Geography Education in the United States and Abroad: a Case Study

1. Geography Education in the United States and Abroad: a Case Study

2. By Edmar Bernardes DaSilva Doctoral Candidate: Education - Curriculum & Instruction Social Studies Florida Atlantic University – Boca Raton, FL Spring – 2006 Professor: Dr. Penelope Fritzer Advisor and Chair of my doctoral committee

3. We KNOW that something has to be done! • “We have long been famous for advertising the arrogance of ignorance of other peoples’ ways and customs. ….It is an insult for which we will pay deeply, over and over again.” Dr. John Alatis, Dean of George Town University (1990)

4. The purpose of this case study is to try to examine geography education in and also outside the United States in order to see who is getting more geographical education, the Americans or the non-Americans

6. Definition of Geography: An integrative discipline that brings together physical and human dimensions of the world in the study of people, places, and environments (Geography for Life, National Geographic Society, 1994 in Mansfield, 2005)

7. Geography’s Identity • The identity of geography as a discipline from the 19th century naissance of contemporary academia, if not before, has been extremely disputed (Turner, 2002) • Today higher education in the USA and Brazil call it a GEOSCIENCE together with Geology and Environmental Science

8. Some countries call it EARTH SCIENCE and they put it inside a department called Earth Sciences Department (e.g. England)

10. The Use of Geography • Le Heron & Hathaway (2002): consequently there is a universal question that most academic geographers have been asked by students: What can I do with geography?

11. The Use of Geography • Le Heron & Hathaway (2002) argue that an important dimension of improving the quality of geography education is closing the gap between the perceived social usefulness of the subject offered as preparation for workplace roles

12. Geography Education in the USA and Canada • In most parts of the United States and Canada, geography is not a visible entity in the curriculum in the lower levels (primary, middle school…) • with the exception of a hand full of optional courses (not required) at the senior high school level (Mansfield, 2005)

13. Geography Education in the USA and Canada • Geography education in the United States has been subsumed in Social Studies since the 1920sand has only periodically been recognized as essential to our education and society (Kerski, 2001)

15. Geography education has made great progress in the United States over the past two decades • The decade of the 1990s was the time when geography education grew and matured as a school topic

16. Joint Committee on Geographic Education (1984) The key factor that explains the rejuvenation of geography in the schools of the United States was the creation, publication, dissemination, and implementation of Guidelines for Geographical Education(Bednarz, 2002)

17. However • American college students know shockingly little about the geography of the United States • American students know even less about the world and so that American geography or World Geography are forgotten subjects in our institutions of higher learning (Downs, Liben & Daggs, 1988)

18. American students' geographical knowledge is far inferior to that of European, Russian, Japanese, Canadian, or Australian students • The nation's students literally do not know where they are, what other cultures are like, or how things fit together (Grosvenor, 1987)

19. One in 10 young Americans cannot locate their own country on a blank map of the world according to a survey of geographic literacy (Recer, 2002)

20. GEO Education in Other Nations • United Kingdom, geography is much more important in the educational system • In the United Kingdom the importance of geography has been recognized and since 1988 it has been one of the ten subjects to be studied by children from five years old on (Catling, 1999)

21. In Australia: Geography is studied as an (independent) discipline, and is generally non-existent in grades K-6 (approximately ages 5-11 years) and, in some states this state of affairs extends to grades 7-10 (12-15 years) as well (Biddle, 1999)

22. