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Playing on reality: do geomodels improve the perception of geographical terms?
Abstract
Remodeling of geography education has been an ongoing challenge recently. Constructivist pedagogy, employing tools of problem and model-based learning, offers new opportunities to meet these challenges. Geomodels, flumes and stream tables may ease the understanding of geographic processes through hand-on-experience for students. With a computer-controlled geomodel, we analyzed the development of 36 high school students’ terminology in the fields of potamology and remote sensing. Potamology terms, provided after the experimental session, were more focused and reflected the information perception and fixation during the experiment. Three weeks later the terminology of the students indicated a partial fixation of the relevant terms. When students’ terminology on remote sensing was analyzed, the pre-experiment terms were loosely connected to the topic. Over the class, students’ terminology increased in the field of potamology. Although it became more topic-specific and focused, students’ remote sensing terminology still contained a large number of off-topic terms by the end of the experiment and three weeks later. Our findings revealed one of the major weaknesses of the Hungarian educational system, i.e. teachers are forced to follow the conventional geographical curricula, therefore hindering their adaptation to cutting-edge educational methods and the learning-by-doing approach of the Western European and North American syllabi.
... The vulnerability of field experiments can occur where the analysis of the effect associated with technical and climatic factors are not taken into account. Szabolcs et al. (2016) researching the few pedagogy challenges of experiments (e.g., geomodels) showed a simplified problem-based (e.g., planning, preparation) in a hydrologic experimental environment. Field hydrologic works include measurements and observations that should facilitate the test hypotheses about system functioning in all aspects of hydrology or test hypotheses in the face of assumed uncertainties (Beven, 2018). ...
Traditionally, rainfall-runoff studies are some of the most important methods to help the understanding of the hydrological processes, management of water resources, and potential risks associated with extreme rainfall events (e.g., soil loss, flash-floods, and landslides). This chapter aims to show how an efficient hydrological experimental fieldwork can be designed using practical examples such as plot construction at different spatial and temporal scales, setups, monitoring, and data collection. A correct design of a field experimental monitoring can be an accurate method to give researchers realistic measurements of the variability of runoff response and soil erosion processes, allowing for the production of a large spectrum of data in a medium term period of time. The obtained results show the importance of rainfall-runoff experimental fieldwork and how to manage water resources based on the current status of the understanding of the hydrological field observations and costs associated with runoff-erosion field experimental plots set up.
... Besides Africa, Latin America and some regions of Asia, most of post-socialist countries in Europe also fall within this category. However, considering the fact that it reached the adoption/development stage, Czech Republic stands out as a significant exception (Král & Řezníčková, 2013;Svatonová & Mrázková, 2010), which holds true to some extent for Hungary too (Bartha, 2010;Czigány et al., 2018). Generally, the education systems of post-socialist countries suffer from a number of negative consequences of socioeconomic transition and the slow process of adopting new innovative approaches, which is why the case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina should be considered in this light. ...
The use of geospatial technology at lower levels of education has become a global tendency. However, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that is virtually uncharted in this regard, and the present paper has the main purpose to change that fact. Results of a survey conducted among geography teachers place this country within the entry category. Different attitudes among various groups of teachers (based on gender, age and regional distribution) have also been tested. Although the general hypotheses could not be confirmed, certain specific differences have been found, such as in the use of virtual globes, theoretical knowledge of GIS and willingness to attend educational training courses.
... Increasingly, young and even older people are treating the Internet as their main source of knowledge, approaching content found on the web uncritically and without a shadow of distrust. The Internet is increasingly replacing traditional sources of knowledge, such as scientific and popular science articles and publications, atlases, maps (Park and Biddix 2008;Dogruer et al. 2011;Marks et al. 2012;Czigány et al. 2017). What is the reason for this? ...
