrate climate change into their new curriculum and engage students in three dimensional learning. Our professional learning model utilized ideas that have emerged from recent science education research and include: a) formative assessment probes for three dimensional learning that monitor students' progress; b) collaboration with scientists with expertise in climate science to understand the domain specific ways of doing science; and c) development of a community of practice for in-service teachers to provide feedback to each other on their implementation. In this poster presentation, we will provide details on the development of this professional learning model and discuss the affordances and challenges of implementing this type of professional learning experience.

A Review of Computer Science Resources for Learning and Teaching with K-12 Computing Curricula: An Australian Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Falkner, Katrina; Vivian, Rebecca

2015-01-01

To support teachers to implement Computer Science curricula into classrooms from the very first year of school, teachers, schools and organisations seek quality curriculum resources to support implementation and teacher professional development. Until now, many Computer Science resources and outreach initiatives have targeted K-12 school-age…

Field "Work" vs "Feel" Trip: Approaches to Out-of-Class Experiences in Geography Education

Science.gov (United States)

Preston, Lou

2016-01-01

Fieldwork is viewed as integral to geography teaching and acclaimed benefits often include holistic, student-driven learning, where all the senses are engaged and the impacts are more than cognitive. While these benefits are often assumed, in this paper, I argue that geography fieldwork in schools is often teacher-led and focused on the…

Learning to Teach Geography for Primary Education: Results of an Experimental Programme

Science.gov (United States)

Blankman, Marian; Schoonenboom, Judith; van der Schee, Joop; Boogaard, Marianne; Volman, Monique

2016-01-01

Students training to become primary school teachers appear to have little awareness of the core concepts of geography (teaching). To ensure that future primary school teachers are able to develop their pupils' geographical awareness, a six weeks programme was developed. The characteristics of this programme -- named Consciously Teaching Geography…

How to Get Successfully Involved with K-12 Education

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, D.; Fraknoi, A.; Bennett, M.

1998-05-01

Many astronomers now have some involvement in K-12 education, either through their children, through large projects with an education or outreach office, or through an educational component to their own grants. Some may need to incorporate education components into future proposals. For those new to education, it can be difficult to decide how best to use their limited resources without "re-inventing the wheel." Some astronomers are comfortable taking a direct role in the classroom or working with teachers, others prefer developing web-based or printed materials, while still others wouldrather work with local schools of education to enhance the training of future teachers. Which of these roles is most useful? In this session, participants will learn what has worked well in the past, with special attention paid to ways in which astronomers' and physicists' training and instincts may fail them when working in education. Invited teachers will describe their classrooms and how astronomers can be most helpful to them. Sample (successful) activities will be demonstrated, and information given about the wide range of existing astronomy and space-science education programs around the country. A full menu of useful ways that astronomers can get involved will be presented, as well as the organizations and institutions which can help in devising a meaningful education program. Handouts will include a catalog of national astronomy education projects, a list of educational web sites, information about the NASA OSS education brokers and facilitators, examples of successful educational materials, and a listing of roles astronomers have played or could play to enhance K-12 education. Registration is required; see the AAS Education WWW page or email aased@aas.org.

Workshop Results: Teaching Geoscience to K-12 Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Nahm, A.; Villalobos, J. I.; White, J.; Smith-Konter, B. R.

2012-12-01

A workshop for high school and middle school Earth and Space Science (ESS) teachers was held this summer (2012) as part of an ongoing collaboration between the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and El Paso Community College (EPCC) Departments of Geological Sciences. This collaborative effort aims to build local Earth science literacy and educational support for the geosciences. Sixteen teachers from three school districts from El Paso and southern New Mexico area participated in the workshop, consisting of middle school, high school, early college high school, and dual credit faculty. The majority of the teachers had little to no experience teaching geoscience, thus this workshop provided an introduction to basic geologic concepts to teachers with broad backgrounds, which will result in the introduction of geoscience to many new students each year. The workshop's goal was to provide hands-on activities illustrating basic geologic and scientific concepts currently used in introductory geology labs/lectures at both EPCC and UTEP to help engage pre-college students. Activities chosen for the workshop were an introduction to Google Earth for use in the classroom, relative age dating and stratigraphy using volcanoes, plate tectonics utilizing the jigsaw pedagogy, and the scientific method as a think-pair-share activity. All activities where designed to be low cost and materials were provided for instructors to take back to their institutions. A list of online resources for teaching materials was also distributed. Before each activity, a short pre-test was given to the participants to gauge their level of knowledge on the subjects. At the end of the workshop, participants were given a post-test, which tested the knowledge gain made by participating in the workshop. In all cases, more correct answers were chosen in the post-test than the individual activity pre-tests, indicating that knowledge of the subjects was gained. The participants enjoyed participating in these

The K-12 Educational Technology Value Chain: Apps for Kids, Tools for Teachers and Levers for Reform

Science.gov (United States)

Pierce, Glenn L.; Cleary, Paul F.

2016-01-01

Historically implementing, maintaining and managing educational technology has been difficult for K-12 educational systems. Consequently, opportunities for significant advances in K-12 education have often gone unrealized. With the maturation of Internet delivered services along with K-12 institutional trends, educational technologies are poised…

Regional Geography is Dead. Long Live Regional Geography!

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vaishar, Antonín; Werner, M.

2006-01-01

Roč. 14, č. 3 (2006), s. 2-8 ISSN 1210-8812 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30860518 Keywords : regional geography * regions * geography * methodology * Ostrava region Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography

"Flipping" educational technology professional development for K-12 educators

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Daniel

As the demand for more effective professional development increases in K-12 schools, trainers must adjust their training methods to meet the needs of their teacher learners. Just as lecture-heavy, teacher-centered instruction only meet the learning needs of a small minority of students, "sit and get" professional development rarely results in the teachers gaining the skills and confidence necessary to use technology effectively in their instruction. To resolve the frustrations of teachers related to ineffective professional development, a "Flipped PD" training model was developed based on the learning needs of adult learners, the integration of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK), learning activities, and the Flipped Classroom concept. Under this model, training shifts from a passive, trainer-centered format, to an active, learner-centered format where teachers learn to use technology in their classrooms by first focusing on pedagogical issues, then choosing the options that work best for addressing those issues in their unique situation, and completing "learn-by-doing" projects. Those who participate in "Flipped PD" style trainings tend to have more confidence upon completion that they can use the tools they were trained on in their teaching, as well as believe that the PD was engaging and a good use of their time.

Peer Mentoring and Peer Tutoring among K-12 Students: A Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Goodrich, Andrew

2018-01-01

The purpose of this literature review is to examine research on peer mentoring among K-12 students to assist practitioners with how to incorporate these instructional techniques into their own music programs. Primary themes across the music education literature of peer mentoring include the role of music teachers, the role of students as they…

Standards Based Design: Teaching K-12 Educators to Build Quality Online Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Quiroz, René E.; Ritter, Nicola L.; Li, Yun; Newton, Rhonda C.; Palkar, Trupti

2016-01-01

The number of online courses, programs, and schools are growing exponentially in K-12 education. Given the unique nature of online courses and the distinct skills necessary to create a quality online course, it is essential that effective professional development be provided for teachers designing online courses. Online courses need to be of the…

Litice – český dvojník peruánského Machu Picchu

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Klimeš, Jan; Skořepa, H.

2016-01-01

Roč. 23, 1/2 (2016), s. 19-34 ISSN 0475-0640 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LG15007 Institutional support: RVO:67985891 Keywords : Medieval castle * Inca town * Divoká Orlice valley * Urubamba valley * landslides Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography OBOR OECD: Physical geography

Distance education: Physics through the University of South Carolina for pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Safko, John L.; Edge, Ronald D.

1997-03-01

For the past several years (10 years for JLS, 3 years for RDE) we have been offering telecommunications-based distance education for K-12 teachers through our Office of Distance Education. In addition to practicing teachers and those majoring in science education, we also enroll students who are working on their Master's of Art in Teaching. These latter students often have an undergraduate degree in some science and are completing content and methods courses for state certification as a teacher. These courses are delivered by video cassette and written material. The courses offered are a two semester introductory physics course (by JLS) and a one semester course in physics demonstrations and experiments suitable for the elementary/middle/high school with little or no sources of equipment (by RDE). These courses will be described in the next two sections. First, a few comments on the services provided by the Office of Distance Education and Instructional Services. The University of South Carolina has been offering courses by telecommunications instruction since 1972. During that time it has developed excellent support services for the instructor. Currently the university offers courses live over satellite links and by video cassette to over 10,000 students. The office provides recording capabilities as well as taking care of distribution of video and print materials. They coordinate the receipt and return of any assignments and exams and provide student services for questions about enrollment, supplies, and other technical problems versus content questions. Keeping all of this organized is a full time job for many staff.

Analysis of 3D Modeling Software Usage Patterns for K-12 Students

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yi-Chieh; Liao, Wen-Hung; Chi, Ming-Te; Li, Tsai-Yen

2016-01-01

In response to the recent trend in maker movement, teachers are learning 3D techniques actively and bringing 3D printing into the classroom to enhance variety and creativity in designing lectures. This study investigates the usage pattern of a 3D modeling software, Qmodel Creator, which is targeted at K-12 students. User logs containing…

iPads in K-12 Schools: A Grounded Theory Study of Value

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, Mary Beth

2017-01-01

This qualitative grounded theory study investigated the value of iPads in K-12 schools when used in one-to-one ratios. The purpose of the study was to understand the perspectives of teachers using iPads in one-to-one ratios for teaching and learning in the classroom and administrators responsible for the implementation of these devices. The…

Geography teachers’ Practices regarding Summative Assessment : A Study of Pre-Vocational Education in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bijsterbosch, Erik; van der Schee, Joop; Kuiper, Wilmad; Beneker, T.

2016-01-01

To start a teacher professional development programme on the relationship between classroom summative assessment and learning, the current practices and dispositions of geography teachers towards internal school-based examinations in pre-vocational education in the Netherlands were investigated. A

Module Cluster: UG - 001.00 (GSC) Urban Geography.

Science.gov (United States)

Currier, Wade R.

This is one of several module clusters developed for the Camden Teacher Corps project. This module cluster is designed to introduce students to urban studies through the application of a geographic approach. Although geography shares with other social sciences many concepts and methods, it has contributed a distinctive set of viewpoints and a…

Career education attitudes and practices of K-12 science educators

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Walter S.

A random sample of 400 K-12 science educators who were members of the National Science Teachers Association were surveyed regarding their attitude toward and practice of career education in their science teaching. These science teachers rejected a narrowly vocational view, favoring instead a conception of career education which included self-perception, values analysis, and vocational skills objectives. The science educators affirmed the importance of career education for a student's education, asserted career education ought to be taught in their existing science courses, and expressed a willingness to do so. Fewer than one-third of the science teachers, however, reported incorporating career education at least on a weekly basis in their science lessons. The major impediment to including more career education in science teaching was seen to be their lack of knowledge of methods and materials relevant to science career education, rather than objections from students, parents, or administrators; their unwillingness; or their evaluation of career education as unimportant. Thus, in order to improve this aspect of science teaching, science teachers need more concrete information about science career education applications.

THE ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS’ OPINIONS ON CONTINUOUS TRAINING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ANCA LIANA GALE

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In the first part of the paper, we present the legislation from Romania and the methodologies related to the continuous training of teachers. In order to know the teachers’ opinions about their professional development, about the programes, courses and other training activities in which they were involved and about their needs for continuous training as geography teachers, a questionnaire was applied, and was completed by 170 teachers. The results were analysed and interpreted. These views are important because, based on them, decisions can be made concerning the teachers’ continuous training at both ministry level, as well as at the level of various institutions involved in such activities.

The Geography of Connection: Bringing the World to Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Mary S.

2000-01-01

Discusses strategies used by two teachers for teaching geography to at-risk students to connect the subject matter to the student's lives. Includes techniques such as integrating music, art, language, employing simulations when teaching, using current events to improve students' reading skills, and utilizing computer technology. (CMK)

Addressing the Nets for Students through Constructivist Technology Use in K-12 Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Niederhauser, Dale S.; Lindstrom, Denise L.

2006-01-01

The National Educational Technology Standards for Students promote constructivist technology use for K-12 students in U.S. schools. In this study, researchers reported on 716 cases in which teachers described technology-based activities they conducted with their students. Narrative analysis was used to examine case transcripts relative to the…

World Views, a Story about How the World Works: Their Significance in the Australian Curriculum: Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchinson, Nick

2013-01-01

The Australian Curriculum Cross-curriculum priorities and the Australian Curriculum: Geography both include the term "world views." The meaning of world views, the development of world views as part of the history of geographic thought, and the adoption world of views by teachers and students, affect the ways in which geography is taught…

Teaching and Learning with Mobile Computing Devices: Case Study in K-12 Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Michael M.; Tamim, Suha; Brown, Dorian B.; Sweeney, Joseph P.; Ferguson, Fatima K.; Jones, Lakavious B.

2015-01-01

While ownership of mobile computing devices, such as cellphones, smartphones, and tablet computers, has been rapid, the adoption of these devices in K-12 classrooms has been measured. Some schools and individual teachers have integrated mobile devices to support teaching and learning. The purpose of this qualitative research was to describe the…

EXPLORING NEW BORDERLANDS: TRANSCULTURAL LEARNING IN GERMAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS – INTRODUCING A NEW APPROACH TO TEACHING THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE US-MEXICAN BORDER

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MICHAEL FINK

2012-01-01

Full Text Available While intercultural learning has gradually forced its way into German geography lessons, truly transnational and transcultural approaches that go beyond the very idea of the national paradigm are still widely ignored in German school geography. In an increasingly globalised world with both goods and people constantly on the move, national boundaries have, however, evolved into new hybrid transcultural contact zones of great heterogeneity. Correspondingly geography teachers, curriculum developers and textbook authors are now faced with the challenge of opening up school geography not only to previously neglected transnational/transcultural agendas but to indeed start teaching the spatial categories out of which the very ideas have originated. Within this understanding of transculturality, the US-Mexican border serves as a cutting edge example as one of the world’s most distinctive borderlands in the contact zone between the so-called “first” and “third” world. It is therefore the example of this hybrid in-between space that this article is going to ask how and to what extent transcultural approaches can be successfully implemented in German secondary geography teaching. By means of a comparative analysis of German geography curricula and textbooks, I would like to not only point out both opportunities seized and missed, but ultimately try to provide for an outlook of how both transcultural ideas and localities can be fruitfully used for a contemporary classroom that dedicates itself to global education and the teaching of global issues.

Development and Current Trends of the Czech Historical Geography

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Semotanová, Eva; Chromý, P.

2012-01-01

Roč. 38, č. 1 (2012), s. 9-34 ISSN 0323-0988 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP410/12/G113 Institutional support: RVO:67985963 Keywords : historical geography * history of historical geography * historical landscape * Czechia Subject RIV: AB - History

Points of Departure: Developing the Knowledge Base of ESL and FSL Teachers for K-12 Programs in Canada

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Faez, Farahnaz

2011-01-01

In this paper I examine similarities and differences between the required knowledge base of teachers of English as a second language (ESL) and French as a second language (FSL) for teaching in Kindergarten through Grade 12 programs in Canada. Drawing on knowledge base frameworks in language teacher education (Freeman and Johnson, 1998; Richards,…

Geography From Another Dimension

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

The GEODESY software program is intended to promote geographical awareness among students with its remote sensing capabilities to observe the Earth's surface from distant vantage points. Students and teachers using GEODESY learn to interpret and analyze geographical data pertaining to the physical attributes of their community. For example, the program provides a digital environment of physical features, such as mountains and bodies of water, as well as man-made features, such as roads and parks, using aerial photography, satellite imagery, and geographic information systems data in accordance with National Geography Standards. The main goal is to have the students and teachers gain a better understanding of the unique forces that drive their coexistence. GEODESY was developed with technical assistance and financial support from Stennis Space Center's Commercial Remote Sensing Program Office, now known as the Earth Science Applications Directorate.

Retaining Black Teachers: An Examination of Black Female Teachers' Intentions to Remain in K-12 Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Farinde, Abiola A.; Allen, Ayana; Lewis, Chance W.

2016-01-01

Sixty years after "Brown v. Board of Education," retention trends indicate that there is a Black teacher shortage. Research shows that Black teachers' retention rates are often lower than the retention rates of White teachers. Black teachers report low salaries, lack of administrative support, and other school variables as reasons for…

From the Dress-Up Corner to the Senior Prom: Navigating Gender and Sexuality Diversity in PreK-12 Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Bryan, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Very few PreK-12 teachers are adequately trained to address the gender identity and sexual identity of their students in a developmentally-appropriate and pedagogically-sound manner. Yet responsible adults--parents, educators, pre-service teachers, coaches, religious instructors, camp administrators and school counselors--must help children…

Responsible geographies and geographies of response

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grindsted, Thomas Skou

This dissertation engages with Danish University geographers at work and their explication of the role of geography in shaping socio-environmental debates in an era of the anthropocene. Situating sustainability concepts in a historygeographical context the dissertation examines responses and resp......This dissertation engages with Danish University geographers at work and their explication of the role of geography in shaping socio-environmental debates in an era of the anthropocene. Situating sustainability concepts in a historygeographical context the dissertation examines responses...... in higher education literature. The methodological framework is based on the social nature approach that tangles these quite distinct epistemological communities by consulting the socio-natures produced. It is concluded that though geographers find sustainability themes important to geography......, sustainability is more often implicit than it is explicit. This produces a number of dilemmas and contradictions since geographers both seek to distance themselves from produced politics while at the same time elucidating them. Geographies of response and responsibilities address the battleground over...

Towards Some New Methods in Teaching Geography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jadranka Brkić-Vejmelka

2000-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the possibilities of applying the existing international projects in which many students and teachers could participate. It was taken into consideration as a pottentially new method of teaching geography suitable for all ages and grades. The presentation of such two programmes is trying to assure participants and non-participants of the value of such attempts in the new way of education.

Development of a Virtual Technology Coach to Support Technology Integration for K-12 Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Sugar, William; van Tryon, Patricia J. Slagter

2014-01-01

In an effort to develop a virtual technology coach for K-12 educators, this article analyzed survey results from sixty teachers with regards to specific resources that a technology coach could provide within a virtual environment. A virtual technology coach was proposed as a possible solution to provide continual professional development for…

Climate Change Education Today in K-12: What's Happening in the Earth and Space Science Classroom?

Science.gov (United States)

Holzer, M. A.; National Earth Science Teachers Association

2011-12-01

Climate change is a highly interdisciplinary topic, involving not only multiple fields of science, but also social science and the humanities. There are many aspects of climate change science that make it particularly well-suited for exploration in the K-12 setting, including opportunities to explore the unifying processes of science such as complex systems, models, observations, change and evolution. Furthermore, this field of science offers the opportunity to observe the nature of science in action - including how scientists develop and improve their understanding through research and debate. Finally, climate change is inherently highly relevant to students - indeed, students today will need to deal with the consequences of the climate change. The science of climate change is clearly present in current science education standards, both at the National level as well as in the majority of states. Nonetheless, a significant number of teachers across the country report difficulties addressing climate change in the classroom. The National Earth Science Teachers Association has conducted several surveys of Earth and space science educators across the country over the past several years on a number of issues, including their needs and concerns, including their experience of external influences on what they teach. While the number of teachers that report external pressures to not teach climate change science are in the minority (and less than the pressure to not teach evolution and related topics), our results suggest that this pressure against climate change science in the K-12 classroom has grown over the past several years. Some teachers report being threatened by parents, being encouraged by administrators to not teach the subject, and a belief that the "two sides" of climate change should be taught. Survey results indicate that teachers in religious or politically-conservative districts are more likely to report difficulties in teaching about climate change than in

The Geography of the Beatles Approaching Concepts of Human Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Kruse, Robert J., II

2004-01-01

Human geography can be taught by focusing on popular culture contexts with which undergraduate students may already be familiar such as rock music. The Geography of the Beatles introduced undergraduate students to concepts of "new" cultural geography such as space, place, representation, geopolitics, social space, and tourism-pilgrimage…

Use of ePortfolios in K-12 teacher hiring in North Carolina: Perspectives of School Principals

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Abdou Ndoye

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This study explored the perceptions of principals involved in the hiring process of K–12 teachers in 11 counties in southeastern North Carolina. Forty-nine principals responded to a survey on ePortfolio use in the hiring process: the pros and cons, desirable artifacts, stage of use, preferred delivery method, and improvements that can increase their usage. We examined each of these questions and whether certain factors (prior use, technology skills, and years as a hiring agent predict principals’ ePortfolio use. Our findings suggest that ePortfolios provide improved and current information about teacher candidates that is easily accessible and organized. Collectively, this allows principals to assess teacher candidates’ suitability for employment. Although there are problems associated with ePortfolio use during hiring, which are detailed below, the results suggest that principals most frequently use ePortfolios during the interview process, prefer delivery via a website address, and that prior use is the best predictor of future ePortfolio use.