The aim of this paper is to assess the quality and correctness of information on Polish soils available on selected websites. Particular attention was paid to educational portals, which became the subject of evaluation of the information its contains in terms of the correctness, up-to-dateness and reliability. Twenty-five websites representing educational portals and blogs were selected for analysis in terms of their contents (type of subject matter) correctness (substantial value), curentness (presence of up-to-date information) and completeness. Most of the information on the evaluated educational portals is targeted at high school students. These websites present only basic content. The most frequent issues on the analyzed portals were: soil types and soil systematics, distribution of soils in Poland, definition of soil and also soil valuation classes. Websites addressed to university students constitute a decided minority, could be said, that even an exception. One of those is article on Wikipedia, which has the highest educational value among all analysed websites. The internet as a source of knowledge about soil cover of Poland
The development of digital skills among pupils at the lowest levels is already a common part of education. The implementation of geospatial technologies (GST) is one of the ways to build and deepen these skills in primary and secondary schools. The use of these technologies is possible through an inquiry approach. This paper aims to identify the knowledge gaps on the issue of linking GST and inquiry in primary and secondary school learning and teaching. This article presents findings from 36 English-language empirical research studies published up to 2020 in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The systematic review focuses mainly on the methods used and the results of the studies. The analysis of the studies shows that the methods used in them are strongly heterogeneous and qualitative and quantitative methods have similar representation. The results of the studies indicate that in this type of learning and teaching, prior teacher preparation is necessary, and students develop digital competencies and knowledge related to GST and the topic of the learning task that is addressed using these technologies. This systematic review presents recommendations and pitfalls for learning and teaching through inquiry with GST, but also recommendations for future research.
Fluvial geomorphologists have tried to describe the outstanding tectonically affected avulsion process of Tisza River at the Great Hungarian Plain by various theoretical concepts. Flume experiments provide the ability to examine the main characteristic processes of a highlighted surface development theory under controlled settings within an accelerated time scale. Our goal was to reconstruct and refine these hypotheses from a new experimental point of view. Contrary to the previous flume studies focused on a highlighted mechanism, our experiment combined several processes for confirmation purposes. In this study we performed an experiment of the avulsion process mentioned above on a 12 x 5 x 2.5 m flume where a special instrument was planted under the sand layers in order to simulate the vertical tectonic movements. A terrestrial laser scanner was used to record the different stages of the topographic evolution. We shaped the initial surface and executed the main landscape forming processes according to theoretical descriptions then with modifications to examine the similarities and differences between the experimental outcomes and the theoretical evolution. The results of three different types of scenarios proved the key role of the uplifting Nyírség alluvial fan in the channel direction changing process of Tisza River. On the other hand, the role of Bodrogköz area had been questioned. Flume experiments with appropriate equipment can serve as a suitable tool for the reconstruction of surface development theories taking into account several landscape forming processes simultaneously.
At first glance, the introduction of a national curriculum for Australian schools suggested a new era of revival for school geography. Since the late 1980s, the development and introduction of more integrated conceptions of curriculum design and implementation has seen the decline of Geography as a distinct subject in Australian schools, with statewide guidelines or frameworks that promoted the integration of Geography along with History into Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE). The approval of the Australian Curriculum: Geography design in late 2013, therefore, offered some degree of optimism that Geography would be revived as a distinctive area of learning in the secondary environment.Utilising a qualitative comparative case study of three Victorian secondary schools, this paper argues that the hopes of renewal engendered by the institution of an agreed national Geography curriculum have been confronted by the reality of school curriculum and governance processes, in which existing local staff structures and priorities are more of an imperative in school-based Geography curriculum decision-making than policy-driven curriculum change.
Climate change is an important theme in the investigation of human–environment interactions in geographic education. This study explored the nature of students’ understanding of concepts and processes related to climate change. Through semi-structured interviews, data was collected from 27 Secondary 3 (Grade 9) students from Singapore. The data was subjected to thematic analysis using Chi and Roscoe's conceptual change framework. The results showed that the students’ base knowledge of climate change is composed of incomplete and incorrect elements built within coherent and structurally sound mental models. Due to the consistency of the models in expanding the logic, albeit erroneous, of explaining the climate change conundrum, it is posited that students are unaware of mistakes inherent in their judgements. Transformation of these mental models through multiple and deliberate refutations should be foremost in a geography teacher's pedagogical approach.