Perceptions of teachers of the application of science process skills in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article reports on teachers' perceptions of the application of science process skills in the teaching of Geography in secondary schools in the Free State province. A teachers' questionnaire on the application of the science process skills in the teaching of Geography was constructed and the questionnaire was content ...

Scientists Involved in K-12 Education

Science.gov (United States)

Robigou, V.

2004-12-01

The publication of countless reports documenting the dismal state of science education in the 1980s, and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) report (1996) called for a wider involvement of the scientific community in K-12 education and outreach. Improving science education will not happen without the collaboration of educators and scientists working in a coordinated manner and it requires a long-term, continuous effort. To contribute effectively to K-12 education all scientists should refer to the National Science Education Standards, a set of policies that guide the development of curriculum and assessment. Ocean scientists can also specifically refer to the COSEE recommendations (www.cosee.org) that led to the creation of seven regional Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence. Scientists can get involved in K-12 education in a multitude of ways. They should select projects that will accommodate time away from their research and teaching obligations, their talent, and their interest but also contribute to the education reform. A few examples of effective involvement are: 1) collaborating with colleagues in a school of education that can lead to better education of all students and future teachers, 2) acting as a resource for a national program or a local science fair, 3) serving on the advisory board of a program that develops educational material, 4) speaking out at professional meetings about the value of scientists' involvement in education, 5) speaking enthusiastically about the teaching profession. Improving science education in addition to research can seem a large, overwhelming task for scientists. As a result, focusing on projects that will fit the scientist's needs as well as benefit the science reform is of prime importance. It takes an enormous amount of work and financial and personnel resources to start a new program with measurable impact on students. So, finding the right opportunity is a priority, and stepping

Health Education Teacher Resource Handbook: A Practical Guide for K-12 Health Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, Beverly Saxton, Ed.; Olsen, Larry K., Ed.

This handbook provides background information on the health curriculum, as well as current, comprehensive information on publications, standards, and special materials for K-12 health education. The manual begins with an introduction, by P. Bruce Uhrmacher, which provides an overview of the ideologies and philosophies that have affected curriculum…

Beyond Concern: K-12 Faculty and Staff's Perspectives on Privacy Topics and Cybersafety

Science.gov (United States)

Hipsky, Shellie; Younes, Wiam

2015-01-01

In a time when discussions about information privacy dominate the media, research on Cybersafety education reveals that K-12 teachers and staff are concerned about information privacy in schools and they seek to learn more about the protection of their students' and own personal information online. Privacy topics are typically introduced to the…

An Exploratory Study of the Ascendancy of Women to the Position of K-12 Superintendent

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Karen M.

2011-01-01

Despite earning over half of the doctoral degrees in education, women are underrepresented in the position of K-12 superintendent. In 2000, although 72% of all classroom teachers were female, only 14% of all superintendents in the United States were women. Research indicates that women experience barriers in their ascendancy to superintendent.…

The influence of self-efficacy on entrepreneurial behavior among K-12 teachers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amorim Neto, Roque do Carmo; Rodrigues, Vinicius P; Stewart, Douglas

2018-01-01

This study aimed to: (1) assess the unique contributions of self-efficacy to entrepreneurial behavior among teachers; (2) identify the best instrument(s) to measure such contributions by testing a domain-specific instrument (teacher self-efficacy) vs. a general (occupational self-efficacy) one; (3......) identify the demographic characteristics associated with entrepreneurial behavior. A sample of 401 teachers from across the USA completed the online survey. The findings indicated that self-efficacy predicts entrepreneurial behavior and that occupational self-efficacy is a slightly better predictor...... of entrepreneurial behavior than teacher self-efficacy. The results also identified age and education as the demographic characteristics associated with entrepreneurial behavior....

COOPERATIVE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY UNDER THE EHEA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana María Luque Gil

Full Text Available The university is in the process of change by the new society of knowledge that emerged with globalization. The working methods of teachers must adapt to new needs of the European Higher Education Area. The article has the following objectives clarify what is cooperative learning, present the advantages and disadvantages of cooperative learning, learn the main techniques and present the results of an innovative educational project which has experimented with these techniques in two courses geography; methodology values the opinion of students and teachers on cooperative learning. The results are clarifying and highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques.

An Analysis of Geography Content in Relation to Geography for Life Standards in Oman

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Nofli, Mohammed Abdullah

2018-01-01

Since the publication of "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards" in the United States (Geography Education Standards Project, 1994), it has been widely used to develop quality curriculum materials for what students should know and able to do in geography. This study compared geography content taught in Omani public schools…

A Groundwater project for K-12 schools: Bringing research into the classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Rodak, C. M.; Walsh, M.; Gensic, J.

2011-12-01

Simple water quality test kits were used in a series of K-12 classrooms to demonstrate scientific processes and to motivate learning in K-12 students. While focused on student learning, this project also allowed collection of regional data on groundwater quality (primarily nitrate) in the study area. The project consisted of development and administration of a weeklong groundwater quality unit introduced to K-12 schools in northern Indiana and taught by a graduate student in an engineering discipline. The structure of the week started with an introduction to basic groundwater concepts modified for the specific grade level; for this project the students ranged from grades 4-12. In addition to groundwater basics, the purpose of the collection of the water quality data, as well as relevance to the research of the graduate student, were outlined. The students were then: (i) introduced to two simple water quality testing methods for nitrates, (ii) required to hypothesize as to which method will likely be "better" in application, and (iii) asked to practice using these two methods under laboratory conditions. Following practice, the students were asked to discuss their hypotheses relative to what was observed during the practice focusing on which testing method was more accurate and/or precise. The students were then encouraged to bring water samples from their home water system (many of which are on private wells) to analyze within groups. At the end of the week, the students shared their experience in this educational effort, as well as the resulting nitrate data from numerous groundwater wells (as collected by the students). Following these discussions the data were added to an online database housed on a wiki sponsored by the Notre Dame Extended Research Community (http://wellhead.michianastem.org/home). These data were plotted using the free service MapAList to visually demonstrate to the students the spatial distribution of the data and how their results have

TEACHERS NEEDED

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

The English Language Programme of the Lycée International de Ferney-Voltaire has two teaching posts available for la rentrée 2001. 1. Part-time teacher of Primary-level English Candidates for the post need to be mother-tongue English speakers. They should have a relevant degree and teaching qualification. The post involves teaching the English curriculum to pupils who are within the French educational system. Classes take place on Tuesday afternoons at the Lycée. Team spirit necessary as teachers work as a team. Induction & training are offered. 2. Part-time teacher of Secondary-level history-geography Candididates for the post need to be mother-tongue English speakers. They should have a relevant degree in history or geography and also a strong interest in the other subject. They should have a relevant teaching qualification and be confident classroom practioners. For more information on either of these posts please contact the school office on 04.50.40.82...

Defining the requisite knowledge for providers of in-service professional development for K--12 teachers of science: Refining the construct

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, Deborah L.

Purpose. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to refine, using a Delphi study process, the four categories of the theoretical model of the comprehensive knowledge base required by providers of professional development for K-12 teachers of science generated from a review of the literature. Methodology. This grounded theory study used data collected through a modified Delphi technique and interviews to refine and validate the literature-based knowledge base required by providers of professional development for K-12 teachers of science. Twenty-three participants, experts in the fields of science education, how people learn, instructional and assessment strategies, and learning contexts, responded to the study's questions. Findings. By "densifying" the four categories of the knowledge base, this study determined the causal conditions (the science subject matter knowledge), the intervening conditions (how people learn), the strategies (the effective instructional and assessment strategies), and the context (the context and culture of formal learning environments) surrounding the science professional development process. Eight sections were added to the literature-based knowledge base; the final model comprised of forty-nine sections. The average length of the operational definitions increased nearly threefold and the number of citations per operational definition increased more than twofold. Conclusions. A four-category comprehensive model that can serve as the foundation for the knowledge base required by science professional developers now exists. Subject matter knowledge includes science concepts, inquiry, the nature of science, and scientific habits of mind; how people learn includes the principles of learning, active learning, andragogy, variations in learners, neuroscience and cognitive science, and change theory; effective instructional and assessment strategies include constructivist learning and inquiry-based teaching, differentiation of instruction

Why Geography Matters.

Science.gov (United States)

McDougall, Walter A.

2001-01-01

It is important to learn geography, yet most Americans leave school functionally illiterate in geography. Geography is fundamental to student maturation, the process of true education, and it is a springboard to every other science and humanities subject. Knowledge of maps and geographical information is crucial to the examination of economic,…

The Astronomy and Space Science Concept Inventory: Assessment Instruments Aligned with the K-12 National Science Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Sadler, Philip M.

2011-01-01

We report on the development of an item test bank and associated instruments based on those K-12 national standards which involve astronomy and space science. Utilizing hundreds of studies in the science education research literature on student misconceptions, we have constructed 211 unique items that measure the degree to which students abandon such ideas for accepted scientific views. Piloted nationally with 7599 students and their 88 teachers spanning grades 5-12, the items reveal a range of interesting results, particularly student difficulties in mastering the NRC Standards and AAAS Benchmarks. Teachers generally perform well on items covering the standards of the grade level at which they teach, exhibiting few misconceptions of their own. Teachers dramatically overestimate their students’ performance, perhaps because they are unaware of their students’ misconceptions. Examples are given showing how the developed instruments can be used to assess the effectiveness of instruction and to evaluate the impact of professional development activities for teachers.

The Elephant in the (Class)Room: Parental Perceptions of LGBTQ-Inclusivity in K-12 Educational Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Ullman, Jacqueline; Ferfolja, Tania

2016-01-01

While little is known about parental beliefs and desires regarding LGBTQ-inclusive education, assumptions about these appear to justify teachers', curriculum writers' and policy makers' silences regarding sexuality and gender diversity in the K-12 classroom. Thus, in order to better inform educators' practices, this paper presents an analysis of…

Interactive-GIS-Tutor (IGIST) Integration: Creating a Digital Space Gateway within a Textbook-Bound South African Geography Class

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischmann, E. M-L.; van der Westhuizen, C. P.; Cilliers, D.

2015-01-01

Currently there is a global drive among political and educational institutions to implement geographic information system (GIS) practice in secondary schools. However, Geography teachers worldwide, including in South Africa, face significant practical challenges in this regard. Lack of curriculum aligned GIS resources, funds and teacher GIS…

Czech Student Attitudes towards Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Kubiatko, Milan; Janko, Tomas; Mrazkova, Katerina

2012-01-01

This study investigates 540 Czech lower secondary students' attitudes towards geography. It examined the general influence of gender and grade level on attitudes towards geography with an emphasis on four specific areas in particular: geography as a school subject; geography and the environment; the importance of geography; and the relevance of…

Preservice and Inservice Teachers' Perceptions of Appropriateness of Teacher Self-Disclosure

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shaoan; Shi, Qingmin; Tonelson, Stephen; Robinson, Jack

2009-01-01

This study investigated preservice and inservice teachers' perceptions of appropriateness of teacher self-disclosure. A sample of 180 preservice teachers and 135 preK-12 teachers participated in the study. Results showed statistically significant differences between the groups of teachers in their perceptions of appropriateness of teacher…

The Iowa K-12 Climate Science Education Initiative: a comprehensive approach to meeting in-service teachers' stated needs for teaching climate literacy with NGSS

Science.gov (United States)

Stanier, C. O.; Spak, S.; Neal, T. A.; Herder, S.; Malek, A.; Miller, Z.

2017-12-01

The Iowa Board of Education voted unanimously in 2015 to adopt NGSS performance standards. The CGRER - College of Education Iowa K-12 Climate Science Education Initiative was established in 2016 to work directly with Iowa inservice teachers to provide what teachers need most to teach climate literacy and climate science content through investigational learning aligned with NGSS. Here we present teachers' requests for teaching climate with NGSS, and an approach to provide resources for place-based authentic inquiry on climate, developed, tested, and refined in partnership with inservice and preservice teachers. A survey of inservice middle school and high school science teachers was conducted at the 2016 Iowa Council of Teachers of Mathematics/Iowa Academy of Sciences - Iowa Science Teaching Section Fall Conference and online in fall 2016. Participants (n=383) were asked about their prior experience and education, the resources they use and need, their level of comfort in teaching climate science, perceived barriers, and how they address potential controversy. Teachers indicated preference for professional development on climate content and complete curricula packaged with lessons and interactive models aligned to Iowa standards, as well as training on instructional strategies to enhance students' ability to interpret scientific evidence. We identify trends in responses by teaching experience, climate content knowledge and its source, grade level, and urban and rural districts. Less than 20% of respondents reported controversy or negativity in teaching climate to date, and a majority were comfortable teaching climate science and climate change, with equal confidence in teaching climate and other STEM content through investigational activities. We present an approach and materials to meet these stated needs, created and tested in collaboration with Iowa teachers. We combine professional development and modular curricula with bundled standards, concepts, models, data

Adding geography to the new economic geography : bridging the gap between theory and empirics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosker, E.M.; Brakman, S.; Garretsen, J.H.; Schramm, M.

2010-01-01

For reasons of analytical tractability, new economic geography (NEG) models treat geography in a very simple way, focusing on stylized 'unidimensional' geography structures (e.g. an equidistant or line economy). All the well-known NEG results are based on these simple geography structures. When

How should we teach diverse students? Cross-cultural comparison of diversity issues in K-12 schools in Japan and the US

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fuyu Shimomura

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Increasing student diversity in K-12 schools has gained attention in Japan and the US. In the US, racial diversity has historically shaped inequity in educational access and teacher quality. In Japan, regardless of its reputation for cultural homogeneity among its residents, issues surrounding student diversity have gained attention because of the increasing number of returnees—Japanese students raised overseas because of their parents’ expatriation. This paper compares and contrasts the diversity issues in K-12 school settings in both countries, and explores potential approaches to improve the accommodation of diversity in K-12 schools.

Energy Project Professional Development: Promoting Positive Attitudes about Science among K-12 Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Amy D.; Daane, Abigail R.

2017-01-01

Promoting positive attitudes about science among teachers has important implications for teachers' classroom practice and for their relationship to science as a discipline. In this paper, we report positive shifts in teachers' attitudes about science, as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science (CLASS) survey, over the course of…

Environmental Concerns in the Geography Curriculum

African Journals Online (AJOL)

education at FET level, the last phase of schooling (Gr 10–12), is to teach ... This is followed by a section on methodology that also provides the profiles of three ..... degree with a major in geography and a Higher Diploma in Education (HDE).

Geography literacy can develop Geography skills for high school students: is it true?

Science.gov (United States)

Utami, W. S.; Zain, I. M.; Sumarmi

2018-01-01

The most important issue related to education in Indonesia is the low quality of student learning and competence. The basic thing that is important to be studied is the demands of 21st-century skills that are difficult to fulfil with the low competence of student learning. Low competence of student learning demonstrated by low capacity of scientific literacy includes geography literacy. Geography skills of Indonesian students are also low. It is shown from the students’ ability to use maps to describe and to analyze is low. The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between the literacy skills of geography to develop geography skills of high school students in Surabaya. Written and performance tests were given to the sample of 29 high school students. The results of the tests we analyzed based on Geography literacy and its correlation to Geography skills in terms of the ability to use the media, map, and analyze the phenomenon of the geosphere. The results showed that the students who have low literacy geography have difficulty in using map.

What Teacher Preparation Programs Teach about K-12 Assessment: A Review of Coursework on K-12 Assessment from a Sample of Teacher Preparation Programs

Science.gov (United States)

National Council on Teacher Quality, 2012

2012-01-01

Over the past several decades, federal and state governments, school districts and education leaders have invested significant resources to develop assessments and data systems to track student performance. Yet little attention has been paid to the importance of building the capacity of teachers in assessment so that they are prepared to use data…

Factors Influencing Teachers' Attitudes toward Mobile Technology Integration in K-12

Science.gov (United States)

Khlaif, Zuheir N.

2018-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore, in depth, the factors influencing teachers' attitudes towards the integration of tablets into their classroom for teaching purposes. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 teachers from five rural middle schools in Palestine. A thematic…

Development of population geography from antropogeography to spatial-analitical approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spasovski Milena

2013-01-01

.N. Anučin, J. Beaujeu-Gariner. G. Trewarta argued that the population is the point of reference from which all other elements are observed and from which all derive significance and meaning. This view was adopted and shared by authors dealing with population items, explicitly or implicitly. Second stage lasted from 1960s till 1970s and the most significant authors dealing with population problems were W. Zelinsky, W. Bunge; H.Bobek, W. Hartke, K.Ruppert, F.Schaffer; D.I. Valentej, K.Korčak. This phase was characterized by the application of quantitative methods and efforts for understanding the spatial structure of the population. Many scientists see this development phase as a particularly prosperous period, because it carried more intensive relations of geography and demography through the introduction of statistical, mathematical and demographic methods and techniques in studies of population geography. Third phase lasted from 1970s to 1980s, and was characterized by close relations between population geography and formal demography. Development and application of GIS and computer data, have made population studies more complex and applicable in practice, through population policy and population projections. The most significant authors in this period were L. Kosinski, A. Jagelski, Hägerstrand. And at last, fourth stage started in 1980s and in many countries lastes untill present days. In population geography appeared new tendencies associated with the critique of positivism, the establishment of humanistic approaches and modifications of general geographic concepts. In this period, spatial analysis and quantitative scientific methods were reaffirmed, and because of that some population studies were redefined in spatial demography, a time dimension advocated in historical demography. In this context, we emphasize the work of D. Plane and P. Rogerson. Population geography is viewed differently from one country to another. Its definition differs from too narrow to

Extending the Pathway: Building on a National Science Foundation Workforce Development Project for Underserved k-12 Students

Science.gov (United States)

Slattery, W.; Smith, T.

2014-12-01

With new career openings in the geosciences expected and a large number of presently employed geoscientists retiring in the next decade there is a critical need for a new cadre of geoscientists to fill these positions. A project funded by the National Science Foundation titled K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators and Higher Education Faculty: Partners Helping Rural Disadvantaged Students Stay on the Pathway to a Geoscience Career involving Wright State University and the Ripley, Lewis, Union, Huntington k-12 school district in Appalachian Ohio took led to dozens of seventh and eighth grade students traveling to Sandy Hook, New Jersey for a one week field experience to study oceanography with staff of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium. Teachers, parent chaperones, administrators and university faculty accompanied the students in the field. Teachers worked alongside their students in targeted professional development during the weeklong field experience. During the two academic years of the project, both middle school and high school teachers received professional development in Earth system science so that all students, not just those that were on the summer field experience could receive enhanced science learning. All ninth grade high school students were given the opportunity to take a high school/college dual credit Earth system science course. Community outreach provided widespread knowledge of the project and interest among parents to have their children participate. In addition, ninth grade students raised money themselves to fund a trip to the International Field Studies Forfar Field Station on Andros Island, Bahamas to study a tropical aquatic system. Students who before this project had never traveled outside of Ohio are currently discussing ways that they can continue on the pathway to a geoscience career by applying for internships for the summer between their junior and senior years. These are positive steps towards taking charge of their

Geography: Key to World Understanding.

Science.gov (United States)

Dando, William A.

1990-01-01

Delineates the nature of applied geography, asserting that geography links the natural and social sciences. Underscores geography's role in data analysis and problem solving on a global scale. Traces the discipline's history. Maps geography's status in higher education institutions. Discusses new technologies used by geographers. Summarizes career…

Social Studies Teachers' Viewpoints of the Social Studies Lesson "Sample of Turkey and Afghanistan"

Science.gov (United States)

Sonmez, Omer Faruk

2014-01-01

This study was conducted to reveal the perceptions of history, geography and social studies teachers giving the social studies lesson at primary schools in Turkey and Afghanistan towards the social studies lesson. The working group of the study involves history, geography and social studies teachers rendering service in Tokat and Kayseri provinces…

Connecting High School and University Teachers in National and International Contexts: Perspectives from the 2012 Bangalore Workshop of the AAG-CGGE

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Pratyusha; Pawson, Eric; Akhter, Majed; Palmer, David; Mervine, Valerie M.