In recent decades both physical modelling and computer simulation of fl uvial processes has undergone rapid progress. The paper summarizes the achievements of both international and Hungarian laboratory experiments in fl uvial geomorphology. Then, the new auto-matically governed fl ume facility, called PTETHYS (Project for Tectonical and Hydrological Simulations) recently set up at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Pécs, is pre-sented. Finally, some of the new opportunities it off ers for research in fl uvial geomorphology are briefl y demonstrated: the identifi cation of geomorphological thresholds; modelling the generation of (fl ash) fl oods and its application for the reconstruction of the architectural elements and geomorphic evolution of fl oodplains. Some important channel parameters can be quantitatively investigated: channel cross-section change, amount of bedload infl uencing braiding, current velocity distribution etc. The novelty of the facility is the easy adjustment of channel slope and continuous experimenting (no need for interruption as in the case of laser-scanned experiments). The scaling necessary for quantitative analyses is also tackled.
The present study describes the redesign of a Problem Based Learning (PBL) course in a Business curriculum and the effects of this approach on students' cognitive learning outcomes. The goal of the research was to explore the extent to which this new approach would yield better cognitive learning outcomes, when compared to a regular PBL setting. Three main aspects of the regular PBL course were redesigned. Firstly, the authenticity of the case studies was optimized. Authentic problem descriptions and company information were used for the acquisition, application, and assessment of knowledge. Ill-structured real-life information was used, from real companies. Secondly, control aspects between students and tutors were modified. Students were given increased control over their tasks as they worked more independently from their tutors in small, self-steering teams. Thirdly, the students' ways of social collaboration were adapted to resemble teamwork in business practice. Apart from one regular PBL tutorial meeting, students worked in very small teams. Student collaboration on problem solving and information delivery was supported through electronic communication tools.In order to measure the effects of the redesign on students' cognitive learning outcomes, a quasi-experimental comparative design was set up. Subjects were second-year students who were enrolled in a marketing course at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. They completed a case study at the end of the course. The scores on this knowledge application test indicated that the redesigned PBL-format contributed significantly to improved cognitive gains, compared to the regular PBL-setting.
This research tested the hypothesis that students’ erroneous mental models about groundwater will change towards more valid concepts if they are taught on the basis of a mental model-building strategy that focuses on the clarification of students’ misconceptions. To examine the hypothesis a quasi-experimental research design was chosen. The methodology adopted in the study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. To promote conceptual change, a teaching and learning approach aiming at mental model building developed by Taylor et al. (2003) was adopted in the experimental group, while the control group was taught in a traditional lecture style. The procedure was applied to investigate the mental models of 30 German undergraduate teacher education students in geography. More than 75% of the students’ conceptions were either unclear or incorrect, based on simple, ‘common sense’ views of groundwater deposits. After the intervention the experimental group revealed significantly fewer misconceptions in their mental models about groundwater than did the control group. Teaching and learning by the mental model-building approach therefore seems to help undergraduate students to improve and refine their mental models of the abstract concept of groundwater occurrence in natures. The findings also suggest that the mental model-building approach could be a feasible strategy to induce conceptual change of other natural and cultural phenomena in geography and environmental sciences.
The Swiss national curriculum for upper secondary schools requires geography to be taught according to new paradigms concerning subject contents and learning methodology. Today, nearly 10 years after the new curriculum was enacted, the question arises whether the paradigmatic changes were acknowledged by geography teachers and integrated into their teaching. This paper explores what teachers teach today in geography classes, relating it to teachers’ constructs of the images of geography. The paper further describes to what extent the interests of teachers and students in the subject diverge. The paper concludes with considerations of the implications for curriculum improvements, teaching methodology and teacher education.
Kolb's experiential learning theory is one of the best known educational theories in higher education. The theory presents a way of structuring a session or a whole course using a learning cycle. The different stages of the cycle are associated with distinct learning styles. Individuals differ in their preferred learning styles, and recognizing this is the first stage in raising students' awareness of the alternative approaches possible. This article presents some case studies of ways in which the theory can be applied in university geography.