2014-01-01

This paper focuses on the Center for Global Geography Education teaching workshop held in Bangalore, India, in March 2012 which served as a collaborative forum linking geography teachers in secondary and higher education in the USA and India. It considers the inclusion of the Advanced Placement Human Geography teachers from the USA and the…

A Study of Planet Three: A World Geography/Social Studies Course.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Duncan

This 12th grade course in world geography is based on the philosophical assumption that human beings on earth make up a global village of interdependent people. It is world geography with a planetary perspective--an inquiry into the nature of the planet and its dominant species, Homo Sapiens. Seven units cover the following topics on physical and…

Aesthetics in Geography: Ideas for Teaching Geography Using Poetry

Science.gov (United States)

Kirman, Joseph M.

2007-01-01

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…

Teaching Financial Literacy in K-12 Schools: A Survey of Teacher Beliefs and Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Otter, Dan

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to learn teacher attitudes and beliefs about teaching personal finance, as well as teacher understanding of a few core personal finance concepts. The population consisted of 1,120 classroom teachers from two public school districts in two states. The research questions were: (a) What are teacher attitudes and beliefs…

Using Action Research to Engage K-6 Teachers in Nature of Science Inquiry as Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Cullen, Theresa A.; Akerson, Valarie L.; Hanson, Deborah L.

2010-12-01

Teachers are required to work with data on a daily basis to assess the effectiveness of their teaching strategies, but may not approach it as research. This paper presents a reflective discussion of how and when a professional development team used an action research project to help 12 K-6 teachers explore the effectiveness of reform based Nature of Science (NOS) teaching strategies in their classrooms. The team encouraged community development and provided “just in time” supports to scaffold the steps of the action research process for teachers. The discussion includes concerns they addressed and issues related to management and support of the professional development model. Evaluation results are shared to suggest how this approach can be improved in the future.

The Rise of Applied Geography.

Science.gov (United States)

Philpponneau, Michel

1981-01-01

Presents an historical overview of the use of the science of geography for practical purposes. Topics discussed include British schools of geography during the 19th century, contributions of many of the founders of applied geography, forms in which geographical work can be used for practical purposes, and the status of applied geography in various…

Place Based STEM: Leveraging Local Resources to Engage K-12 Teachers in Teaching Integrated STEM and for Addressing the Local STEM Pipeline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dr. Louis Nadelson; Anne Louise Seifert; Meagan McKinney

2014-06-01

Business, industry, parks, nature settings, government infrastructure, and people, can be invaluable resources for connecting STEM curriculum within context which results in conditions ideal for promoting purposeful learning of authentic STEM content. Thus, community-based STEM resources offer ideal context for teaching STEM content. A benefit of focusing teacher attention on these contextual, content aligned resources is that they are in every community; making place-based STEM education a possibility, regardless of the location of STEM teaching and learning. Further, associating STEM teaching and learning with local resources addresses workforce development and the STEM pipeline by exposing students to STEM careers and applications in their local communities. The desire to align STEM teaching and learning with local STEM related resources guided the design of our week-long integrated STEM K-12 teacher professional development (PD) program, i-STEM. We have completed four years of our i-STEM PD program and have made place-based STEM a major emphasis of our curriculum. This report focuses on the data collected in the fourth year of our program. Our week-long i-STEM PD served over 425 educators last summer (2013), providing them with in depth theme-based integrated STEM short courses which were limited to an average of 15 participants and whole group plenary sessions focused around placed based integrated STEM, inquiry, engineering design, standards and practices of Common Core and 21st Century skills. This state wide PD was distributed in five Idaho community colleges and took place over two weeks. The STEM short courses included topics on engineering for sustainability, using engineering to spark interest in STEM, municipal water systems, health, agriculture, food safety, mining, forestry, energy, and others. Integral to these short courses were field trips designed to connect the K-12 educators to the resources in their local communities that could be leveraged

The Experiences of School Counselors in Reducing Relational Aggression among Female Students K-12: A Generic Qualitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Stringer, Tomeka C.

2014-01-01

The current generic qualitative study investigated the experiences of eight K-12 school counselors working with female students and relational aggression. School counselors can be a resource in schools to help students that may have been involved with relational aggression incidents. They can collaborate with administrators, teachers, parents, and…

Evaluating the Implementation and Effectiveness of GIS-Based Application in Secondary School Geography Lessons

OpenAIRE

Ali Ali

2008-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the barriers preventing the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in secondary school geography lessons and to determine its effectiveness on students success. A workshop focusing on ways to implement GIS-based application in the classroom for 14 teachers from nine high schools was conducted in 2006. The teachers were given GIS software, digital data for an application, and the necessary written documents describing the application. Due to var...

Teachers Know Best: Making Data Work for Teachers and Students

Science.gov (United States)

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2015

2015-01-01

As part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's broader efforts to improve educational opportunities for all students, the "Teachers Know Best" research project seeks to encourage innovation in K-12 education by helping product developers and those who procure resources for teachers better understand teachers' views. The original…

How Are Non-Geography Majors Motivated in a Large Introductory World Geography Course?

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Seung Won; Huynh, Niem Tu

2015-01-01

University students who do not declare geography as their major are at risk of poor motivation to learn in an introductory geography class. However, research exploring the role of non-majors' motivation is lacking. This study examines motivational factors impacting non-geography students' engagement and performance. The findings suggest that…

Factors Influencing Teacher Satisfaction at an Online Charter School

Science.gov (United States)

Borup, Jered; Stevens, Mark A.

2016-01-01

As K-12 online programs mature, it is increasingly important that they work to retain their effective teachers. However, there is little research that has examined teacher satisfaction in K-12 online learning environments. Our analysis of 22 interviews with 11 teachers at an online charter school identified three primary factors that influenced…

Linking Geography and Art: Inness'"The Lackawanna Valley."

Science.gov (United States)

Fredrich, Barbara; Fuller, Karyl

1996-01-01

Provides a rationale and lesson plan for incorporating geography and art at the K-4 level. The lesson plan features a landscape painting by George Innes, a simplified chronology of his life, as well as a template of questions about the artist and the spatial significance of the painting. (MJP)

"It's worth our time": a model of culturally and linguistically supportive professional development for K-12 STEM educators

Science.gov (United States)

Charity Hudley, Anne H.; Mallinson, Christine

2017-09-01

Professional development on issues of language and culture is often separate from professional development on issues related to STEM education, resulting in linguistic and cultural gaps in K-12 STEM pedagogy and practice. To address this issue, we have designed a model of professional development in which we work with educators to build cultural and linguistic competence and to disseminate information about how educators view the relevance of language, communication, and culture to STEM teaching and learning. We describe the design and facilitation of our model of culturally and linguistically responsive professional development, grounded in theories of multicultural education and culturally supportive teaching, through professional development workshops to 60 K-12 STEM educators from schools in Maryland and Virginia that serve African American students. Participants noted that culturally and linguistically responsive approaches had yet to permeate their K-12 STEM settings, which they identified as a critical challenge to effectively teaching and engaging African-American students. Based on pre-surveys, workshops were tailored to participants' stated needs for information on literacy (e.g., disciplinary literacies and discipline-specific jargon), cultural conflict and mismatch (e.g., student-teacher miscommunication), and linguistic bias in student assessment (e.g., test design). Educators shared feedback via post-workshop surveys, and a subset of 28 participants completed in-depth interviews and a focus group. Results indicate the need for further implementation of professional development such as ours that address linguistic and cultural issues, tailored for K-12 STEM educators. Although participants in this study enumerated several challenges to meeting this need, they also identified opportunities for collaborative solutions that draw upon teacher expertise and are integrated with curricula across content areas.

Occupational Stress and Coping Resources of K-12 Probationary Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Lori A.

2009-01-01

The purpose of the study was to measure what factors impact the stress levels of probationary teachers who may or may not be new to the field of education, to determine what demographic characteristics are related to higher levels of stress, to determine what coping resources were successful in reducing stress, and to compare the stress levels and…

Cataclysms and Catastrophes: A Case Study of Improving K-12 Science Education Through a University Partnership

Science.gov (United States)

Fennell, T.; Ellins, K. K.; Morris, M.; Christeson, G.

2003-12-01

The K-12 science teacher is always seeking ways of improving and updating their curriculum by integrating the latest research into their most effective classroom activities. However, the daily demands of delivering instruction to large numbers of students coupled with the rapid advances in some fields of science can often overwhelm this effort. The NSF-sponsored Cataclysms and Catastrophes curriculum, developed by scientists from the The University of Texas at Austin Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) and Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), middle and high school teachers, and UT graduate students (NSF GK-12 fellows) working together through the GK-12 program, is a textbook example of how universities can facilitate this quest, benefiting education at both K-12 and university levels. In 1992, "The Great K-T Extinction Debate" was developed as an activity in the Planet Earth class at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy of Austin as an interdisciplinary approach to science. Taking advantage of the media attention generated by the impact scenario for the K-T extinction, the activity consists of students participating in a simulated senate hearing on the potential causes of the K-T extinction and their implications for society today. This activity not only exposes students to the wide range of science involved in understanding mass extinctions, but also to the social, political and economic implications when this science is brought into the public arena and the corresponding use of data in decision making and disaster preparedness. While "The Great K-T Extinction Debate" was always a popular and effective activity with students, it was in desperate need of updating to keep pace with the evolving scientific debate over the cause of the K-T extinction and the growing body of impact evidence discovered over the past decade. By adding two inquiry-based learning activities that use real geophysical data collected by scientists studying the buried Chicxulub feature as a

Johnston R.J. & Sidaway J.D., eds., Geography and geographers, Anglo-American human geography since 1945

OpenAIRE

Vandeburie, Julien

2014-01-01

This well-known book is in its sixth edition and focuses on Anglo-American geographers, with a historical/thematic point of view. Chapters are presented in the following order: 1. The nature of an academic discipline; 2. Foundations; 3. Growth of systematic studies and the adoption of ’scientific method’; 4. Human geography as spatial science; 5. Humanistic geography; 6. ’Radical geographies’; 7. Postmodern geographies; 8. Feminist geographies; 9. Applied geography and the relevance debate; 1...

K-12 Local Network (LAN) Design Guide

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Horton, Cody

1998-01-01

...) educators preparing to design and implement LANs in K-12 schools and libraries. Data was collected during the implementation of LANs in K-12 schools of the Monterey Peninsula Uniform School District (MPUSD...

Effects of an Introductory Geography Course on Student Perceptions of Geography at the University of Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Bowlick, Forrest J.; Kolden, Crystal A.

2013-01-01

This case study surveyed students in geography courses at the University of Idaho, investigating perceptions of geography's role in their daily lives, relevance to careers or academics, and parts of their geographic skill. Primarily, white, younger than 20, gender-balanced students in Introduction to Physical Geography and Human Geography courses…

Secondary School Teachers' Knowledge Level of the Concepts of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Secondary School Teachers' Knowledge Level of the Concepts of Environmental ... Huria: Journal of the Open University of Tanzania ... level of the certificate of secondary education geography teachers when teaching the concepts of ...

The Freshman Nine: Helping High School Freshmen Be Successful in AP Human Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Garner, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Teaching AP Human Geography to freshmen seems like a daunting task and while there are many arguments both for and against offering the course to freshmen, for many teachers it is reality. In this article, the author offers nine tips to help high school freshmen be successful in the course and on the AP exam.

Geografilärares och niondeklassares syn på undervisningen om klimatförändringenClimate change education: Geography teachers’ and ninth-graders’ views

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikaela Hermans

2014-10-01

Full Text Available It has been increasingly recognised that education plays a key role in addressing human-induced climate change. The ultimate goal of climate change education (CCE is positive impacts on the climate through both individual and collective actions. The aim of this study is to investigate geography teachers’ and their ninth-graders’ views about CCE. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with geography teachers (N = 13 and questionnaires for ninth-graders (N = 549 at eleven secondary schools from all parts of Swedish-speaking Finland. The results show that although the students’ attitudes to CCE is positive, it does not supply them with action competence. The geography teachers in this study largely miss the ultimate goal of CCE, pointing at the need for more effort to be made in the process of developing CCE at secondary school.

Double-Play: Using Minor League Baseball to Apply Themes and Standards in Human Geography Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Zeitler, Ezra

2013-01-01

Growing student interest in sports provides geography teachers with a special opportunity to make connections between it and fundamental concepts in the discipline. This article examines the structure, arrangement, relationships, and distinctions among minor league baseball franchise locations, stadia, and team names, and presents examples of…

Geography and Tourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giacomo Corna Pellegrini

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper suggests that Tourism and Geography are closely intertwined, because tourists are in search of experience and geographer has as its main purpose the pursuit of knowledge. Models and hypotheses need always to be verified in theterritorial context of daily fieldwork, geographical interpretation and travel experience, were Geography and Tourism entwined in reciprocal relationship of personal attitude, nature, and field research. Environmental responsibility is another and common field were Geography can change and develop Tourism in the same mutual support in a continuous and mutual way. The case studies support it fully.

Whatever Happened to Economic Geography?

Science.gov (United States)

Fagan, Robert

1985-01-01

Maintains that economic geography is alive and well. Describes some of the challenges facing research in economic geography and highlights the changing approaches being applied to economic geography. Includes sections on structural change, economic reorganization, and internationalization of manufacturing and finances. (JDH)

Conferences in historical geography – traditional interdisciplinary meetings

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Semotanová, Eva; Chodějovská, Eva; Šimůnek, Robert

2012-01-01

Roč. 38, č. 1 (2012), s. 222-227 ISSN 0323-0988 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP410/12/G113 Institutional support: RVO:67985963 Keywords : history * historical geography * interdisciplinary meetings Subject RIV: AB - History

Digital Media for STEM Learning: Developing scientific practice skills in the K-12 STEM classroom with resources from WGBH and PBS LearningMedia

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, J.; Connolly, R.

2017-12-01

WGBH's "Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms" project is a 5-year effort to design, produce and evaluate digital media tools and resources that support scientific practice skills in diverse K-12 learners. Resources leverage data and content from NASA and WGBH signature programs, like NOVA, into sound instructional experiences that provide K-12 STEM teachers with free, quality resources for teaching topics in the Earth and Space Sciences. Resources address the content and practices in the new K-12 Framework for Science Education and are aligned with the NGSS. Participants will learn about design strategies, findings from our evaluation efforts, and how to access free resources on PBS LearningMedia.

Generation Y Student-Teachers' Motivational Factors: Retention Implications for K-12 Educational Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Bontempo, Brian

2010-01-01

Generation Y represents a growing number of student-teachers who will impact the future of educational practice, yet little research has been conducted for this demographic group. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to identify motivational factors of neophyte teachers and the retention implications these findings had on Kindergarten…

Rethinking (New) Economic Geography Models : Taking Geography and History More Seriously

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garretsen, Harry; Martin, Ron

Two aspects of New Economic Geography models are often singled out for criticism, especially by geographers: the treatment of geography, typically as a pre-given, fixed and highly idealized abstract geometric space; and the treatment of history, typically as 'logical' time (the movement to

The Diffusion of Computer-Based Technology in K-12 Schools: Teachers' Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Colandrea, John Louis

2012-01-01

Because computer technology represents a major financial outlay for school districts and is an efficient method of preparing and delivering lessons, studying the process of teacher adoption of computer use is beneficial and adds to the current body of knowledge. Because the teacher is the ultimate user of computer technology for lesson preparation…

The Information Revolution in Geography.

Science.gov (United States)

Tikunov, Vladimir S.

1996-01-01

Describes a number of topics in geography that are effected by the multimedia information revolution. These include research in political geography, finance, and the geography of tourism and medicine. Considers new technologies assisting spatial modeling and visualization of data and their effects on these fields. (MJP)

Geography teachers' interpretation of a curriculum reform initiative ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

initiative: the case of the Lesotho Environmental Education .... Teachers' prior beliefs and practices can pose challenges not only because tea- .... Teachers' profile ... lustrated by the high frequency of soil erosion and vegetation as common ...

Applied social geography

OpenAIRE

Hilpert, Markus

2002-01-01

Applied social geography : management of spatial planning in reflective discourse ; research perspectives towards a ‚Theory of Practice‘. - In: Geografija in njene aplikativne moˆznosti = Prospects of applied geography. - Ljubljana : Oddelek za Geografijo, Filozofska Fakulteta, 2002. S. 29-39. - (Dela / Oddelek za geografijo Filozofske fakultete v Ljubljani ; 18)

Geography and environmental science

OpenAIRE

Milinčić, Miroljub; Souliotis, Lily; Mihajlović, Ljiljana; Požar, Tea

2014-01-01

Geography is one of the oldest academic disciplines with a strong holistic approach in conceptualizing the interaction between nature and society, i.e. animate and inanimate parts of the environment. Over time, geography has been increasing and improving its conceptual and terminological abilities for studying and understanding complex relationships among environmental systems. For this reason, geography has advanced from a well-known science about nature and society into a relevant science a...

Creating Next Generation Teacher Preparation Programs to Support Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards in K-12 Schools: An Opportunity for the Earth and Space Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Geary, E. E.; Egger, A. E.; Julin, S.; Ronca, R.; Vokos, S.; Ebert, E.; Clark-Blickenstaff, J.; Nollmeyer, G.

2015-12-01

A consortium of two and four year Washington State Colleges and Universities in partnership with Washington's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Teachers of Teachers of Science, and Teachers of Teachers of Mathematics, and other key stakeholders, is currently working to improve science and mathematics learning for all Washington State students by creating a new vision for STEM teacher preparation in Washington State aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics and Language Arts. Specific objectives include: (1) strengthening elementary and secondary STEM Teacher Preparation courses and curricula, (2) alignment of STEM teacher preparation programs across Washington State with the NGSS and CCSS, (3) development of action plans to support implementation of STEM Teacher Preparation program improvement at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the state, (4) stronger collaborations between HEIs, K-12 schools, government agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, and STEM businesses, involved in the preparation of preservice STEM teachers, (5) new teacher endorsements in Computer Science and Engineering, and (6) development of a proto-type model for rapid, adaptable, and continuous improvement of STEM teacher preparation programs. A 2015 NGSS gap analysis of teacher preparation programs across Washington State indicates relatively good alignment of courses and curricula with NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas and Scientific practices, but minimal alignment with NGSS Engineering practices and Cross Cutting Concepts. Likewise, Computer Science and Sustainability ideas and practices are not well represented in current courses and curricula. During the coming year teams of STEM faculty, education faculty and administrators will work collaboratively to develop unique action plans for aligning and improving STEM teacher preparation courses and curricula at their institutions.

Females and STEM: Determining the K-12 Experiences that Influenced Women to Pursue STEM Fields

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Anne Marie

In the United States, careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are increasing yet there are not enough trained personnel to meet this demand. In addition, of those that seek to pursue STEM fields in the United States, only 26% are female. In order to increase the number of women seeking STEM based bachelor's degrees, K-12 education must provide a foundation that prepares students for entry into these fields. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine the perceived K-12 experiences that influenced females to pursue a STEM field. Twelve college juniors or seniors seeking a degree in Biology, Mathematics, or Physics were interviewed concerning their K-12 experiences. These interviews were analyzed and six themes emerged. Teacher passion and classroom characteristics such as incorporating challenging activities played a significant role in the females' decisions to enter STEM fields. Extra-curricular activities such as volunteer and mentor opportunities and the females' need to benefit others also influenced females in their career choice. Both the formal (within the school) and informal (outside of the traditional classroom) pipeline opportunities that these students encountered helped develop a sense of self-efficacy in science and mathematics; this self-efficacy enabled them to persist in pursuing these career fields. Several participants cited barriers that they encountered in K-12 education, but these barriers were primarily internal as they struggled with overcoming self-imposed obstacles in learning and being competitive in the mathematics and science classrooms. The experiences from these female students can be used by K-12 educators to prepare and encourage current female students to enter STEM occupations.

Geographies of knowing, geographies of ignorance: jumping scale in Southeast Asia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Schendel, W.

2002-01-01

'Area studies' use a geographical metaphor to visualise and naturalise particular social spaces as well as a particular scale of analysis. They produce specific geographies of knowing but also create geographies of ignorance. Taking Southeast Asia as an example, in this paper I explore how areas are

Helping Your Child Learn Geography

Science.gov (United States)

,

1996-01-01

By the year 2000, all students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter including English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography, and every school in America will ensure that all students learn to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in our Nation's modern economy.