Growing diversity is focusing attention on the range of different student learning styles. This study assesses whether geographers have a predominant learning style and whether this varies between and within countries. The findings are based on over 900 geography students from 12 universities in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US, who completed Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI). The implications for curriculum design and student learning strategies are discussed. It is suggested that departments should aim to produce balanced learners with a full range of learning capacities rather than simply matching teaching to existing learning styles.
The purpose of this article is to describe the development, validation and use of the Constructivist Multimedia Learning Environment Survey (CMLES). This questionnaire assesses teachers' and students' perceptions of the learning environment when students use online
multimedia programs while teachers use constructivism as a referent for their teaching. The design of the questionnaire was
based on a constructivist approach to learning and focused on the process of learning with the multimedia program and on the
nature of that program. Before the use of the CMLES becomes widespread, it was important to determine whether it is valid
and reliable. Therefore, a study involving 221 students in 12 high school classrooms into statistical validation and interpretive
validation of the questionnaire was undertaken. For this sample of Grade 10 and 11 students who completed the actual and preferred
forms of the questionnaire, the CMLES scales demonstrated a high degree of internal consistency reliability (with alpha reliability
coefficients ranging from .73 to .82), as well as satisfactory factorial validity and discriminant validity. Therefore, the
study supports the reliability and validity of the CMLES for assessing students' and teachers' perceptions of one important
aspect in evaluating learning environments which promote the use of multimedia programs and constructivist learning approaches.
This paper describes a professional development program using an interactive multimedia program to develop teachers' understanding
of a constructivist epistemology in science education. The aim of this study was to describe teachers' reflections on and
perceptions of a series of professional development workshops and how teachers changed their classroom practices after having
participated in the workshops. The software, developed with the cooperation of teachers and students, is based on the Birds of Antarctica database (Maor & Phillips, 1996). This database was designed as an interactive program which requires teachers to use a constructivist-oriented
approach to teaching and learning in order to promote the development of inquiry skills particularly higher-order thinking
skills. A series of workshops for teachers was conducted to empower them to become comfortable with using computers in science
classrooms and to enable them to enhance their understanding of, and ability to use, personal and social constructivist approaches.
Teachers' perceptions of the process of learning with the multimedia program and their reactions to their experiences were
assessed using a new instrument, the Constructivist Multimedia Learning Environment Survey (CMLES). The results of the study suggest that teachers who participated as learners in the professional development program
became familiar with a constructivist-oriented multimedia learning environment; understood the context, problems, and issues
faced by students in the classroom; and were better able to facilitate students' needs and understanding in this learning
environment.
The purpose of this article is to review recent research on self-regulated learning and discuss the implications of this research for science education. We draw on examples of self-regulated learning from the science education literature to summarise and illustrate effective instructional methods and the development of metacognitive understanding (Gunstone; 1999a; Rickey & Stacy, 2000; White & Mitchell, 1994). We also focus on the crucial role that metacognition plays in self-regulation (Baird & White, 1996; Nichols, Tippins, & Wieseman, 1997; White, 1998).
We divide our discussion into two main parts. The first focuses on three components of self-regulated learning, including cognition, metacognition, and motivation. We relate these aspects of self-regulation to current practices in science education. The second section focuses on six general instructional strategies for improving self-regulation in the science classroom. We focus on the use of inquiry based learning, the role of collaborative support, strategy and problem solving instruction, the construction of mental models, the use of technology to support learning, and the role of personal beliefs such as self-efficacy and epistemological world views. These instructional strategies are selected because they reflect extensive research agendas over the last decade within the science education literature and are essential to metacognition and self-regulation (Butler & Winne, 1995; Gunstone, 1999b).
This paper reports outcomes of an investigation into the different ways students go about problem-based learning (PBL) in virtual space. Five qualitatively different conceptions of PBL in virtual space were discovered, and each reveals variation in how students attend to learning by PBL in virtual space. Results indicate that PBL in virtual space when appropriately designed with respect to students’ online learning experience can: 1) be responsible for making students aware of deeper ways of experiencing PBL in virtual space, and 2), engender graduate attributes and capabilities of problem solving, ability to transfer basic knowledge to real-life scenarios, ability to adapt to changes and apply knowledge in unusual situations, ability to think critically and creatively, and a commitment to continuous life-long learning and self-improvement.
One of the main reasons primary teachers give for not teaching science is the lack of time in the school curriculum to cover all Key Learning Areas (KLAs) in depth. Thus, by integrating science and technology in design activities there can be a saving in time. Integrating science and technology also can stimulate student interest in science, help student learning with deeper understanding, and develop thinking structures including reflection and metacognition. In this chapter we aim to describe the subtle differences between science and technology, justify the integration of science and technology in design activities, and illustrate how to plan integrated science and technology units of work.
The effects of problem-based learning (PBL) were examined by conducting a meta-analysis-type review of the English-language international literature from 1972 to 1992. Compared with conventional instruction, PBL, as suggested by the findings, is more nurturing and enjoyable; PBL graduates perform as well, and sometimes better, on clinical examinations and faculty evaluations; and they are more likely to enter family medicine. Further, faculty tend to enjoy teaching using PBL. However, PBL students in a few instances scored lower on basic sciences examinations and viewed themselves as less well prepared in the basic sciences than were their conventionally trained counterparts. PBL graduates tended to engage in backward reasoning rather than the forward reasoning experts engage in, and there appeared to be gaps in their cognitive knowledge base that could affect practice outcomes. The costs of PBL may slow its implementation in schools with class sizes larger than 100. While weaknesses in the criteria used to assess the outcomes of PBL and general weaknesses in study design limit the confidence one can give conclusions drawn from the literature, the authors recommend that caution be exercised in making comprehensive, curriculum-wide conversions to PBL until more is learned about (1) the extent to which faculty should direct students throughout medical training, (2) PBL methods that are less costly, (3) cognitive-processing weaknesses shown by PBL students, and (4) the apparent high resource utilization by PBL graduates.
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 modernization of teaching procedures, methods, and forms of teaching Geography with the assistance of digital technologies. 6,527 qualified teachers of elementary and secondary schools completed the course, 353 of them specialized in Geography. The course (100–106 lessons) consisted of three modules, partially in the form of distance education.
The introduction describes the course and the individual modules. First two modules were focused on the development and acquisition of general technical skills and common educational software (e.g. Interactive Whiteboard). The key role in the methodical preparation of teachers was in the 3rd module. It aimed to create and demonstrate an efficient application of digital technologies, particularly for the current educational contents of Geography.
The core of the study evaluates the overall satisfaction of course participants with the level of expertise, difficulty level, and content, as well as their own assessment of the acquired skills and knowledge. We also analysed teachers´ attitudes towards the real usability of the available model methods, their opinions on the quality of the created teaching aids and digital technologies incorporated in the education process.
Finally, we present suggestions to improve the quality of Geography teaching in schools, in order to reflect the real needs of people's lives in a scientific society.
This book is an accessible entry point into the theory and practice of work reflection for students and practitioners. Taking a cross-disciplinary approach, it covers management, education, organizational psychology and sociology, drawing on examples from Europe, the Middle East, North America and Australia. It traces reflection at work from an emphasis on training, through a focus on how organizations learn, to a concern with the necessary learning groups to operate effectively. It emphasizes productivity combined with satisfying lived experience of work life and points the way to a new collective focus on learning at work. © 2006 David Boud, Peter Cressey and Peter Docherty. All rights reserved.