"Analyzing the Longitudinal K-12 Grading Histories of Entire Cohorts of Students: Grades, Data Driven Decision Making, Dropping out and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex J. Bowers

2010-05-01

Full Text Available School personnel currently lack an effective method to pattern and visually interpret disaggregated achievement data collected on students as a means to help inform decision making. This study, through the examination of longitudinal K-12 teacher assigned grading histories for entire cohorts of students from a school district (n=188, demonstrates a novel application of hierarchical cluster analysis and pattern visualization in which all data points collected on every student in a cohort can be patterned, visualized and interpreted to aid in data driven decision making by teachers and administrators. Additionally, as a proof-of-concept study, overall schooling outcomes, such as student dropout or taking a college entrance exam, are identified from the data patterns and compared to past methods of dropout identification as one example of the usefulness of the method. Hierarchical cluster analysis correctly identified over 80% of the students who dropped out using the entire student grade history patterns from either K-12 or K-8.

[Seed geography: its concept and basic scientific issues].

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Shun-Li; Wang, Zong-Shuai; Zeren, Wangmu

2010-01-01

In this paper, a new concept 'seed geography' was provided, and its definition, research contents, and scientific issues were put forward. Seed geography is a newly developed interdisciplinary science from plant geography, seed ecology, and phytosociology, which studies the geographic variation patterns of seed biological traits as well as their relationships with environmental factors from macroscopic to microscopic, and the seed formation, development, and change trends. The main research contents would include geography of seed mass, geography of seed chemical components, geography of seed morphology, geography of seed cell biological characteristics, geography of seed physiological characteristics, geography of seed genetic characteristics, and geography of flower and fruit. To explore the scientific issues in seed geography would help us to better understand the long-term adaptation and evolution of seed characteristics to natural environments.

Nucleoli in human early erythroblasts (K2, K1, K1/2 cells).

Science.gov (United States)

Smetana, K; Jirásková, I; Klamová, H

2005-01-01

Human early erythroid precursors classified according to the nuclear size were studied to provide information on nucleoli in these cells using simple cytochemical procedures for demonstration of RNA and proteins of silver-stained nucleolar organizers. K2 cells with nuclear diameter larger than 13 microm and K1 cells with nuclear diameter larger than 9 microm corresponding to proerythroblasts and macroblasts (large basophilic erythroblasts) mostly possessed large irregularly shaped nucleoli with multiple fibrillar centres representing "active nucleoli". K1/2 cells with nuclear diameter smaller than 9 microm corresponding to small basophilic erythroblasts were usually characterized by the presence of micronucleoli representing "inactive nucleolar types". On the other hand, a few K1/2 cells contained large nucleoli with multiple fibrillar centres similar to those present in K2 cells and thus appeared as "microproerythroblasts". The nucleolar asynchrony expressed by the presence of large irregularly shaped nucleoli with multiple nucleoli (active nucleoli) and ring-shaped nucleoli (resting nucleoli) in one and the same nucleus of K2 or K1 cells was not exceptional and might reflect a larger resistance of these cells to negative factors influencing the erythropoiesis. The intranucleolar translocation of silver-stained nucleolus organized regions was noted in K2 cells and might indicate the premature aging of these cells without further differentiation. More studies, however, are required in this direction.

The Nature of Geography and Its Perspectives in AP® Human Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Alexander B.; Hare, Phillip R.

2016-01-01

AP Human Geography students need to develop an understanding of what it means to examine the world around them from a geographic perspective. Focusing attention on geography's concern with spatial relationships, place characteristics, and geographic context helps student appreciate the nature of the discipline and the insights it offers. These…

Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christopherson, Robert, W.; Birkeland, Ginger

Among the most highly regarded in physical geography, Robert Christopherson’s best-selling texts are known for their meticulous attention to detail, currency, accuracy, and rich integration of climate change science. Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography,Ninth Edition is uniquely...... an interactive and engaging learning experience for your students. Here’s how: Personalize learning with Mastering Geography: Mastering Geography provides students with engaging and interactive experiences that coach them through introductory physical geography with specific wrong-answer feedback, hints......, and a wide variety of educationally effective content. Teach with current and relevant content. An emphasis on currency includes a new chapter on global climate change and provides students and instructors with the most significant and current information and applications for learning physical geography...

USE OF FACEBOOK FOR LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT IN GEOGRAPHY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARIA ELIZA DULAMĂ

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this research was analysed 120 twelfth grade students’ behaviour, of “Iulian Pop” Economic High School in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, regarding the use of the Facebook social network for learning and assessment in Geography. Students were organised in five discussion groups on the social network Facebook. To achieve the research objectives, we analysed students' answers at a questionnaire and the contents of the dialogue between teacher and students and also between students. Students perceived positively the learning and assessment activities and they perceived their teacher as their equal. At the cognitive level, the activity was focused on clarifying certain aspects, revision, knowledge learning and assessment. The disadvantages of the learning activity in the Facebook discussion group were that the posted materials cannot be classified and can be found with difficulty.

An Investigation of K-8 Preservice Teachers' Concept Images and Mathematical Definitions of Polygons

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Robin A.

2004-01-01

In this paper, the author presents a study which explored K-8 preservice teachers' concept images and mathematical definitions of polygons. This study was carried out in which K-8 teacher candidates enrolled in an elementary mathematics content course were asked to sort, identify, and provide definitions of such shapes including triangles,…

Integrating the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into K- 6 teacher training and curricula

Science.gov (United States)

Pinter, S.; Carlson, S. J.

2017-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards is an initiative, adopted by 26 states, to set national education standards that are "rich in content and practice, arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education." Educators now must integrate these standards into existing curricula. Many grade-school (K-6) teachers face a particularly daunting task, as they were traditionally not required to teach science or only at a rudimentary level. The majority of K-6 teachers enter teaching from non-science disciplines, making this transition even more difficult. Since the NGSS emphasizes integrated and coherent progression of knowledge from grade to grade, prospective K-6 teachers must be able to deliver science with confidence and enthusiasm to their students. CalTeach/MAST (Mathematics and Science Teaching Program) at the University of California Davis, has created a two-quarter sequence of integrated science courses for undergraduate students majoring in non-STEM disciplines and intending to pursue multiple-subject K-6 credentials. The UCD integrated science course provides future primary school teachers with a basic, but comprehensive background in the physical and earth/space sciences. Key tools are taught for improving teaching methods, investigating complex science ideas, and solving problems relevant to students' life experiences that require scientific or technological knowledge. This approach allows prospective K-6 teachers to explore more effectively the connections between the disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and scientific and engineering practices, as outlined in the NGSS. In addition, they develop a core set of science teaching skills based on inquiry activities and guided lab discussions. With this course, we deliver a solid science background to prospective K-6 teachers and facilitate their ability to teach science following the standards as articulated in the NGSS.

School manuals for teaching geography at the Sovereign State of Santander: 1868-1879

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Alejandro Aguirre Rueda

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This article presents at least three objectives. The irst of them:to evidence the legislative aspects of the Organic Decree of Public Primary Instruction –ODPPI– of 1870 in relation to the topic of school manuals, the school knowledge of geography and the way in which it was evaluated. Secondly, this paper presents an identiication and description of the content and dissemination of some of the geography school manuals that existed in the Sovereign State of Santander during the last three decades of the 19th century. Finally, we present the ways in which some teachers from Santander resisted the initiative to consolidate the printed text as the main reference for the dissemination of school knowledge. Based on the previous information, this article comprises four sections which deal with the aforementioned topics. Therefore, it was conirmed that ODPPI regulated the subject of school manuals, to the point of identifying some of the directly responsible agents of its achievement and monitoring. Likewise, geography, as school knowledge, was regulated within the curricula. Besides, evidence shows that geography school manuals did not include as much printed material as subjects like arithmetic or reading. Equally, geography was found to be taught under the following categories: Universal and Colombian and Regional. Finally, even though the State taught the importance of the print text, other voices emerged in defense of oral teaching methods, which made it possible to identify that the consolidation of printing as a diffusion system for culture was not an easy lineal task.

Perspectives in geography of culture and civilizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grčić Мirko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a comparative analysis of relevant methodological essence of "traditional" and "new" cultural geography. In the introduction is given an explanation of philosophic concepts of space, environment, place and the region in cultural geography. In second section is analyzed the meaning of civilization and the genesis of geography of civilization (géographie de civilisation. Special attention is on features of geographical posibilism as methodological paradigm, and the concept of cultural landscape as the essence of classical geography of culture and civilization. After this part are researched specific characteristics of certain academic schools and methodological perspectives in cultural geography. Postmodern paradigm and essence of "new" cultural geography are in the main focus. Postmodernism is changing the meaning of the basic concepts in cultural geography, which are analyzed in the introduction, such as space, culture, cultural region, cultural landscape and others. "New" cultural geography reassessed social and moral issues associated with the characteristics of the postmodern era. In this regard, methodological paradigm must be changed. This ascertainment is based on the interpretation of humanistic geography, where the emphasis is on the interpretation of cultural symbols, causal link and the "spirit of place" (Spiritus Loci. In accordance with modern conceptions of human in psychological notion, there are at least three theoretical directions, which find resonance in the appropriate cultural geography: behaviorism, psychoanalytic concept and cognitive concept - gestaltism and geography of perception. In conclusion is emphasized the need of finding a dialectical unity in "classical" and "new" cultural geography. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 176017

Co-operation Between Science Teachers and Mathematics Teachers. Volumes 1-6.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogerson, Alan, Ed.

This document contains six separate works, titled: (1) Functions and Physics; (2) Links Between Geography and Mathematics; (3) Our Inheritance: Common Ground for the Mathematics and Biology Teacher; (4) Mathematics and Chemistry: The Classroom Interface; (5) Mathematical Modeling; and (6) Mathematical Modeling with Calculus. This series of…

Framing Teacher Education: Conceptions of Teaching, Teacher Education, and Justice in Chilean National Policies

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, M. Beatriz

2018-01-01

Chile shows high inequity and socioeconomic stratification in both K-12 education and teacher preparation. Drawing on the notion of frames, this critical policy analysis examines how teaching, teacher education, and justice were conceptualized in Chile's teacher preparation policies between 2008-2015. It also analyzes the narrative stories…

Enhancing student performance: Linking the geography curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the English-speaking Caribbean

Science.gov (United States)

Collymore, Jennifer C.

In a 21st century knowledge society individuals are expected to use their knowledge and skills to think critically, problem solve, make decisions, comprehend new ideas, communicate, and collaborate effectively with others. Helping students achieve this level of performance is no easy task and it brings into focus the fact that the effectiveness of any education system rests on the systemic coordination or alignment of three crucial components: curriculum, instruction and assessment (referred to as the CIA). These components must work in concert to facilitate and enhance student performance. However, educational reform typically targets these components in isolation, often treating only one component, rather than the system as a whole. The misalignment of these components can adversely affect student performance in any discipline. When the CIA components are out of alignment, it is difficult to evaluate student and system performance and achieve improvement in an educational system. Therefore, using geography education in Trinidad & Tobago as a case study, this study examined the nature of the alignment among the CIA components in the advanced geography system in the English- Speaking Caribbean and the extent to which the alignment may be affecting student performance. The study sought to determine the possible sources and causes of misalignment, the challenges to achieving alignment, and ways of achieving greater coordination among the CIA components of the system. The methodology employed in the study involved the use of classroom observations, interviews, and the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum Alignment Model which uses content analyses and surveys. The results showed that there were varying degrees of alignment among the components. There was acceptable alignment (Alignment Index ≥ 0.25) between the curriculum and assessment. However, the alignment between curriculum and instruction or assessment and instruction was poor (Alignment Index ≤ 0.12). The baseline

Advanced Placement Human Geography and the Annual Meetings of the National Council for Geographic Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sublett, Michael D.

2007-01-01

Members of the National Council for Geographic Education have been instrumental in the creation, launch, and early success of Advanced Placement Human Geography. Annual meetings of the Council have served as a forum for spreading the word about the course and its follow-up national examination and in helping teachers develop content confidence and…

GIS Education in Taiwanese Senior High Schools: A National Survey among Geography Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yao-Hui; Chen, Che-Ming

2013-01-01

Following the integration of GIS into the national curriculum standards of senior high school geography, Taiwan has systematically implemented GIS education for over a decade. However, the effectiveness of this implementation is currently unclear. Therefore, this study investigates the status of GIS education in Taiwanese senior high schools. A…

An Assessment of the Use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Teaching Geography in Singapore Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Yap, Lee Yong; Tan, Geok Chin Ivy; Zhu, Xuan; Wettasinghe, Marissa C.

2008-01-01

In 1998, geographical information systems (GIS) were introduced to secondary schools in Singapore as a tool for teaching geography at the secondary and junior college levels. However, general observations and feedback from school teachers suggested that only a small number of secondary schools and junior colleges in Singapore were actually using…

Improving Michigan STEM Teachers and Teaching: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship

Science.gov (United States)

Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, 2016

2016-01-01

The W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship successfully addressed the challenge of preparing and supporting effective teachers for Michigan's high-need classrooms, while helping transform teacher education across the state for the long term. This report analyzes the efforts of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Woodrow…

Taking Stock in Geography Education around the World: An International Perspective on the Teaching of Geography

Science.gov (United States)

DaSilva, Edmar Bernardes; Kvasnak, Robb Neil

2011-01-01

The identity of geography as a discipline since the nineteenth-century naissance of contemporary academia, if not before, has been often disputed. In higher education, geography is often part of the geosciences, often located in a geography, geology, earth science, and environmental science department or departments. In the world of education…

Turkish Primary Students' Perceptions of Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Senyurt, Secil

2014-01-01

This study provides an in-depth investigation of Turkish primary school students' perceptions of geography. Gender differences in students' perceptions of geography were investigated, including definitions of geography and its field of study. The findings showed that "landforms," "our geographical regions/Turkey,"…

Geography 2050, November 19, 2014

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-04

16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: On November 19, 2014, the American Geographical Society hosted Geography 2050, a high?level symposium including top...UU UU UU UU 04-02-2016 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Geography 2050, November 19, 2014 The views, opinions and/or findings...ABOVE ADDRESS. University of Kansas 2385 Irving Hill Road Lawrence, KS 66044 -7552 ABSTRACT Geography 2050, November 19, 2014 Report Title On November

Cultural geography. Different encounters, encountering difference

OpenAIRE

Longhurst, Robyn

2007-01-01

In the first half of this paper it is argued that cultural geography is a dynamic and diverse field that extends well beyond a single branch of human geography. The boundaries between it and other sub-disciplines are often blurred. People have «different» encounters with cultural geography depending on their sub-disciplinary convergences. People also have different encounters with cultural geography depending on where they live and work. «Place matters» in the construction, production and rep...

NASA-OAI HPCCP K-12 Program

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

The NASA-OAI High Performance Communication and Computing K- 12 School Partnership program has been completed. Cleveland School of the Arts, Empire Computech Center, Grafton Local Schools and the Bug O Nay Ge Shig School have all received network equipment and connections. Each school is working toward integrating computer and communications technology into their classroom curriculum. Cleveland School of the Arts students are creating computer software. Empire Computech Center is a magnet school for technology education at the elementary school level. Grafton Local schools is located in a rural community and is using communications technology to bring to their students some of the same benefits students from suburban and urban areas receive. The Bug O Nay Ge Shig School is located on an Indian Reservation in Cass Lake, MN. The students at this school are using the computer to help them with geological studies. A grant has been issued to the friends of the Nashville Library. Nashville is a small township in Holmes County, Ohio. A community organization has been formed to turn their library into a state of the art Media Center. Their goal is to have a place where rural students can learn about different career options and how to go about pursuing those careers. Taylor High School in Cincinnati, Ohio was added to the schools involved in the Wind Tunnel Project. A mini grant has been awarded to Taylor High School for computer equipment. The computer equipment is utilized in the school's geometry class to computationally design objects which will be tested for their aerodynamic properties in the Barberton Wind Tunnel. The students who create the models can view the test in the wind tunnel via desk top conferencing. Two teachers received stipends for helping with the Regional Summer Computer Workshop. Both teachers were brought in to teach a session within the workshop. They were selected to teach the session based on their expertise in particular software applications.

Learning to Teach Primary Geography in the Context of School Placement: Lessons from an All-Ireland Study

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, Anne M.; Waldron, Fionnuala; Pike, Susan; Greenwood, Richard

2016-01-01

Teaching education is Ireland is currently undergoing significant structural and conceptual changes. School placement is at the centre of these reforms. This article reports the findings of an all-Ireland study which investigates student teachers' experiences of teaching geography during their school placements. Based on data collected from…

The geography of spatial synchrony.

Science.gov (United States)

Walter, Jonathan A; Sheppard, Lawrence W; Anderson, Thomas L; Kastens, Jude H; Bjørnstad, Ottar N; Liebhold, Andrew M; Reuman, Daniel C

2017-07-01

Spatial synchrony, defined as correlated temporal fluctuations among populations, is a fundamental feature of population dynamics, but many aspects of synchrony remain poorly understood. Few studies have examined detailed geographical patterns of synchrony; instead most focus on how synchrony declines with increasing linear distance between locations, making the simplifying assumption that distance decay is isotropic. By synthesising and extending prior work, we show how geography of synchrony, a term which we use to refer to detailed spatial variation in patterns of synchrony, can be leveraged to understand ecological processes including identification of drivers of synchrony, a long-standing challenge. We focus on three main objectives: (1) showing conceptually and theoretically four mechanisms that can generate geographies of synchrony; (2) documenting complex and pronounced geographies of synchrony in two important study systems; and (3) demonstrating a variety of methods capable of revealing the geography of synchrony and, through it, underlying organism ecology. For example, we introduce a new type of network, the synchrony network, the structure of which provides ecological insight. By documenting the importance of geographies of synchrony, advancing conceptual frameworks, and demonstrating powerful methods, we aim to help elevate the geography of synchrony into a mainstream area of study and application. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Geography Education: Applying Spatial Aspects to Everyday Life: American Association of Geographers Geography Education Specialty Group

Science.gov (United States)

Wessell, Jonathan E.

2016-01-01

Throughout his career teaching geography, Johnathan Wessell has always stressed to his students that they already knew a lot about geography before they entered his classroom. He writes in this article that once he convinces his students of this, they begin to realize that geography is all around them, and that they, in turn, begin to shift their…

First Steps Toward K-12 Teacher Professional Development Using Internet-based Telescopes

Science.gov (United States)

Berryhill, K. J.; Gershun, D.; Slater, T. F.; Armstrong, J. D.

2012-12-01

How can science teachers become more familiar with emerging technology, excite their students and give students a taste of astronomy research? Astronomy teachers do not always have research experience, so it is difficult for them to convey to students how researchers use telescopes. The nature of astronomical observation (e.g., remote sites, expensive equipment, and odd hours) has been a barrier to providing teachers with insight into the process. Robotic telescopes (operated automatically with queued observing schedules) and remotely controlled telescopes (controlled by the user via the Internet) allow scientists to conduct observing sessions on research-grade telescopes half a world away. The same technology can now be harnessed by STEM educators to engage students and reinforce what is being taught in the classroom, as seen in some early research in elementary schools (McKinnon and Mainwaring 2000 and McKinnon and Geissinger 2002), and middle/high schools (Sadler et al. 2001, 2007 and Gehret et al. 2005). However, teachers need to be trained to use these resources. Responding to this need, graduate students and faculty at the University of Wyoming and CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research are developing teacher professional development programs using Internet-based telescopes. We conducted an online course in the science education graduate program at the University of Wyoming. This course was designed to sample different types of Internet-based telescopes to evaluate them as resources for teacher professional development. The 10 participants were surveyed at the end of the course to assess their experiences with each activity. In addition, pre-test/post-test data were collected focusing specifically on one of the telescopes (Gershun, Berryhill and Slater 2012). Throughout the course, the participants learned to use a variety of robotic and remote telescopes including SLOOH Space Camera (www.slooh.com), Sky Titan Observatory (www

Returning "Region" to World Regional Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Rees, Peter W.; Legates, Margaret

2013-01-01

World regional geography textbooks rarely focus on the process of region formation, despite frequent calls to reincorporate a regional approach to teaching global geography. An instructional strategy using problem-based learning in a small honors section of a large world regional geography course is described. Using a hypothetical scenario…

Applied Geography Internships: Operational Canadian Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, L. T.

1982-01-01

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…

Earth Science for Educators: Preparing 7-12 Teachers for Standards-based, Inquiry Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Sloan, H.