Forward.- Approaches to considering the professional knowledge base of science teaching, Deborah Corrigan, Richard Gunstone & Justin Dillon.- Blurring the boundary between the classroom and the community: Challenges for teachers' professional knowledge, Leonie Rennie.- Didaktik - An appropriate framework for the professional work of science teachers?, Helmut Fischler.- Moving beyond deconstruction and reconstruction: Teacher knowledge-in-action, Alister Jones & Bronwen Cowie.- Making a case for improving practice: What can be learned about high quality science teaching from teacher produced cases?, John Loughran & Amanda Berry.- An approach to elaborating aspects of a knowledge base for expert science teaching, Deborah Corrigan, Richard Gunstone.- Towards a cultural view on quality science teaching, Glen Aikenhead.- Japanese elementary Rika teachers' professional beliefs and knowledge of Rika teaching: How are they indigenized?, Masakata Ogawa.- Chinese teachers' views of teaching culturally related knowledge in school science, Hongming Ma.- Teaching secondary science in rural and remote schools: Developing appropriate pedagogical knowledge and classroom practice, Debra Panizzon.- Argumentation in the teaching of science, Maria Evagorou, Justin Dillon.- Assessment literacy: What science teachers need to know and be able to do, Sandra Abell & Marcelle Siegel.- Supporting technological thinking: Block play in early childhood education, Jill Robbins, Beverley Jane, Jacinta Bartlett.- Re-conceptualizing the teaching of physics for non-majors: Motivations, constraints, and evolutions in curricular change, Sandy Martinuk, Gaalen Erickson, Anthony Clarke.- Developing the knowledge base of preservice science teachers: Starting the path towards expertise, Stephen Keast & Rebecca Cooper.- Teaching science in informal environments: Pedagogical knowledge for informal educators, Lynn Uyen Tran, Heather King.- Knowledge to deal with challenges to science education from without and within, Peter Fensham.
Use of inquiry-based projects is an effective strategy for preparing undergraduates for independent research projects as seniors and later in their professional lives. Students used to a lecture-based format must, at first, be guided through the inquiry process so they better understand what resources are available for research and how to design and conduct a research project. In geomorphology, the question, "Why do some streams braid and others meander?", provides a focus that motivates students to learn, generates numerous hypotheses to test, lends itself to being studied through a variety of resources, and is of sufficient importance in the scientific community to warrant extended investigation within the context of a traditionally content-heavy course. Adaptation of numerous inquiry-based projects in several courses sequenced through a major, each with increasingly less guidance, can provide a way of linking a student's first inquiry experiences in introductory courses with the tools and skills necessary to complete an independent senior research project.
Organization design processes can take many forms from the simple "off-the-peg" standard solutions to carefully tailored solutions characterized by many iterations of experimentation, evaluation, and collective reflection by various stakeholders. To key contextual factors affecting such processes are culture and decision-making authority. These variables are complex in themselves and their influence on the redesign process can b e moderated by specific factors. The chapter presents a case which illustrates how efforts to accommodate collective reflection within an organizational redesign program were affected by organizational culture and centralized decision-making and how these effects were heightened by a "secrecy factor".
In its use of complex, real-world problems to introduce concepts and motivate learning in an active and cooperative learning environment, problem-based learning provides a powerful alternative to the passive lecture tradition in introductory science courses in biology, physics, and chemistry.
Conceptions of geological time among 17-year-old students are examined in order to explore the subject matter knowledge of beginning teachers from the pivotal educational context of GCE Advanced Level. The concept of time has received much attention over the centuries from many perspectives, but the geological perspective is poorly represented in popular literature: historical and scientific/theoretical perspectives dominate. The 'everyday' influences on beginning teachers' understanding of geological time are important because of their absence from formal school curricula. Perceptions of 136 17-year-old students were investigated using two instruments. One study identified those major geo-events in their collective consciousness. High-profile geo-events include dinosaur appearance and extinction, continental fragmentation, emergence of plants, human evolution and Ice Age/s. Misconceptions relating to Big Bang and related phenomena were identified. The second study probed students' understanding across 24 geo-events. Results show misunderstanding on the nature and timing of major geo-events, including Big Bang, bolide impact, glacial periods, climate change and the formation of the Sun and planet Earth. Eight previously cited principles for the construction of Deep Time Frameworks are applied for 17-year-old students using a 3-fold structure comprising (1) Lithospheric and Planetary, (2) Biospheric and (3) Atmospheric and Hydrospheric.
This paper examines geographical education for children under 13 years of age in Finland in the present situation, in which geography is taught as part of ‘Environmental and Natural Studies’, the school subject integrating biology, geography, environmental studies, civics, physics and chemistry. In the content analysis of school textbooks, attention is paid to the role of geography and some of its central concepts. It is shown how the social dimension of the environment is neglected, causing the inability to implement education for sustainable development in practice. The local environment of the students is apparent in the textbooks, but they seldom contain any social or cultural elements. The viewpoint of the article comes from the cultural turn in geography, with its ideas of subjectivity, identity and the significance of culture, because, it is argued, the theoretical debates could offer many interesting approaches for geographical education in classrooms.
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 in the Netherlands succeed in using fieldwork as a rich and powerful teaching strategy. Do they perform fieldwork that is enquiry driven, structurally integrated in the curriculum and stimulates both cognitive and affective development? The results of a questionnaire show that although 71% of the geography teachers do fieldwork, they generally do not succeed in meeting the conditions mentioned above.
Linking research and teaching is a topic of international interest. The links may take many different forms and may be found in all types of higher education institution. The main aim of the paper is to explore the complexity and contested nature of the research-teaching nexus in different national and institutional contexts, with particular reference to geography. It is argued that the relationship depends on how the terms ‘research’ and ‘teaching and learning’ are conceptualized. It is suggested that undergraduate students are likely to gain most benefit from research in terms of depth of learning and understanding when they are involved actively, particularly through various forms of inquiry-based learning. The development of such research-based curricula provides challenges to staff across the sector, not least because they may lead to finding new ways for staff and students to work together.
What might geography in ‘the universities’ look like if geographers seriously confronted the growing dichotomy between research and teaching? This challenge goes to the heart of ‘the university’ as a site of learning. The authors argue that the globalizing character of higher education gives urgency to re-charting the university as an environment that prioritizes co-learning as the basis for organizing educational activities in geography and potentially beyond discipline boundaries. By co-learning is meant systematic approaches to maximizing the synergies between research and teaching activities to capitalize on prior learning and experiences of all involved. The authors' argument is that feedback gained through co-learning will reshape the nature and quality of both research and teaching environments as we know them. Four methodological framings of co-learning, derived from established practice in geography, are presented, to highlight possible directions of development that are especially strategic in the current context of globalizing higher education. It is suggested that with strategies that explicitly maximize co-learning, the development of geography could occur in distinctive ways that would not happen if research and teaching were progressed in isolation.
This study involved a meta-analysis of 10 cases of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in undergraduate education to determine the factors which both enable and constrain its use. The enabling factors were found to include: teacher attributes – being student-centred, reflective but rebellious; course design attributes – questions stimulating learning, collaborative learning, progressive development of inquiry skills, required student preparation and constructive alignment; department and institutional attributes – IBL being more accepted if permeating a whole programme, the pivotal role of supportive senior management and assistance by staff developers. The major constraints were gaining philosophical buy-in to inquiry approaches; supporting transition to inquiry; developing self-reflection skills; and coping with varied assessment products. Departmental and institutional challenges included timetables and room allocation and the difficulty of recruiting teachers in a research intensive environment. Some strategies are suggested to help overcome these barriers.
This paper addresses the potential for increased deployment of immersive virtual worlds in higher geographic education. An account of current practice regarding popular culture in the geography classroom is offered, focusing on the objectification of popular culture rather than its constitutive role vis-à-vis place. Current e-learning practice is similarly deemed insufficient, in particular its ability to promote social interaction among students. This paper argues that video games ought to be more thoroughly incorporated into the classroom experience so as to demolish the subject–object distinction between academic/popular knowledge and also to construct viable e-learning strategies. Adopting a constructivist perspective, video games are offered as a site for problem-based learning, noting that careful deployment for pedagogical purposes can harness the excitement and interest that many students already have for the medium. Within the genre, the educative potential of immersive virtual worlds such as Second Life is noted, particularly in regard to their radical openness, ease of social interaction and built-in student interest. Immersive virtual worlds are offered as particularly useful for promoting change within students’ conceptualizations of representation, narrativity and affect. A sample teaching strategy is offered for incorporation in the university classroom that can be adapted to many different geography courses.