2002-05-01

"Earth Science for Educators" is an innovative, standards-based, graduate level teacher education curriculum that presents science content and pedagogic technique in parallel. The curriculum calls upon the resources and expertise of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to prepare novice New York City teachers for teaching Earth Science. One of the goals of teacher education is to assure and facilitate science education reform through preparation of K-12 teachers who understand and are able to implement standard-based instruction. Standards reflect not only the content knowledge students are expected to attain but also the science skills and dispositions towards science they are expected to develop. Melding a list of standards with a curriculum outline to create inquiry-based classroom instruction that reaches a very diverse population of learners is extremely challenging. "Earth Science for Educators" helps novice teachers make the link between standards and practice by constantly connecting standards with instruction they receive and activities they carry out. Development of critical thinking and enthusiasm for inquiry is encouraged through engaging experience and contact with scientists and their work. Teachers are taught Earth systems science content through modeling of a wide variety of instruction and assessment methods based upon authentic scientific inquiry and aimed at different learning styles. Use of fieldwork and informal settings, such as the Museum, familiarizes novice teachers with ways of drawing on community resources for content and instructional settings. Metacognitive reflection that articulates standards, practice, and the teachers' own learning experience help draw out teachers' insights into their students' learning. The innovation of bring science content together with teaching methods is key to preparing teachers for standards-based, inquiry instruction. This curriculum was successfully piloted with a group of 28 novice teachers as

Energy Project professional development: Promoting positive attitudes about science among K-12 teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy D. Robertson

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Promoting positive attitudes about science among teachers has important implications for teachers’ classroom practice and for their relationship to science as a discipline. In this paper, we report positive shifts in teachers’ attitudes about science, as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science (CLASS survey, over the course of their participation in a professional development course that emphasized the flexible use of energy representations to understand real world scenarios. Our work contributes to the larger effort to make the case that professional development matters for teacher learning and attitudes.

Teacher Evaluation: Archiving Teaching Effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Lance D.

2014-01-01

Teacher evaluation is a current hot topic within music education. This article offers strategies for K-12 music educators on how to promote their effectiveness as teachers through archival documentation in a teacher portfolio. Using the Danielson evaluation model (based on four domains of effective teaching practices), examples of music teaching…

South African Teachers' Perceptions of the Primary Geography Curriculum: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Wilmot, Di; Irwin, Pat

2015-01-01

There is a dearth of research on primary school Geography in South Africa. With no Annual National Assessments (ANAs) being done in the subject, little is known about the quality of geographical learning and teaching in South African primary schools. This article begins to address this shortcoming. More specifically, it responds to the need for…

K--12 science educator perception of instructing students with learning disabilities in the regular classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Holliday-Cashwell, Janet Rose

2000-10-01

Selected K--12 public school science educators in 14 eastern North Carolina counties were surveyed to examine their perceptions of their undergraduate preparation programs with regard to instructing students with learning disabilities in the regular classroom. A quantitative study, this research examined science educator preparedness in instructing students with learning disabilities by evaluating educator perception in regard to mainstrearned and inclusive educational settings. Specifically, two null hypotheses were tested. Null hypothesis I stated a significant difference does not exist between selected North Carolina K--12 science educators' perceptions of their undergraduate teacher education preparation programs and their perceptions of their abilities to instruct students needing accommodations on behalf of their learning disabilities in mainstrearned or inclusive settings. Participants' responses to perception as well as value statements regarding opinions, adaptations, and undergraduate training with respect to mainstreaming and inclusion were evaluated through t-test analyses of 22 Likert-scale items. Null hypothesis 1 was not accepted because a statistically significant difference did exist between the educators' perceptions of their undergraduate training and their perceived abilities to instruct students with learning disabilities in mainstreamed or inclusive settings. Null hypothesis 2 stated a significant difference does not exist between selected North Carolina K--12 science educators' attained educational level; grade level currently taught, supervised or chaired; and years of experience in teaching science, supervising science education, and/or chairing science departments in selected North Carolina public schools and their opinions of their undergraduate teacher education program with regard to instructing students with learning disabilities in mainstreamed or inclusive educational settings. Null hypothesis 2 was evaluated through an analysis of

An Example of the Use of Personal Analogy in Teaching Geography: If I Were a Mineral

Science.gov (United States)

Duman, Nese

2016-01-01

The objective of this study is to use personal analogy as a pre-organizer. The subject of the personal analogy is chosen as minerals. For this purpose, geography teacher candidates were asked the questions, "Which mineral would you like to be? Why?" They explain the properties of the minerals by matching them with their own…

The Effect of Digital Documentary Production through Field Work on Geography Students' Problem-Solving Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Adanali, Rukiye

2018-01-01

In this study, views of students about the applicability of the digital documentary production through fieldwork model and the effect of it on their problem-solving skills were examined. The study was conducted in Turkey, in 2016-2017 spring term with 15 geography teacher candidates who chosen by convenience sampling method. In this study, within…

From the Classroom to the Keyboard: How Seven Teachers Created Their Online Teacher Identities

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Jennifer C.; Alsup, Janet

2015-01-01

Teacher identity is defined as a sense of teacher self that results from a productive combination of key personal and professional subjectivities or beliefs. Much empirical research has been done on the development of teacher identity in the K-12 arena, with a great deal of theoretical and philosophical scholarship about teaching at the college…

South African School Geography:

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Lorraine Innes

Academic Associate, Department of Geography, University of South Africa, ... In conclusion, a case is made for enhancing the status of school Geography by making it a recommended subject for tertiary studies in university programs offering geospatial .... response to the education crisis of the 1970s and 1980s the Human ...

Quasi-free K+ photo-production in 12C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, K.; Yamazaki, H.; Asano, S.; Emura, T.; Endo, I.; Endo, S.; Ito, S.; Itoh, H.; Ifuku, K.; Konno, O.; Koike, M.; Maruyama, K.; Niki, K.; Niwa, K.; Okuno, H.; Sakaguchi, A.; Sasaki, T.; Suda, T.; Sumi, Y.; Takeya, M.; Terasawa, T.; Uchida, H.; Yamashita, H.; Yoshida, K.

1994-01-01

Quasi-free K + photo-production in the 12 C(γ,K + ) reaction has been investigated in a photon energy range of 0.7-1.1GeV. Differential cross sections for the quasi-free process of the 12 C(γ,K + ) reaction have been obtained and they are compared with a calculation of a quasi-free K + photo-production. The effective proton number Z eff =4.2±0.6 obtained from the experiment was in good agreement with a calculation of a semi-classical attenuation model. ((orig.))

Teaching Chemistry in a Spiral Progression Approach: Lessons from Science Teachers in the Philippines

Science.gov (United States)

Orbe, Joymie R.; Espinosa, Allen A.; Datukan, Janir T.

2018-01-01

As the Philippines moves towards implementing the K-12 curriculum, there has been a mismatch in teacher preparation in science. The present teacher education curriculum prepares science teachers to specialise in a specific field (e.g. integrated science, biology, chemistry, and physics). However, in the K-12 curriculum, they are required to teach…

Enquiry-driven fieldwork as a rich and powerful teaching strategy: : School practices in secondary geography education in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K. Oost; J. van der Schee; Bregje de Vries

2011-01-01

Given its active and enquiry-driven character, fieldwork is seen as an important way to develop geographical understanding of the world, during which cognitive and affective learning reinforce each other. The present study aims to give insight into whether and how secondary school geography teachers

KÜRESELLEŞMENİN TÜRKİYE ÜNİVERSİTELERİ COĞRAFYA ÖĞRETMENLİĞİ VE BÖLÜMLERİ YAPISI ÜZERİNDE ETKİSİ (THE EFFECT OF GLOBALIZATION ON STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY IN TURKEY UNIVERSITIES)

OpenAIRE

Nevzat GÜMÜŞ; Ali İLHAN

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study, the effect of globalization to determine on the structure geography teachers ((education and education science fields) and geography departments in Turkey universities. It has been done by the scan method. Geography departments are being established within the science and literature faculties in most developed countries as Turkey, Duration of undergraduate education is longer than the developed countries. In developed countries geography is organized such as geogra...

Designing and Using Virtual Field Environments to Enhance and Extend Field Experience in Professional Development Programs in Geology for K-12 Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Granshaw, Frank Douglas

2011-12-01

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used to acquaint geoscience novices with some of the observation, data gathering, and problem solving done in actual field situations by geoscientists. VR environments in a variety of forms are used to prepare students for doing geologic fieldwork, as well as to provide proxies for such experience when venturing into the field is not possible. However, despite increased use of VR for these purposes, there is little research on how students learn using these environments, how using them impacts student field experience, or what constitutes effective design in light of emerging theories of geocognition. To address these questions, I investigated the design and use of a virtual reality environment in a professional development program for middle school Earth science teachers called Teachers on the Leading Edge (TOTLE). This environment, called a virtual field environment, or VFE, was based largely on the field sites visited by the participants during summer workshops. It was designed as a tool to prepare the participants for workshop field activities and as a vehicle for taking elements of that experience back to their students. I assessed how effectively the VFE accomplished these goals using a quasi-experimental, mixed method study that involved a series of teaching experiments, interviews, participant surveys, and focus groups. The principle conclusions reached in this study are as follows: 1. In a field trip orientation experiment involving 35 middle school teachers, 90.6% of the participants stated a preference for VFE enhanced orientation over an alternative orientation that used photographs and static maps to complete a practice field activity. When asked about how the VFE prepared them for their field experience, the participants ranked it as most helpful for visualize the location and geography of the field sites. They ranked it lower for helping them visualize structural and geomorphic patterns, and ranked it as least

Looking for an international strategy for geography education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Schee, Joop

Geography education is under pressure in many countries in the world. Many publications in the field of geography education and a lot of papers presented at geography conferences focus on the problematic position of geography in primary and secondary education. However, describing the problem is

[Medical geography].

Science.gov (United States)

Hauri, D

2007-10-17

Hippocrates already noted that geographical factors such as climate, relief, geology but also settlement patterns had influenced the distribution of diseases. The task of medical geography is to investigate the associations between geographical factors and diseases. Thereby, geographic techniques and concepts are applied on health problems. Of particular importance is the mapping of diseases whose causes are environmental-related. In addition, epidemiological, ecological but also social scientific studies play an important part in the investigation of the associations between geographical factors and diseases. In order to understand the associations between the spatial distribution of diseases and environmental exposures, geographic information systems as well as statistical analyses have recently become more important. Some authors regard medical geography merely as supporting discipline of medicine. Nevertheless, as men and environment future and as they play an important part in the diffusion of diseases being regarded as defeated, medical geography will play an important part concerning medical questions. Especially travel medicine will rely on geographic knowledge, if a patient has to be consulted who plans to travel to an unknown country of which knowledge on the geographical distribution and ecology of diseases will be necessary.

Some Thoughts on Applied Geography.

Science.gov (United States)

Gritzner, Charles F.

1979-01-01

The geography student should be offered the option of applied geography courses as well as the more conservative humanistic approach, in order to respond to the challenges presented by existing societal needs and vocational opportunities. (Author/CK)

Preservice Teachers' Developing Conceptions of Teaching English Learners

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Laura Beth

2018-01-01

In this study, 12 preservice teachers in a community college English as a second language (ESL) K-12 teacher education program drew pictures and wrote descriptions of teachers teaching English language learners (ELLs) at the beginning and end of an ESL methods course. Using content analysis, the researcher analyzed the drawings and descriptions…

Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning, 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Gemin, Butch; Pape, Larry

2017-01-01

"Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning 2016" marks the thirteenth consecutive year Evergreen has published its annual research of the K-12 education online learning market. The thirteen years of researching, writing and publishing this report represents a time of remarkable change. There has been a constant presence that has become the…

Placing Advanced Placement® Human Geography: Its Role in U.S. Geography Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bednarz, Sarah Witham

2016-01-01

This article examines Advanced Placement Human Geography (AP HG) in the context of its place in efforts to reform geography education. It presents a critical analysis of the AP program and its curriculum, asserting that it represents "powerful knowledge" as conceptualized by Young. It concludes with a call for research in AP HG aligned…

Geographies of knowing, geographies of ignorance: jumping scale in Southeast Asia

OpenAIRE

van Schendel, W.

2002-01-01

'Area studies' use a geographical metaphor to visualise and naturalise particular social spaces as well as a particular scale of analysis. They produce specific geographies of knowing but also create geographies of ignorance. Taking Southeast Asia as an example, in this paper I explore how areas are imagined and how area knowledge is structured to construct area 'heartlands' as well as area `borderlands'. This is illustrated by considering a large region of Asia (here named Zomiatf) that did ...

Increasing participation in the Earth sciences through engagement of K-12 educators in Earth system science analysis, inquiry and problem- based learning and teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Burrell, S.

2012-12-01

Given low course enrollment in geoscience courses, retention in undergraduate geoscience courses, and granting of BA and advanced degrees in the Earth sciences an effective strategy to increase participation in this field is necessary. In response, as K-12 education is a conduit to college education and the future workforce, Earth science education at the K-12 level was targeted with the development of teacher professional development around Earth system science, inquiry and problem-based learning. An NSF, NOAA and NASA funded effort through the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies led to the development of the Earth System Science Educational Alliance (ESSEA) and dissemination of interdisciplinary Earth science content modules accessible to the public and educators. These modules formed the basis for two teacher workshops, two graduate level courses for in-service teachers and two university course for undergraduate teacher candidates. Data from all three models will be presented with emphasis on the teacher workshop. Essential components of the workshop model include: teaching and modeling Earth system science analysis; teacher development of interdisciplinary, problem-based academic units for implementation in the classroom; teacher collaboration; daily workshop evaluations; classroom observations; follow-up collaborative meetings/think tanks; and the building of an on-line professional community for continued communication and exchange of best practices. Preliminary data indicate increased understanding of Earth system science, proficiency with Earth system science analysis, and renewed interest in innovative delivery of content amongst teachers. Teacher-participants reported increased student engagement in learning with the implementation of problem-based investigations in Earth science and Earth system science thinking in the classroom, however, increased enthusiasm of the teacher acted as a contributing factor. Teacher feedback on open

Information and communication technologies in geography education in the 21-th Century

Science.gov (United States)

Vangelova, Rumyana

2014-05-01

In 2013 I attended a course on the Introduction to the Use of Spatial Thinking and Geoinformation (in geography and related subjects) organized by the European Association of Geographers. This course have helped me to realize what will be tomorrow's classroom. We can change education of geography in the classroom by using the following information technologies: Envision in classroom This software solution provides interactive environment for the whole learning experience of students. Envision helps enhance the quality of teaching and also keeps children engaged. An advantage of Envision is that it integrates ICT in education in a natural and easy to implement way improving the quality of education by making it a more positive experience to all involved parties. It is easy to use by teachers, because it provides a flexible way to present lessons. Educational software system supports collaborative learning giving teachers powerful and easy-to-use tool for teaching and learning. It gives students opportunity to take part actively in the lessons and develops team working and collaboration skills. This software is suitable for very different topics in the classroom - geographical location, boundaries, climate, political map, etc. Teachers benefit by easily engaging the full attention of children, taking advantage of best practices and exchanging experience with their colleagues. Children use their mice to interact with the system and can answer questions as individuals or as a group. They solve puzzles, categorize objects/concepts/ or locate objects on a map, type answers using a virtual keyboard. During the lesson Envision tracks the behavior of each child. Interactive classboard The Interactive StarBoard Software helps better acquiring and understanding of the new academic information for the students. Children have great interest and show greater independence, which helps them for easier learning. The use of educational games in teaching Geography by this software

Mathematics Courses for the Prospective Teacher.

Science.gov (United States)

Kistler, Barbara C.

This paper suggests that faculty at two-year institutions need to become partners with colleges of education and K-12 teachers of mathematics in preparing future mathematics teachers. The paper presents the following: a summary of recommendations on programs for prospective teachers; a summary of recommendations about mathematics courses for…

Tensions and Perplexities within Teacher Education and P-12 Schools for Music Teachers with Visual Impairments

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Elizabeth Cassidy; Draves, Tami J.

2018-01-01

We have written this article seeking to connect societal perceptions of disability with P-12 schools and higher education institutions toward the goal of greater understanding and equitable employment opportunities for music teachers with disabilities, specifically teacher candidates with visual impairment. In our investigation, we examine the…

Diffusing Innovations: Adoption of Serious Educational Games by K-12 Science Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Vallett, David; Annetta, Leonard; Lamb, Richard; Bowling, Brandy

2014-01-01

Innovation is a term that has become widely used in education; especially as it pertains to technology infusion. Applying the corporate theory of diffusing innovation to educational practice is an innovation in itself. This mixed-methods study examined 38 teachers in a science educational gaming professional development program that provided…

Ground Truth Studies - A hands-on environmental science program for students, grades K-12

Science.gov (United States)

Katzenberger, John; Chappell, Charles R.

1992-01-01

The paper discusses the background and the objectives of the Ground Truth Studies (GTSs), an activity-based teaching program which integrates local environmental studies with global change topics, utilizing remotely sensed earth imagery. Special attention is given to the five key concepts around which the GTS programs are organized, the pilot program, the initial pilot study evaluation, and the GTS Handbook. The GTS Handbook contains a primer on global change and remote sensing, aerial and satellite images, student activities, glossary, and an appendix of reference material. Also described is a K-12 teacher training model. International participation in the program is to be initiated during the 1992-1993 school year.

Teachers' Beliefs, Instructional Behaviors, and Students' Engagement in Learning from Texts with Instructional Pictures

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Sascha; Richter, Tobias; McElvany, Nele; Hachfeld, Axinja; Baumert, Jurgen; Schnotz, Wolfgang; Horz, Holger; Ullrich, Mark

2011-01-01

This study investigated the relations between teachers' pedagogical beliefs and students' self-reported engagement in learning from texts with instructional pictures. Participants were the biology, geography, and German teachers of 46 classes (Grades 5-8) and their students. Teachers' instructional behaviors and students' engagement in learning…

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Integrate Technology into K-12 Instruction: Evaluation of a Technology-Infused Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Admiraal, Wilfried; van Vugt, Felix; Kranenburg, Frans; Koster, Bob; Smit, Ben; Weijers, Sanne; Lockhorst, Ditte

2017-01-01

The quality of how technology is addressed in teacher education programmes is conditional for how student teachers apply technology in secondary schools after their graduation. Two technology-infused courses of one teacher education programme were evaluated. In line with studies on the development of pre-service teachers' technological,…

Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Mission EARTH (GME) program delivers climate change science content, pedagogy, and data resources to K12 educators, future teachers, and professional development providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostrom, T.

2017-12-01

This presentation will include a series of visuals that discuss how hands-on learning activities and field investigations from the the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Mission EARTH (GME) program deliver climate change science content, pedagogy, and data resources to K12 educators, future teachers, and professional development providers. The GME program poster presentation will also show how teachers strengthen student preparation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM)-related careers while promoting diversity in the future STEM workforce. In addition to engaging students in scientific inquiry, the GME program poster will show how career exploration and preparation experiences is accomplished through direct connection to scientists and real science practices. The poster will show which hands-on learning activities that are being implemented in more than 30,000 schools worldwide, with over a million students, teachers, and scientists collecting environmental measurements using the GLOBE scientific protocols. This poster will also include how Next Generation Science Standards connect to GME learning progressions by grade strands. The poster will present the first year of results from the implementation of the GME program. Data is currently being agrigated by the east, midwest and westen regional operations.

Geography's Crosscutting Themes: Golden Anniversary Reflections on "The Four Traditions of Geography"

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Alexander B.

2014-01-01

William Pattison's seminal 1964 article outlining geography's four core traditions provided an informative overview of distinct strands of research and teaching in geography. His article enhanced appreciation of the discipline's intellectual diversity, but it did not address why the identified traditions should be grouped together…

Exploring Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Using Web 2.0 Technologies in K-12 Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Sadaf, Ayesha; Newby, Timothy J.; Ertmer, Peggy A.

2012-01-01

This qualitative study explored pre-service teachers' behavioral, normative, and control beliefs regarding their intentions to use Web 2.0 technologies in their future classrooms. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as the theoretical framework (Ajzen, 1991) to understand these beliefs and pre-service teachers' intentions for why they…

Preparing Special Educators for the K-12 Online Learning Environment: A Survey of Teacher Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Sean J.; Basham, James; Rice, Mary F.; Carter, Richard A., Jr.

2016-01-01

Pioneering research studies in teacher preparation in online settings have taken place, yet little to no work has been done specifically focused on teacher preparation for special education and learners with disabilities. In the present study, researchers from the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities conducted a web-based…

The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Doug

2012-01-01

This is a must-have resource for all K-12 teachers and administrators who want to really make the best use of available technologies. Written by Doug Johnson, an expert in educational technology, "The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide" is replete with practical tips teachers can easily use to engage their students and make their…

Educational Geographers and Applied Geography.

Science.gov (United States)

Frazier, John W.

1979-01-01

Describes the development of applied geography programs and restructuring of curricula with an emphasis on new technique and methodology courses, though retaining the liberal arts role. Educational geographers can help the programs to succeed through curriculum analysis, auditing, advising students, and liaison with other geography sources. (CK)

Industrial Dynamics and Economic Geography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Capasso, Marco|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/314016627; Stam, Erik|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/215649370; Cefis, Elena|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/274516233

2015-01-01

Capasso M., Stam E. and Cefis E. Industrial dynamics and economic geography, Regional Studies. How do industries emerge and evolve over space? In this special issue the fields of industrial dynamics and economic geography are brought together in order to achieve a richer and more fundamental

The Delicate Balance between Research, Teaching and Outreach: A Case Study of Physicists in K-12 Education

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie-Pelecky, Diandra

2003-04-01

Recent calls from a variety of sectors including some funding agencies and professional societies encourage physicists to take a more active interest in the education of K-12 students and their teachers. Although there are a broad range of possible activities, finding time to participate is always a challenge for the researcher. How does the busy physicist ensure that the time devoted to education or outreach activities produces meaningful results without adversely affecting his or her research program? Project Fulcrum, a NSF-funded program that teams science and math graduate students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with 4th -8th grade teachers in the Lincoln Public Schools, presents a case study of how research scientists can be meaningfully involved with K-12 education. Project Fulcrum's preliminary results indicate that the impact scientists have in the classroom goes far beyond providing expertise in physics, and turns out to be very different than originally anticipated. There are a wide variety of models for involvement in education and outreach that cover a broad span of time and energy commitments. Careful project choice, establishing administrative infrastructure, collaborating with other departments and colleges, and involving colleagues can optimize the impact-made-to-time-spent ratio. Challenges such as project evaluation, overcoming the negative attitudes of some physicists towards anything not related to research, and ensuring that participants get appropriate credit for their efforts will also be discussed. The conclusion will address the personal and professional rewards of involvement in education and outreach. This work is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF-DGE0086358). The author wishes to acknowledge the contributions of co-PIs G. Buck, S. Kirby, R. Kirby and P. Dussault, and all of the Project Fulcrum Fellows and Teachers.

QED's School Market Trends: Teacher Buying Behavior & Attitudes, 2001-2002. Research Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Quality Education Data, Inc., Denver, CO.

This study examined teachers' classroom material buying behaviors and trends. Data came from Quality Education Data's National Education Database, which includes U.S. K-12 public, private, and Catholic schools and districts. Researchers surveyed K-8 teachers randomly selected from QED's National Education Database. Results show that teachers spend…

Public School Teachers' Knowledge, Perception, and Implementation of Brain-Based Learning Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Wachob, David A.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine K-12 teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and practices of brain-based learning strategies in western Pennsylvania schools. The following five research questions were explored: (a) What is the extent of knowledge K-12 public school teachers have about the indicators of brain-based learning and Brain Gym?; (b) To…

Challenging Transitions and Crossing Borders: Preparing Novice Mathematics Teacher Educators to Support Novice K-12 Mathematics Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Yow, Jan A.; Eli, Jennifer A.; Beisiegel, Mary; McCloskey, Andrea; Welder, Rachael M.

2016-01-01

Sixty-nine recently graduated doctoral students in mathematics education completed a survey to determine their perceptions of transitioning from a doctoral program into an academic position at an institution of higher education. Research literature for novice mathematics school teachers was also reviewed to document their experiences transitioning…

Classifying K-12 Blended Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Staker, Heather; Horn, Michael B.

2012-01-01

The growth of online learning in the K-12 sector is occurring both remotely through virtual schools and on campuses through blended learning. In emerging fields, definitions are important because they create a shared language that enables people to talk about the new phenomena. The blended-learning taxonomy and definitions presented in this paper…

Empathy Research and Teacher Preparation: Benefits and Obstacles

Science.gov (United States)

Bouton, Bobette

2016-01-01

Teacher preparation is critical in cultivating good teachers, but more importantly in helping teachers learn how to meet the academic and emotional needs of preK-12 students. Teaching and training the socio-emotional trait of empathy is an important skill for pre-service teachers to develop. However, due to the multiple definitions, fields of…

K-12 Technology Accessibility: The Message from State Governments

Science.gov (United States)

Shaheen, Natalie L.; Lazar, Jonathan

2018-01-01

This study examined state education technology plans and technology accessibility statutes to attempt to answer the question--is K-12 instructional technology accessibility discussed in state-level technology accessibility statutes and education technology plans across the 50 United States? When a K-12 school district is planning the construction…

THE ROLE OF THE "GEOSPACE” FORMATION PROGRAM IN DEVELOPING GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS’ COMPETENCE, IN RAISING THE DEGREE OF LESSON ATTRACTIVENESS AND IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ RESULTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

IULIU VESCAN

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper starts from the analysis of needs of specialty training for Geography teachers when confronted with the scientific evolution of the field and considering the challenges imposed by an ever changing educational system. Within this framework, the Faculty of Geography at “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, as a supplier of teacher training courses, organized a training course in the field of Geomatics. We analyzed the necessity and usefulness of this type of training course considering the number of teachers interested in this training course and an evaluation form of the course. Additionally, we evaluated the way in which the competences obtained during the formation program in Geomatics were put into practice on two separate components: an increase in the degree of attractiveness in Geography lessons and the improvement of students’ school performance. The efficiency of the training program was evaluated by comparing the knowledge taught during a reference lesson in which the teaching was carried out in two different ways. The following step was to apply a unique test to two different student groups with a similar level of knowledge, which revealed that the best results belonged to the students in the group in which the methods and techniques used to deliver the teaching were the ones acquired during the training course. By validating the initial hypothesis, we reached the conclusion that it was necessary to introduce these GIS-TIC contents in the educational context for preuniversity education.

Preparing K-8 Teachers to Conduct Inquiry Oriented Science Education

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, N. A.; Garik, P.; Nolan, M. D.; Winrich, C.; Derosa, D.; Duffy, A.; Jariwala, M.; Konjoian, B.

2010-12-01

The need for STEM professional development for K-8 teachers is well documented. Such professional development promises broad impact, but it must have a positive effect on teachers’ knowledge and skills: 1) a focus on content knowledge, 2) opportunities for active learning, and 3) coherence with other activities. However, sustained impact is only achieved through intensive professional development. In response to the need for science education courses for K-8 teachers, for the past three years, the School of Education and the Department of Physics have collaborated to offer K-8 teachers science content courses of extended duration (75 contact hours) that emphasize inquiry based learning and investigation. The School of Education graduate courses have consisted of five three-hour meetings during the months of May and June, and a two week intensive period in July when the participants come for six hours per day. The alignment of these courses with inquiry teaching was confirmed using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). Courses offered in this format have been: --Immersion in Green Energy (IGE) -alternative sources of energy and how electricity is generated (75 teachers over the last 3 years), --Immersion in Global Energy Distribution (IGED) -understanding global climate as an outcome of insolation, convection, and radiation (27 teachers over the last 2 years) The Immersion courses cover a spectrum for inquiry learning that begins with introduction to equipment and experiments through guided discovery and culminates with students taking responsibility for defining and completing their own investigative projects. As a specific example, we consider here the IGED course. For IGED, the first five sessions are devoted to content and learning to use experimental equipment such as digital data collection probes to measure temperature, CO2 and salinity. Content addressed during these sessions include the differentiation between conduction, convection, and

Perspectives in geography of culture and civilizations

OpenAIRE

Grčić Мirko; Grčić Ljiljana; Sibinović Мikica

2014-01-01

This paper presents a comparative analysis of relevant methodological essence of "traditional" and "new" cultural geography. In the introduction is given an explanation of philosophic concepts of space, environment, place and the region in cultural geography. In second section is analyzed the meaning of civilization and the genesis of geography of civilization (géographie de civilisation). Special attention is on features of geographical posibilism as metho...

AP Geography, Environmental Science Thrive

Science.gov (United States)

Robelen, Erik W.

2012-01-01

Geography may not be particularly known as a hot topic among today's students--even some advocates suggest it suffers from an image problem--but by at least one measure, the subject is starting to come into its own. Across more than 30 topics covered in the Advanced Placement (AP) program, participation in geography is rising faster than any…

Media development effectiveness of geography 3d muckups

Science.gov (United States)

Prasetya, S. P.; Daryono; Budiyanto, E.

2018-01-01

Geography examines geosphere phenomena that occurs in a space associated with humans on earth’s surface. Media 3D models are an important visual media in presenting spatial objects on the earth’s surface. This study aims to develop a decent 3D mockups media used for learning materials and test the effectiveness of media geography 3D mockups on learning outcomes. The study involved 90 students of Geography Education, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, State University of Surabaya. Method development using a model of the Borg and Gall (1989) which has been modified into three stages, namely the introduction, development, and testing. The study produced instructional media 3D Muckups eligible to be used as a learning medium for the material hydrosphere geography, geology, and geomorphology. 3D mockups media use in learning geography materials can increase the activity of students, student interest and a positive response to raise the student learning outcomes as the material can be delivered more concrete geography. Based on observations conducted student activity occurs continuously increase in the use of 3D models for learning geography material.

Science Communication versus Science Education: The Graduate Student Scientist as a K-12 Classroom Resource

Science.gov (United States)

Strauss, Jeff; Shope, Richard E., III; Terebey, Susan

2005-01-01

Science literacy is a major goal of science educational reform (NRC, 1996; AAAS, 1998; NCLB Act, 2001). Some believe that teaching science only requires pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Others believe doing science requires knowledge of the methodologies of scientific inquiry (NRC, 1996). With these two mindsets, the challenge for science educators is to create models that bring the two together. The common ground between those who teach science and those who do science is science communication, an interactive process that galvanizes dialogue among scientists, teachers, and learners in a rich ambience of mutual respect and a common, inclusive language of discourse . The dialogue between science and non-science is reflected in the polarization that separates those who do science and those who teach science, especially as it plays out everyday in the science classroom. You may be thinking, why is this important? It is vital because, although not all science learners become scientists, all K-12 students are expected to acquire science literacy, especially with the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Students are expected to acquire the ability to follow the discourse of science as well as connect the world of science to the context of their everyday life if they plan on moving to the next grade level, and in some states, to graduate from high school. This paper posits that science communication is highly effective in providing the missing link for K-12 students cognition in science and their attainment of science literacy. This paper will focus on the "Science For Our Schools" (SFOS) model implemented at California State Univetsity, Los Angeles (CSULA) as a project of the National Science Foundation s GK-12 program, (NSF 2001) which has been a huge success in bridging the gap between those who "know" science and those who "teach" science. The SFOS model makes clear the distinctions that identify science, science communication, science

Fieldwork in Geography Education: Defining or Declining? The State of Fieldwork in Canadian Undergraduate Geography Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Heather; Leydon, Joseph; Wincentak, Joanna

2017-01-01

This paper investigates the prevalence of fieldwork in undergraduate Geography programs in Canada. It examines the presence of fieldwork, provided through both field courses and courses that include fieldwork components, by reviewing program requirements and course offerings in undergraduate geography programs. The research explores the extent to…

Construction of non-viral vector (mPEG5k-PCL1.2k)1.4-g-PEI10k and its gene delivery efficacy in vitro

OpenAIRE

Wei HUANG; Ming LV; Zhong-gao GAO; Ming-ji JIN; Fei-fei YANG; Yu-li WANG

2011-01-01

Objective To construct(mPEG5k-PCL1.2k)1.4-g-PEI10k,a copolymer designed as delivery vector for non-viral gene therapy,and explore its cytotoxicity and efficacy in delivery of plasmid DNA(pDNA).Methods The copolymer,mPEG5k-PCL1.2k-OH,was prepared by ring-opening polymerization and then followed by a conversion of hydroxyl terminal(-OH) into N-hydroxysuccinimide(NHS) to prepare mPEG5k-PCL1.2k-NHS.One of the branches,PEI10k,was then reacted with mPEG5k-PCL1.2k-NHS to synthesize a ternary copolym...

Applied evolutionary economics and economic geography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frenken, K.

2007-01-01

Applied Evolutionary Economics and Economic Geography" aims to further advance empirical methodologies in evolutionary economics, with a special emphasis on geography and firm location. It does so by bringing together a select group of leading scholars including economists, geographers and

New Trends and Challenges for Energy Geographies: Introduction to the Special Issue

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Frantál, Bohumil; Pasqualetti, M. J.; Van der Horst, Dan

2014-01-01

Roč. 22, č. 2 (2014), s. 2-6 ISSN 1210-8812 R&D Projects: GA MŠk EE2.3.20.0025 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : energy sources * energy landscape * renewable energy Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography Impact factor: 0.872, year: 2014 http://www.geonika.cz/EN/research/ENMgr/MGR_2014_02.pdf

Harnessing Technology to Improve K-12 Education. Discussion Paper 2012-05

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterji, Aaron; Jones, Benjamin

2012-01-01

Technological progress has consistently driven remarkable advances in the U.S. economy, yet K-12 education sees little technological change compared to other sectors, even as U.S. K-12 students increasingly lag behind students in other nations. This proposal considers how we can take a signature American strength--innovation--and apply it to K-12…

K-1 Teachers' Visual Arts Beliefs and Their Role in the Early Childhood Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman-Schanz, Blythe Annette

2012-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the visual arts beliefs and practices of eight K-1 teachers in four schools and in two different school districts in a southern state. Using a phenomenological framework (Creswell, 2007; Leedy & Ormrod, 2005), the research revealed the teachers' understandings of beliefs and how…

An Invaluable Resource for Supporting Transgender, Transsexual, and Gender-Nonconforming Students in School Communities: A Review of "Supporting Transgender and Transsexual Students in K-12 Schools"

Science.gov (United States)

Martino, Wayne

2013-01-01

This essay provides a review of a resource guide written by Kristopher Wells, Gayle Roberts, and Carol Allan (2012) titled "Supporting Transgender and Transsexual Students in K-12 Schools: A Guide for Educators". The guide is an invaluable resource for educators in schools and teacher education programs.

Teachers' and School Administrators' Attitudes and Beliefs of Teacher Evaluation: A Preliminary Investigation of High Poverty School Districts

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, Linda A.; Dudek, Christopher M.; Peters, Stephanie; Alperin, Alexander; Kettler, Ryan J.; Kurz, Alexander

2018-01-01

This study examined attitudes and beliefs regarding teacher evaluation of teachers and their school administrators in the state of New Jersey, USA. The sample included 33 school administrators and 583 Pre-K through 12th grade teachers from four high-poverty urban school districts (22 schools). Participant attitudes and beliefs were assessed using…

A K-6 Computational Thinking Curriculum Framework : Implications for Teacher Knowledge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Angeli, C.; Voogt, J.; Fluck, A.; Webb, M.; Cox, M.; Malyn-Smith, J.; Zagami, J.

2016-01-01

Adding computer science as a separate school subject to the core K-6 curriculum is a complex issue with educational challenges. The authors herein address two of these challenges: (1) the design of the curriculum based on a generic computational thinking framework, and (2) the knowledge teachers

The Metamorphosis by K. (12)

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2012-01-01

In the last issue of the Bulletin we reported on the first run of the new NA62 experiment. In this issue, we go behind the scenes to take a look at the production of the experiment's new kaon beam.   The start of the K12 beam line as seen during the installation of the shielding. 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 10-5, 10-6 mbar… send in the protons! Since Thursday 1 November, the P42 beam line of the SPS has once again been sending protons to the beryllium target to produce the K12 kaon beam line eagerly awaited by the NA62 collaboration. This was no trivial matter! The first step was to clear the decks by dismantling the entire H10 beam line and NA60 experiment, as well as most of the NA48 experiment - representing some 1000 tonnes of equipment in total! Next came the complete renovation of the infrastructure, which dated back to 1979. The operation called on the expertise of virtually all branches of the EN and GS departments, as well as the Radiation Protection group: from ...

Urban Pre-Service K-6 Teachers' Conceptions of Citizenship and Civic Education: Weighing the Risks and Rewards

Science.gov (United States)

Marri, Anand R.; Michael-Luna, Sara; Cormier, Maria Scott; Keegan, Patrick

2014-01-01

To effectively help urban pre-service teachers to provide civic education opportunities in their future classrooms, teacher educators should know how urban pre-service teachers themselves conceptualize citizenship and civic engagement. Through the research question--how do urban K-6 pre-service teachers currently enrolled in an urban education…

AS PRÁTICAS DE GEOGRAFIA ESCOLAR NA VISÃO SÓCIOCONSTRUTIVISTA: UMA ESTRATÉGIA DO ENSINO CENTRADO DO ALUNO / THE PRACTICES OF SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY IN THE SOCIO - CONSTRUCTIVIST VIEW: A STRATEGY OF STUDENT - CENTERED TEACHING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Albano Fernando Mahumane Junior

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This article reflects on the practices of school geography based on the theory of learning in the socio-constructivist. The same suggests some practices of school geography in the sense that it suits the one that is predicted of the student starting from diverse experiences taken in researches realized in the Group of Research in Teaching of Geography in the sense to analyze the practices of teaching of Geography in different schools secondary in the city of Maputo in Mozambique and that they (practices are distant from what is recommended in current pedagogies and didactics. The reflection on the practices of school geography in the socio - constructivist view has again questioned the methodological strategies of the teachers of geography; do they fit what is intended? How do you make them fit to meet the objectives of school geography? To answer these questions, a bibliographical survey was made on the theories of learning and methodologies of school geography. Thus, the study suggests that in order to meet the objectives of school geography it is necessary to place the student as the center of learning.

Perspectives on instructor modeling in mathematics teacher education

OpenAIRE

Brown, Cassondra

2009-01-01

Teachers' instructional practices are greatly shaped by their own learning experiences as students in K-12 and college classrooms, which for most teachers was traditional, teacher-centered instruction. One of the challenges facing mathematics education reform is that, traditional teaching is in contrast to reform student- centered instruction. If teachers learn from their experiences as mathematics students, mathematics teacher educators are encouraged to model practices they would like teach...

The Windows to the Universe Project: Using the Internet to Support K-12 Science Education

Science.gov (United States)

Gardiner, L.; Johnson, R.; Bergman, J.; Russell, R.; Genyuk, J.; La Grave, M.

2003-12-01

The World Wide Web can be a powerful tool for reaching the public as well as students and teachers around the world, supporting both formal and informal science education. The Windows to the Universe Project, initiated in 1995, provides a case study of approaches for the use of the web to support earth and space science education and literacy efforts. Through the use of innovative approaches such as easy to use design, multi-level content, and science concepts presented in a broader background context that includes connections to culture and the humanities, Windows to the Universe is an accessible format for individuals of various ages and learning styles. A large global audience regularly uses the web site to learn about earth and space science as well as related humanities content such as myths from around the world. User surveys show that the site has over 4 millions users per year, 65 percent of which are K-12 teachers and students. Approximately 46 percent of users access the site once per week or more. Recently, we have had the opportunity to expand our efforts while we continue to update existing content based on new scientific findings and events. Earth science content on Windows to the Universe is currently growing with a new geology section and development efforts are underway to expand our space weather content with a new curriculum. Educational games allow users to learn about space in a playful context, and an online journaling tool further integrates literacy into the learning experience. In addition, we are currently translating the entire Windows to the Universe web site into Spanish. We have included educators in the project as co-designers from its inception, and by aggressively utilizing and providing professional development opportunities for teachers, the web site is now used in thousands of classrooms around the world. In the past year we have continued to support K-12 educators by adding to our suite of classroom activities and leading

High School Teacher Perceptions of Empowerment

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Tricia S.

2014-01-01

As the responsibilities of principals become more complex and as accountability becomes more evident in K-12 cultures, it becomes increasingly important that high school principals be trained to empower teachers. This paper examined the research concerning the conditions of the empowerment of teachers. More specifically, it measured high school…

Geographic-didactical games as interactive tools to test and improve student's basic knowledge in Physical Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Winkler, S.; Tintrup Gen. Suntrup, A.