Many countries have invested heavily in facilities and teacher training for the infusion of information technology (IT) into various school subjects. The background besetting this innovation and how far learning has improved thereby are important concerns for the education sector. They are examined here with respect to Hong Kong, which is a mixed Chinese–western society now seeking to promote independent learning in all areas of the school curriculum. Geography is chosen for study because IT makes possible numerous changes and benefits to teaching and learning the subject. Among others, IT can help in testing hypotheses and solving problems of an environmental and spatial nature. Literature reviews, however, suggest that the frequency, extent and level of use are limited. This discrepancy between expectation and reality suggests that many necessary teacher and organisational conditions for implementation are not present, including the lack of appropriate hardware and software, technical support and teacher training and confidence. To address the problem, teachers need to take up constructivist approaches and the role of learning facilitators, while the curriculum authority should be more humanistic and considerate of reality in making decisions on policy.
There are very few credible frameworks for evaluation of teacher education programmes. The authors advocate the application of a paradigm originally designed for educational software assessment as a framework for reviewing teacher professional development. The framework is based on a situated view of cognition and this ensures an authentic approach. Five commonly observed foci for teacher professional development are considered in terms of the paradigm, leading to consideration of the comprehensiveness of professional development programmes. The analysis is illustrated by discussion of the professional development programme in place in a school. The analysis strongly suggests that a school-focused approach is appropriate for teacher professional development in the information technology area.
Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is promoted as a teaching approach that can enhance student learning outcomes. IBL can be categorised according to scale (e.g. tasks, course/module/paper, degree), mode (structured, guided, open) and framing (information or discovery-oriented). Our research used a survey instrument to determine how student perceptions of learning processes and intended learning outcomes (ILOs) varied in response to courses with different modes and framing of IBL. The survey was completed by 940 students in 15 IBL courses across a range of disciplines and levels. All types of IBL courses were well rated by students for encouraging learning processes and ILOs congruent with a well-designed inquiry experience. Regarding modes of IBL, there was a clear hierarchy from open (most highly rated) to guided and then structured inquiry. For the framing of IBL, courses using discovery-oriented IBL were more highly rated than information-oriented IBL. Overall, the most highly rated course design was open, discovery-oriented IBL, but other types of IBL remained important in terms of developing research and inquiry skills. To determine whether all types of IBL courses are promoting enhanced ILOs compared to more traditionally taught courses, a comparative study should be undertaken.
This chapter provides an introduction to the remainder of the volume by setting subsequent chapters in a broader context.
That context is an adaptation of Hargreaves (1998) conceptual framework for the consideration of the nature of teacher professional work. In common with essentially all commentators,
Hargreaves notes that teachers’ work is complex, difficult and demanding, and, he argues, requires teachers to engage in intellectual,
emotional work, and work organization (the capacity to organize and control one’s own work).
The implementation of a computer game for learning about geography by primary school students is the focus of this article. Researchers designed and developed a three-dimensional educational computer game. Twenty four students in fourth and fifth grades in a private school in Ankara, Turkey learnt about world continents and countries through this game for three weeks. The effects of the game environment on students’ achievement and motivation and related implementation issues were examined through both quantitative and qualitative methods. An analysis of pre and post achievement tests showed that students made significant learning gains by participating in the game-based learning environment. When comparing their motivations while learning in the game-based learning environment and in their traditional school environment, it was found that students demonstrated statistically significant higher intrinsic motivations and statistically significant lower extrinsic motivations learning in the game-based environment. In addition, they had decreased focus on getting grades and they were more independent while participating in the game-based activities. These positive effects on learning and motivation, and the positive attitudes of students and teachers suggest that computer games can be used as an ICT tool in formal learning environments to support students in effective geography learning.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that has been used successfully for over 30 years and continues to gain acceptance in multiple disciplines. It is an instructional (and curricular) learner-centered approach that empowers learners to conduct research, integrate theory and practice, and apply knowledge and skills to develop a viable solution to a defined problem. This overview presents a brief history, followed by a discussion of the similarities and differences between PBL and other experiential approaches to teaching, and identifies some of the challenges that lie ahead for PBL.
Inquiry as an organising theme for science curricula
- R D Anderson
Anderson, R.D., (2006). Inquiry as an organising theme for science curricula. In S. Abell & N.
Lederman (Eds.), Handbook on research on science education (pp. 807–830), Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.