2009-04-01

Due to an increasing disproportion between experienced teaching staff and student numbers at German universities, the time available for teaching the fundamental basic knowledge in Physical Geography was condensed during the past decade. Unfortunately, this mainly has been achieved at the expense of practical lessons of testing student's knowledge. The recent introduction of the Bachelor/Master degree has not solved this problem, but rather accelerated that tend. The "losers" of this tendency are those students enrolled in trainee teacher studies in Geography. In conjunction with the recent modifications of the study programs putting more focus on applied or specialized fields of Geography and its methodology, the trainee teacher students often express their critics and urgently demand opportunities to improve and test their basic knowledge (because it is especially that knowledge, they need at school and for their traditional examination). As the study program is quite dense, there is no room for special courses or seminars. By contrast, one has to use some free time slots available e.g. in the evenings of the usually quite long German excursions or of weekend seminars. However, after a day in the field or in the classroom, the teacher has to find a method owing enough excitement and clearly visible benefit for the students to achieve sufficient motivation. Interactive geographic-didactical games have been developed exclusively for this purpose and applied at different occasions. Those games had the goal of testing student's basic knowledge in a rather unconventional and "casual" style in order to motivate active participation. Most of the games could be played in small groups of students with the teacher only occasionally being involved as referee. Of course, the games had the general aim of improving the basic knowledge - or at least give the students the possibility to discover their own strength (or weakness) just before it is too late (as it e.g. would be

Who Wants to Write on the Blackboard? Exploring the Changing Characteristics of Aspiring Teachers from 1971-2011

OpenAIRE

Vandenboom, Colleen Quinn

2014-01-01

Developing a high-quality K-12 education system in the United States is critical to the nation's prosperity and international success. Due to teachers' large impact on the success of a K-12 system, recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers is at the forefront of this discussion. Unfortunately, current state and federal assessment methods do not account for many of the teacher traits associated with teacher effectiveness--such as care and high self-concept. Furthermore, aside from demogr...

Integrating Internet Resources into the Science Classroom: Teachers' Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiesenmayer, Randall L.; Koul, Ravinder

1998-01-01

Presents teacher perspectives on the impact of Internet usage on their teaching practices. Semi-structured interviews and two online surveys provide data from teacher participants in the West Virginia K-12 RuralNet Project. (DDR)

K-12 Mathematics and the Web

Science.gov (United States)

Glazer, Evan

2005-01-01

The Web offers numerous learning resources and opportunities for K-12 mathematics education. This paper discusses those resources and opportunities. Discussion includes (a) asynchronous and synchronous communication tools, (b) the use of data sets to make connections between mathematics concepts and real-world applications, and (c) interactive…

Making NASA Earth Observing System Satellite Data Accessible to the K-12 and Citizen Scientist Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Susan W.; Phelps, Carrie S.; Chambers, Lin H.

2004-01-01

The Atmospheric Sciences Data Center (ASDC) at NASA s Langley Research Center houses over 700 data sets related to Earth s radiation budget, clouds, aerosols and tropospheric chemistry. These data sets are produced to increase academic understanding of the natural and anthropogenic perturbations that influence global climate change. The Mentoring and inquirY using NASA Data on Atmospheric and earth science for Teachers and Amateurs (MY NASA DATA) project has been established to systematically support educational activities at all levels of formal and informal education by reducing these large data holdings to microsets that will be easily explored and understood by the K-12 and the amateur scientist communities

Characteristics of the process K+p→K+anti ppp at 12 GeV/c

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, T.A.; Frame, D.; Hughes, I.S.; Kumar, B.R.; Lewis, G.M.; Macallister, J.B.; Stewart, D.T.; Turnbull, R.M.

1979-01-01

Data are presented on the reaction K + p→K + anti ppp at 12 GeV/c from an experiment using the OMEGA spectrometer at CERN. A clear Λ(1520) signal is observed in the process K + p→anti Λ(1520)pp and angular distributions and correlations are presented for this process. The angular distributions for the reaction in which anti Λ(1520) is not produced show an appreciable backward K + peak. (Auth.)

Distributed but Undefined: New Teacher Leader Roles to Change Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Margolis, Jason; Huggins, Kristin Shawn

2012-01-01

This article examines teacher leader role development and definition by looking at one emergent model of distributed leadership: the hybrid teacher leader (HTL). HTLs are teachers whose official schedule includes both teaching K-12 students and leading teachers in some capacity. Participants included six HTLs across four school districts over 2…

Updating and test on 12 kA HTSCL for Russia JINR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Tingzhi; Ding, K; Liu, C; Xu, C; Feng, H; Wu, H; Liu, X; Song, Y

2014-01-01

The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) started manufacture and test of superconducting magnets for the new accelerator complex Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA). A pair of current leads rated 12 kA was developed for cold testing of the magnets in 2012. The operation of the facility needs ∼350 leads rated from 100 A to 12 kA to convey current for the magnets. After the test of the pair of 12 kA leads in JINR a contract of supplying 3 pairs of 12 kA high temperature superconducting current leads (HTSCLs) were signed to ASIPP this year. In this paper the design updating and test of the current leads are introduced.

Gender, Forced Migration and Education: Identities and Experiences of Refugee Women Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Kirk, Jackie

2010-01-01

Drawing on narrative data from women teachers in a refugee camp in northern Ethiopia, this article explores how women's lived experiences of being teachers in a very local context are shaped within and against globalised geographies. Particular attention is paid to the forces of forced migration, to the complexities of local-global economies and…

How should we teach diverse students? Cross-cultural comparison of diversity issues in K-12 schools in Japan and the US

OpenAIRE

Fuyu Shimomura

2016-01-01

Increasing student diversity in K-12 schools has gained attention in Japan and the US. In the US, racial diversity has historically shaped inequity in educational access and teacher quality. In Japan, regardless of its reputation for cultural homogeneity among its residents, issues surrounding student diversity have gained attention because of the increasing number of returnees—Japanese students raised overseas because of their parents’ expatriation. This paper compares and contrasts the div...

High School Teacher Perceptions of Empowerment

OpenAIRE

Jacobs, Tricia Susan

2014-01-01

As the responsibilities of principals become more complex and as accountability becomes more evident in K-12 cultures, it becomes increasingly important that high school principals be trained to empower teachers. This paper examined the research concerning the conditions of the empowerment of teachers. More specifically, it measured high school teachers' perspectives concerning their levels of empowerment by their principals based on the four domains of empowerment: meaning, competence, sel...

Demographic Trends (1970-2010) for Coastal Geographies

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Demographic Trends (1970-2010) were derived from Census Block Group Data for 13 different coastal geographies. For a full listing of the geographies available,...

How to Write Geography Teaching Paper

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hua; Li, Lu

2011-01-01

Geography teaching paper is the paper especially to describe geography teaching reform and research achievement, its main purpose is to find solution to handle questions encountered in teaching through personal teaching practice, constant trying and exploration, and to scientifically summarize the procedure and methods to deal with the problem,…

Ethnic Diversity in Geography Undergraduate Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Estaville, Lawrence E.; Akiwumi, Fenda A.; Montalvo, Edris J.

2008-01-01

The discipline of geography in the United States has not done a good job of attracting people, other than Asians, from underrepresented ethnic groups. This article examines undergraduate geography programs in the United States to understand better the status of their ethnic diversity, particularly regarding Hispanics and African Americans, and to…

Perspectives on Political Geography in AP® Human Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Leib, Jonathan; Smothers-Marcello, Jody

2016-01-01

Two trends have remade the field of political geography over the past quarter-century. First, a revision of taken-for-granted concepts that amounted to "spatial determinism." Second, pioneering many new and emerging concepts such as political ecology. Both trends are important contributions to the evolving section of the AP Human…

Russian Socio-Economic Geography: Status, Challenges, Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martynov Vasilii

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The socio-economic geography studies the processes, characteristics and patterns of spatial development. In the recent decades, however, this area of scientific investigation has failed its promise, which happened for a number of external and internal reasons. The main external reason is the development of "consumer society", which does not require the search of new space and therefore ignores the "spatial" science, geography. Internal reason is the blurring of socio-economic geography along the variety of new lines of research. The discipline was, in many ways, redundant, and unselective in the application of theoretical and methodological tools liberally borrowed from other branches of both geography and economics. The only way this discipline can return to its former glory is by going all the way back to doing proper spatial research.

Teaching Geography through an Animated Lens

Science.gov (United States)

Kenna, Joshua L.; Waters, Stewart

2017-01-01

Geography is a fun and exciting discipline involving the interrogation of place and space. Film is a powerful and meaningful tool, which also transmits perceptions of place and space. Therefore, this article builds a rationale for utilizing film in the teaching of geography, particularly animated film. Next, it discusses two classroom-tested…

Learning with Teachers; A Scientist's Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Czajkowski, K. P.

2004-12-01

Over the past six years, as an Assistant Professor and now as an Associate Professor, I have engaged in educational outreach activities with K-12 teachers and their students. In this presentation I will talk about the successes and failures that I have had as a scientist engaged in K-12 educational outreach, including teaching the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) distance learning course, teaching inquiry-based science to pre-service teachers through the NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics (NOVA) program, GLOBE, school visits, and research projects with teachers and students. I will reflect on the potential impact this has had on my career, negative and positive. I will present ways that I have been able to engage in educational outreach while remaining a productive scientist, publishing research papers, etc. Obtaining grant funding to support a team of educational experts to assist me perform outreach has been critical to my groups success. However, reporting for small educational grants from state agencies can often be overwhelming. The bottom line is that I find working with teachers and students rewarding and believe that it is a critical part of me being a scientist. Through the process of working with teachers I have learned pedagogy that has helped me be a better teacher in the university classroom.

Making connections and thinking through emotions: between geography and psychotherapy

OpenAIRE

Bondi, Liz

2005-01-01

The current upsurge of interest in emotions within geography has the potential to contribute to critical perspectives that question conventional limits to scholarship. Three precursors of emotional geographies are discussed in this context (humanistic, feminist and non-representational geographies). Connections between emotional geographies and psychotherapy are explored with a view to resisting the equation of emotion with individualised subjective experience, and developing s...

Future Teachers' Spatial Thinking Skills and Attitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Euikyung E.; Milson, Andrew J.; Smith, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

The spatial thinking skills and attitudes of geography majors were compared with those of future teachers majoring in elementary education and secondary social studies education. Scores were obtained for each group on two measures: the spatial skills test and the attitude toward spatial thinking inventory. Mean differences were examined based on…

Digital Learning in California's K-12 Schools. Just the Facts

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Niu

2015-01-01

This fact page briefly discusses the following facts on digital learning in California's K-12: (1) As California implements new tests in its K-12 schools, technology infrastructure is a key concern; (2) Many districts are confident that they had enough bandwidth for online field tests; (3) Digital learning will require significantly greater…

Systematic study of K+ and K- charge exchange at 8.36 and 12.8 GeV/c

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilchriese, M.G.D.

1977-08-01

The results of a wire chamber spectrometer experiment at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center to study kaon charge exchange reactions are reported. The salient experimental features include good relative normalization between the K + and K - charge exchange reactions and a large increase, with respect to previous experiments, in the number of events obtained for K + n charge exchange at the higher energy. Approximately 1500 events at 12.8 GeV/c and 250 events at 8.36 GeV/c were obtained for each of the reactions K + n → K 0 p, K - p → anti K 0 n, K + p → K 0 Δ 2+ and K - n → anti K 0 Δ - . The results of the experiment show that the K + charge exchange cross sections are larger than the K - cross sections at both energies. In particular it is found that sigma/sub tot/ (K + n → K 0 p)/sigma/sub tot/ (K - p → anti K 0 n) is 1.37 +- 0.22 at 8.36 GeV/c and 1.38 +- 0.09 at 12.8 GeV/c. The ratio of these two reactions is also consistent with no momentum transfer dependence at either beam energy. Similarly it was determined that sigma/sub tot/ (K + p → K 0 Δ 2+ )/sigma/sub tot/ (K - n → anti K 0 Δ - ) is 1.05 +- 0.16 at 8.36 GeV/c and 1.56 +- 0.08 at 12.8 GeV/c. The ratio of these two reactions is also consistent with momentum transfer independence for both beam energies. These results are in clear conflict with the predictions of exchange degenerate Regge pole models

A review of Computer Science resources for learning and teaching with K-12 computing curricula: an Australian case study

Science.gov (United States)

Falkner, Katrina; Vivian, Rebecca

2015-10-01

To support teachers to implement Computer Science curricula into classrooms from the very first year of school, teachers, schools and organisations seek quality curriculum resources to support implementation and teacher professional development. Until now, many Computer Science resources and outreach initiatives have targeted K-12 school-age children, with the intention to engage children and increase interest, rather than to formally teach concepts and skills. What is the educational quality of existing Computer Science resources and to what extent are they suitable for classroom learning and teaching? In this paper, an assessment framework is presented to evaluate the quality of online Computer Science resources. Further, a semi-systematic review of available online Computer Science resources was conducted to evaluate resources available for classroom learning and teaching and to identify gaps in resource availability, using the Australian curriculum as a case study analysis. The findings reveal a predominance of quality resources, however, a number of critical gaps were identified. This paper provides recommendations and guidance for the development of new and supplementary resources and future research.

Integrating local environmental research into K-12 science classrooms and the value of graduate student-educator partnerships

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, N. D.; Petrik-Finley, R.

2015-12-01

Collaboration between researchers and K-12 educators enables an invaluable exchange of teaching philosophies and educational tools. Programs that partner graduate students with K-12 educators serve the dual purpose of training future educators and providing K-12 students with unique opportunities and perspectives. The benefits of this type of partnership include providing students with enhanced educational experiences and positive student-mentor relationships, training STEM graduate students in effective teaching strategies, and providing teachers with a firsthand resource for scientific information and novel educational materials. Many high school students have had little exposure to science beyond the classroom. Frequent interactions with "real-life" scientists can help make science more approachable and is an effective strategy for promoting science as a career. Here I describe my experiences and several lessons designed as a NSK GK-12 fellow. For example, a month-long unit on biogeochemical principles was framed as a crime scene investigation of a fish kill event in Hood Canal, Washington, in which students were given additional pieces of evidence to solve the mystery as they satisfied checkpoints in their understanding of key concepts. The evidence pieces included scientific plots, maps, datasets, and laboratory exercises. A clear benefit of this investigation-style unit is that students were able to learn the material at their individual pace. This structure allowed for a streamlined integration of differentiated materials such as simplified background readings or visual learning aids for struggling students or more detailed news articles and primary literature for more advanced students. Although the NSF GK-12 program has been archived, educators and researchers should pursue new partnerships, leveraging local and state-level STEM outreach programs with the goal of increasing national exposure of the societal benefits of such synergistic activities.

Professional Development Needs of Online Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Mamta; Boboc, Marius

2016-01-01

Keeping in mind the rising rate of K-12 enrollment, and the increased demand for online teachers, the need for professional development of online teachers is keenly felt. The skills needed for teaching in face-to-face environments are not always transferable to online settings. There is a pointed change in the way teaching takes place in an online…

Copyright Updates for K-12 Librarians

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Wendell G.

2016-01-01

Copyright concerns continue to bedevil K-12 librarians, who are often called upon to act as the copyright officers in public schools. This article describes recent copyright developments of concern to these librarians in three areas: a recent court case involving a university library, pending legislation supported by ALA, and a regulatory update.…

The collision cross sections for excitation energy transfer in Rb*(5P3/2)+K(4S1/2)→Rb(5S1/2)+K*(4PJ) processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvatic, V.; Vadla, C.; Movre, M.

1993-01-01

The collisional excitation transfer for the processes Rb * (5P 3/2 ) + K(4S 1/2 ) → Rb(5S 1/2 ) + K * (4P J ), J = 1/2, 3/2, was investigated using two-photon laser excitation techniques with a thermionic heat-pipe diode as a detector. The population densities of the K 4P J levels induced by collisions with excited Rb atoms as well as those produced by direct laser excitation of the potassium atoms were probed through the measurement of the thermionic signals generated due to the ionization of the potassium atoms emerging from the K(4P J ) → K(7S 1/2 ) excitation channel. (orig./WL)

Barriers in the Physics Pipeline from K-12 to Tenure

Science.gov (United States)

Kilburn, Micha

2016-09-01

The lack of diversity in physics is a known problem, and yet efforts to change our demographics have only had minor effects during the last decade. I will explain some of the hidden barriers that dissuade underrepresented minorities in becoming physicists using a framework borrowed from sociology, Maslow's hierarchy of needs. I will draw from current research at the undergraduate to faculty levels over a variety of STEM fields that are also addressing a lack of diversity. I will also provide analysis from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics Center for the Evolution of Elements (JINA-CEE) outreach programs to understand the likelihood of current K-12 students in becoming physicists. Specifically, I will present results from the pre-surveys from our Art 2 Science Camps (ages 8-14) about their attitudes towards science as well as results from analysis of teacher recommendations for our high school summer program. I will conclude with a positive outlook describing the pipeline created by JINA-CEE to retain students from middle school through college. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHY-1430152 (JINA Center for the Evolution of the Elements).

Earth Exploration Toolbook Workshops: Web-Conferencing and Teleconferencing Professional Development Bringing Earth Science Data Analysis and Visualization Tools to K-12 Teachers and Students

Science.gov (United States)

McAuliffe, C.; Ledley, T.

2008-12-01

The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) Workshops Project provides a mechanism for teachers and students to have successful data-using educational experiences. In this professional development project, teachers learn to use National Science Digital Library (NSDL), the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE), and an Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) chapter. In an EET Data Analysis Workshop, participants walk through an Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) chapter, learning basic data analysis techniques and discussing ways to use Earth science datasets and analysis tools with their students. We have offered twenty-eight Data Analysis Workshops since the project began. The total number of participants in the twenty-eight workshops to date is three hundred eleven, which reflects one hundred eighty different teachers participating in one or more workshops. Our workshops reach middle and high school teachers across the United States at schools with lower socioeconomic levels and at schools with large numbers of minority students. Our participants come from thirty-eight different states including Alaska, Maine, Florida, Montana, and many others. Eighty-six percent of our participants are classroom teachers. The remaining fourteen percent are staff development specialists, university faculty, or outreach educators working with teachers. Of the classroom teachers, one third are middle school teachers (grades 6 to 8) and two thirds are high school teachers (grades 9 to 12.) Thirty-four percent of our participants come from schools where minority populations are the majority make up of the school. Twenty-five percent of our participants are at schools where the majority of the students receive free or reduced cost lunches. Our professional development workshops are helping to raise teachers' awareness of both the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) and the National Science Digital Library (NSDL). Prior to taking one of our workshops, forty-two percent of

Live Outdoor Webcams and the Construction of Virtual Geography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Degn Johansson, Troels

2008-01-01

geographers coined a "virtual geography"-the geography of the Internet, and the networked geography-that sought to establish itself as a new field of study during the late 1990s. In order to substantiate for this interpretation, I would like in the first part of this article to identify a number of basic...

Investigating the Potential of MOOCs in K-12 Teaching and Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Nigh, Jennifer; Pytash, Kristine E.; Ferdig, Richard E.; Merchant, William

2015-01-01

The massive open online course (MOOC) is a relatively new concept in K-12 teaching and learning environments. Although significant work has been done with MOOCs since 2008, it has only been recently that MOOCs have been studied with K-12 populations. The purpose of this study was to further examine the motivation of K-12 students enrolled in a…

Problem-Based Learning in the Life Science Classroom, K-12

Science.gov (United States)

McConnell, Tom; Parker, Joyce; Eberhardt, Janet

2016-01-01

"Problem-Based Learning in the Life Science Classroom, K-12" offers a great new way to ignite your creativity. Authors Tom McConnell, Joyce Parker, and Janet Eberhardt show you how to engage students with scenarios that represent real-world science in all its messy, thought-provoking glory. The scenarios prompt K-12 learners to immerse…

Remapping Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Jonathan M.; Norwine, Jim

2009-01-01

Little that occurs in contemporary academic geography will surprise members of the National Association of Scholars, for a large part of the field has joined the other humanities and social sciences in the bawdy saloon of progressive politics, cultural nihilism, and subjective epistemology. That geographers are in there roistering with the…

Student Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Systems Thinking: Effects of Different Interventions

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenkränzer, Frank; Hörsch, Christian; Schuler, Stephan; Riess, Werner

2017-01-01

Systems' thinking has become increasingly relevant not only in education for sustainable development but also in everyday life. Even if teachers know the dynamics and complexity of living systems in biology and geography, they might not be able to effectively explain it to students. Teachers need an understanding of systems and their behaviour…

Moral regulation: historical geography and scale

OpenAIRE

Legg, Stephen; Brown, Michael

2013-01-01

This paper introduces a special issue on the historical geography of moral regulation and scale. The paper examines the rich and varied work of geographers on moral geographies before looking at wider work on moral regulation influenced by Michel Foucault. Highlighting the significance of the\\ud neglected dimension of scale, the paper introduces the themes examined in the subsequent papers.

Imagining Geographies, Mapping Identities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Graves

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The ambition of this issue of Portal is to reach across the methodological boundaries of history, politics, literature and geography to apply their complementary perspectives to the study of identity and its relation to space and place, an aim that involves attempting to identify the many different ways the notoriously slippery concepts of identity and geography may intersect. For this issue we have selected articles that cast a fresh perspective on two areas where identity and geography intersect: the construction of identity through the imaginative recreation of place in literature: Mapping Literary Spaces; and the study of the shifting relationships of centre and periphery, exclusion and inclusion in urban settings and geopolitical confrontations: Social and Political Peripheries. Gerard Toal has written that geography is not a noun but a verb: it does not describe what space is but studies what we do with space, imaginatively and politically. The articles in this issue illustrate the exercise of the literary and political imagination and the role of materiality and memory in the creation of geographic representation. They show too a new awareness of the centrality of space in the constitution of identities, and the need for a new geocritical reading of its discourse, as the interrelations of place and community are played out on the many scales of social and political life, from the local to the global.   The special issue is organised thus: Introduction Matthew Graves (Aix-Marseille University & Liz Rechniewski (Sydney University: “Imagining Geographies, Mapping Identities.” I. Mapping Literary Spaces - Isabelle Avila (University of Paris XIII, "Les Cartes de l'Afrique au XIXe siècle et Joseph Conrad : Perceptions d'une Révolution Cartographique." - Daniela Rogobete (University of Craiova, "Global vs Glocal: Dimensions of the post-1981 Indian English Novel." II. Social and Political Peripheries - Elizabeth Rechniewski (Sydney

Integration of Geospatial Technologies into K-12 Curriculum: An Investigation of Teacher and Student Perceptions and Student Academic Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Donna L.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore outcomes of a GIS/GPS integration process: to (a) examine student responses to GIS and GPS inclusion in their curriculum, (b) determine whether a relationship exists between inclusion of GIS into existing K-12 curriculum and student achievement, (c) examine the effectiveness of GIS professional development…

The Wiley Blackwell companion to political geography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agnew, J.; Mamadouh, V.; Secor, A.J.; Sharp, J.

2015-01-01

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Political Geography aims to account for the intellectual and worldly developments that have taken place in and around political geography in the last 10 years. Bringing together established names in the field as well as new scholars, it highlights provocative

Barriers to Teaching Introductory Physical Geography Online

Science.gov (United States)

Ritter, Michael E.

2012-01-01

Learning geography online is becoming an option for more students but not without controversy. Issues of faculty resources, logistics, professional recognition, and pedagogical concerns are cited as barriers to teaching online. Offering introductory physical geography online presents special challenges. As a general education course, an…

Economic development and the geography of institutions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosker, E.M.; Garretsen, J.H.

To explain cross-country income differences, research has recently focused on the so-called deep determinants of economic development, notably institutions and geography. This article shows that it is not only absolute geography, in terms of for instance climate or being landlocked, but also

Twenty Years of One Astronomy Teacher Professional Development - The EXES Teacher Associate Program at UT Austin

Science.gov (United States)

Finkelstein, Keely; Hemenway, Mary Kay; Sneden, Chris; Lacy, John; Richter, Matthew J.; EXES Teacher Associates

2018-01-01

The Astronomy Department and McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin has and continues to offer a suite of different astronomy based K-12 teacher professional development programs. One of our longest running, and most successful programs, is reaching its 20th anniversary, the EXES Teacher Associate Program, which was started in 1998. The EXES Teacher Associate program features sustained and continued professional development opportunities for K-12 science and math educators. It consists of 6 times per year day-long meetings, coupled with other professional development opportunities provided at various times. In total, there are approximately 30 active members of the group currently, but more than 90 teachers have participated in this group over its 20 year history. The program has had astronomy education as its focus throughout its history, but different partnerships and collaborations with other programs have supported the group and have allowed for a variety of professional development opportunities and themes for educators to engage in. We will give an overview of this program, present evaluation data and teacher feedback related to program success and student impact, and highlight a few specific program opportunities that are unique and have been shown to be most impactful for participants.

A Library approach to establish an Educational Data Curation Framework (EDCF) that supports K-12 data science sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Branch, B. D.; Wegner, K.; Smith, S.; Schulze, D. G.; Merwade, V.; Jung, J.; Bessenbacher, A.

2013-12-01

It has been the tradition of the libraries to support literacy. Now in the realm of Executive Order, Making Open and Machine Readable the New Default for Government Information, May 9, 2013, the library has the responsibility to support geospatial data, big data, earth science data or cyber infrastructure data that may support STEM for educational pipeline stimulation. (Such information can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/09/executive-order-making-open-and-machine-readable-new-default-government-.) Provided is an Educational Data Curation Framework (EDCF) that has been initiated in Purdue research, geospatial data service engagement and outreach endeavors for future consideration and application to augment such data science and climate literacy needs of future global citizens. In addition, this endorsement of this framework by the GLOBE program may facilitate further EDCF implementations, discussion points and prototypes for libraries. In addition, the ECDF will support teacher-led, placed-based and large scale climate or earth science learning systems where such knowledge transfer of climate or earth science data is effectively transferred from higher education research of cyberinfrastructure use such as, NOAA or NASA, to K-12 teachers and school systems. The purpose of this effort is to establish best practices for sustainable K-12 data science delivery system or GLOBE-provided system (http://vis.globe.gov/GLOBE/) where libraries manage the data curation and data appropriateness as data reference experts for such digital data. Here, the Purdue University Libraries' GIS department works to support soils, LIDAR and water science data experiences to support teacher training for an EDCF development effort. Lastly, it should be noted that the interdisciplinary collaboration and demonstration of library supported outreach partners and national organizations such the GLOBE program may best foster EDCF development. This trend in data

Transfer of Active Learning Strategies from the Teacher Education Classroom to PreK-12th Grade Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Pepper, Kaye; Blackwell, Sarah; Monroe, Ann; Coskey, Shawn

2012-01-01

In this study, researchers investigated the influence of modeling active learning strategies in an introductory foundations teacher preparation course: 1) on teacher candidates' perceptions of participating in active learning in the college classroom, 2) on participants' acquisition of course content, and 3) on participants' later use of active…

A Vision in Aeronautics: The K-12 Wind Tunnel Project

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

A Vision in Aeronautics, a project within the NASA Lewis Research Center's Information Infrastructure Technologies and Applications (IITA) K-12 Program, employs small-scale, subsonic wind tunnels to inspire students to explore the world of aeronautics and computers. Recently, two educational K-12 wind tunnels were built in the Cleveland area. During the 1995-1996 school year, preliminary testing occurred in both tunnels.

The emerging empirics of evolutionary economic geography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boschma, R.A.; Frenken, K.

2011-01-01

Following last decade’s programmatic papers on Evolutionary Economic Geography, we report on recent empirical advances and how this empirical work can be positioned vis-a`-vis other strands of research in economic geography. First, we review studies on the path dependent nature of clustering, and

The emerging empirics of evolutionary economic geography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boschma, R.A.; Frenken, K.

2010-01-01

Following last decade’s programmatic papers on Evolutionary Economic Geography, we report on recent empirical advances and how this empirical work can be positioned vis-à-vis other strands of research in economic geography. First, we review studies on the path dependent nature of clustering, and how

The emerging empirics of evolutionary economic geography.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boschma, R.A.; Frenken, K.

2011-01-01

Following last decade’s programmatic papers on Evolutionary Economic Geography, we report on recent empirical advances and how this empirical work can be positioned vis-a`-vis other strands of research in economic geography. First, we review studies on the path dependent nature of clustering, and

Expanding Computer Science Education in Schools: Understanding Teacher Experiences and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Aman; Gretter, Sarah; Hambrusch, Susanne; Sands, Phil

2017-01-01

The increased push for teaching computer science (CS) in schools in the United States requires training a large number of new K-12 teachers. The current efforts to increase the number of CS teachers have predominantly focused on training teachers from other content areas. In order to support these beginning CS teachers, we need to better…

Genetics: A New Landscape for Medical Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Carrel, Margaret; Emch, Michael

2014-01-01

The emergence and re-emergence of human pathogens resistant to medical treatment will present a challenge to the international public health community in the coming decades. Geography is uniquely positioned to examine the progressive evolution of pathogens across space and through time, and to link molecular change to interactions between population and environmental drivers. Landscape as an organizing principle for the integration of natural and cultural forces has a long history in geography, and, more specifically, in medical geography. Here, we explore the role of landscape in medical geography, the emergent field of landscape genetics, and the great potential that exists in the combination of these two disciplines. We argue that landscape genetics can enhance medical geographic studies of local-level disease environments with quantitative tests of how human-environment interactions influence pathogenic characteristics. In turn, such analyses can expand theories of disease diffusion to the molecular scale and distinguish the important factors in ecologies of disease that drive genetic change of pathogens. PMID:24558292

Preservice Teachers' Perspectives on 'Appropriate' K-8 Climate Change and Environmental Science Topics

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, D. J.

2013-12-01

With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NRC, 2013), climate change and related environmental sciences will now receive greater emphasis within science curricula at all grade levels. In grades K-8, preparation in foundational content (e.g., weather and climate, natural resources, and human impacts on the environment) and the nature of scientific inquiry will set the groundwork for later learning of climate change in upper middle and high school. These rigorous standards increase pressure on elementary and middle school teachers to possess strong science content knowledge, as well as experience supporting children to develop scientific ideas through the practices of science. It also requires a set of beliefs - about children and the science that is appropriate for them - that is compatible with the goals set out in the standards. Elementary teachers in particular, who often have minimal preparation in the earth sciences (NSF, 2007), and entrenched beliefs about how particular topics ought to be taught (Holt- Reynolds, 1992; Pajares, 1992), including climate change (Bryce & Day, 2013; Lambert & Bleicher, 2013), may face unique challenges in adjusting to the new standards. If teachers hold beliefs about climate change as controversial, for example, they may not consider it an appropriate topic for children, despite its inclusion in the standards. On the other hand, those who see a role for children in efforts to mitigate human impacts on the environment may be more enthusiastic about the new standards. We report on a survey of preservice K-8 teachers' beliefs about the earth and environmental science topics that they consider to be appropriate and inappropriate for children in grades K-3, 4-5, and 6-8. Participants were surveyed on a variety of standards-based topics using terminology that signals publicly and scientifically neutral (e.g. weather, ecosystems) to overtly controversial (evolution, global warming) science. Results from pilot data

Applied evolutionary economics and economic geography

OpenAIRE

Peter Sunley

2008-01-01

Applied Evolutionary Economics and Economic Geography aims to further advance empirical methodologies in evolutionary economics, with a special emphasis on geography and firm location. It does so by bringing together a select group of leading scholars including economists, geographers and sociologists, all of whom share an interest in explaining the uneven distribution of economic activities in space and the historical processes that have produced these patterns.

Discrete Mathematics in Deaf Education: A Survey of Teachers' Knowledge and Use

Science.gov (United States)

Pagliaro, C.; Kritzer, K. L.

2005-01-01

The study documents what deaf education teachers know about discrete mathematics topics and determines if these topics are present in the mathematics curriculum. Survey data were collected from 290 mathematics teachers at center and public school programs serving a minimum of 120 students with hearing loss, grades K-8 or K-12, in the United…

WORLD POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY: THEORETICAL MUDDLE?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Célio Augusto da Cunha

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the recent use in the Political Geography of the structuralist social theories. It is performed initially, a brief reflection on the depreciation (or appreciation of the utopias and Marxist concepts. The methodological foundations of geographical approaches based on the world-systems theory are analyzed. It is also questioned the relationship of these approaches with geopolitical analysis in the macro-scale. At last, abridged, there is a discussion about the links of imperialism and the regulation theory with the geography.

Discussing implications of technology and energy on society: the role of the teachers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunnell, B.J.

1994-01-01

In exploring the implications of technology with pupils (in science, in geography, in technology, in history), teachers carry the fundamental responsibility of encouraging the formation of pupils' personal opinions but not influencing them. Realizing the teacher's role passes by open minded, well informed and confident teachers, well suited learning approaches (group work, role play...) and suitable resources (equipment...). Whilst evolving in many schools and curriculum areas within England and Wales, the consideration of controversial issues is constrained by competing pressures upon teachers and the curriculum

Building Geography's New Frontier: Implementing the Australian Curriculum Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Purnell, Ken

2013-01-01

The introduction of Geography as a compulsory learning area from Foundation year, such as Kindergarten, to Year 8 in Australia provides new opportunities for learning and teaching. Opportunities, in part, will be driven by challenges associated with the introduction of this learning area. Key challenges are about variability: in take-up of the…

Computer Science Teacher Professional Development in the United States: A Review of Studies Published between 2004 and 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Menekse, Muhsin

2015-01-01

While there has been a remarkable interest to make computer science a core K-12 academic subject in the United States, there is a shortage of K-12 computer science teachers to successfully implement computer sciences courses in schools. In order to enhance computer science teacher capacity, training programs have been offered through teacher…

How Student Teachers Describe the Online Collaborative Learning Experience and Evaluate Its Contribution to Their Learning and Their Future Work as Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Margaliot, Adva; Gorev, Dvora; Vaisman, Tami

2018-01-01

This study examined student teachers' attitudes toward online collaborative learning (OCL) as related to their satisfaction, learning experience, contribution to personal knowledge, and future teaching. One hundred and four students participated in a program that retrains university graduates to become K-12 teachers. The study combines both…

Developing Trainee Teacher Practice with Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

Science.gov (United States)

Walshe, Nicola

2017-01-01

There is general agreement that geographical information systems (GIS) have a place within the geography classroom; they offer the potential to support geographical learning, exploring real-world problems through student-centred learning, and developing spatial thinking. Despite this, teachers often avoid engaging with GIS and research suggests…

Linking Theory and Practice: Teacher Research in History and Geography Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Admiraal, Wilfried; Buijs, Maartje; Claessens, Wout; Honing, Terence; Karkdijk, Jan

2017-01-01

The impact of scholarly research in education on the educational practice in secondary school is low. Academics examine problems that teachers in school perceive as irrelevant, want to publish in peer-reviewed journals instead of disseminate their work, and aim at generalizing insights rather than improving school practice. Teacher research might…

The Draw of Home: How Teachers' Preferences for Proximity Disadvantage Urban Schools. NBER Working Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, Donald; Lankford, Hamilton; Loeb, Susanna; Wyckoff, James

This paper explores a little-understood aspect of labor markets, their spatial geography. Using data from New York State, it finds teacher labor markets to be geographically very small. Teachers express preferences to teach close to where they grew up, and, controlling for proximity, they prefer areas with characteristics similar to their…

The Experience of Using Geoportal in National Geography Olympiad in Estonia. GI_Forum 2014 – Geospatial Innovation for Society|

OpenAIRE

Uuemaa, Evelyn; Liiber, Ülle

2014-01-01

For the past couple of years, the Estonian Land Board Geoportal has been effectively used in the Geography Olympiad’s tasks. We analyzed how well students performed in these tasks and also what students and teachers thought about using the Geoportal for problemsolving tasks, and what was problematic or interesting in their opinion. The students’ skills in using Geoportal were quite good and they were very interested in using it.

Trade costs in empirical New Economic Geography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosker, E.M.; Garretsen, J.H.

Trade costs are a crucial element of New Economic Geography (NEG) models. Without trade costs there is no role for geography. In empirical NEG studies the unavailability of direct trade cost data calls for the need to approximate these trade costs by introducing a trade cost function. In doing so,

Beyond Science and Math: Integrating Geography Education

Science.gov (United States)

Grubbs, Michael E.; Grubbs, Steven

2015-01-01

This article discusses the status of World Geography Education and the importance of these concepts in developing 21st century students. Moreover, the authors also showcase how World Geography concepts can be intentionally taught through a technological/engineering, design-based learning challenge that requires students to solve a global housing…

Teacher Stress: A Descriptive Study of the Concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Dedrick, Charles V.; And Others

1981-01-01

A recent survey of K-12 teachers in a middle-sized midwestern school system sought to identify the stressful conditions of the teaching profession as perceived by teachers. Women ranked lack of time as the greatest source of stress while men ranked disruptive students as the most stressful condition. (Author/WD)

Developing HALM Teaching Competencies in PETE Teacher Candidates

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, Carol; Prusak, Keven; Zanandrea, Maria

2018-01-01

The lifetime activities approach, which grew out of the lifetime physical activity model, has informed the practice of one physical education teacher education (PETE) program as it prepares teacher candidates to teach K-12 students about the importance of health, health-related fitness, and physical activity. Health-enhancing behaviors such as…

Science literacy programs for K-12 teachers, public officials, news media and the public. Final report, 1994--1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

On 12 July 94, The Institute for Science and Society received the above titled grant for $300,000 with an additional $323,000 awarded 14 August 95. The Institute completed the programs provided by the Department of Energy grant on 28 February 97. These programs for teachers, public officials, news media and the public will continue through 31 December 97 with funding from other sources. The Institute is a non-profit 501-c-3 corporation. It was organized {open_quotes}... to help increase science literacy in all segments of the population and contribute to a more rational atmosphere than now exists for the public consideration of societal issues involving science and technology, both regional and national.{close_quotes} Institute personnel include the Honorable Mike McCormack, Director; Joan Harris, Associate Director; Kim Freier, Ed.D, Program Manager; and Sharon Hunt, Executive Secretary.

An Examination of Ideology among Selected K12 Christian School Superintendents

Science.gov (United States)

Dolson, Jimmy L.

2013-01-01

This research project focused on explaining the decision making process of K12 Christian school superintendents whose schools belong to the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) organization. In spite of their similar religious and philosophical beliefs, ACSI K12 Christian school superintendents differed significantly in…

Nihithewak Ithiniwak, Nihithewatisiwin and science education: An exploratory narrative study examining Indigenous-based science education in K--12 classrooms from the perspectives of teachers in Woodlands Cree community contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Michell, Herman Jeremiah

This study was guided by the following research questions: What do the stories of teachers in Nihithewak (Woodlands Cree) school contexts reveal about their experiences and tendencies towards cultural and linguistic-based pedagogical practices and actions in K-12 classrooms? How did these teachers come to teach this way? How do their beliefs and values from their experiences in science education and cultural heritage influence their teaching? Why do these teachers do what they do in their science classroom and instructional practices? The research explores Indigenous-based science education from the perspectives and experiences of science teachers in Nihithewak school contexts. Narrative methodology (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) was used as a basis for collecting and analyzing data emerging from the research process. The results included thematic portraits and stories of science teaching that is connected to Nihithewak and Nihithewatisiwin (Woodlands Cree Way of Life). Major data sources included conversational interviews, out-of-class observations and occasional in-class observations, field notes, and a research journal. An interview guide with a set of open-ended and semi-structured questions was used to direct the interviews. My role as researcher included participation in storied conversations with ten selected volunteer teachers to document the underlying meanings behind the ways they teach science in Nihithewak contexts. This research is grounded in socio-cultural theory commonly used to support the examination and development of school science in Indigenous cultural contexts (Lemke, 2001; O'Loughlin, 1992). Socio-cultural theory is a framework that links education, language, literacy, and culture (Nieto, 2002). The research encapsulates a literature review that includes the history of Aboriginal education in Canada (Battiste & Barman, 1995; Kirkness, 1992; Perley, 1993), Indigenous-based science education (Cajete, 2000; Aikenhead, 2006a), multi

On the future of regional geography

OpenAIRE

Wood, G.

1999-01-01

This contribution discusses possible future prospects of regional geography. This is done against the background of current socio-spatial developments and of various theoretical and conceptional debates as they are taking place mainly in English- and French-speaking countries. By taking central elements of modern conceptions of science as a basis possible regional geographie research issues will be identified which promise to be both aeademieally stimulating and socially rel...

(Im)mobile Geographies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Minca, C.

2013-01-01

The growing tendency to evaluate – sometimes even ''measure'' – the ''productivity'' of academics is seriously affecting what we consider to be relevant geographical output. This tendency is also significantly reshaping the actual geographies of the disciplinary debate, by introducing important

K-n and K-p elastic scattering in K-d collisions from 1.2 to 2.2 GeV/c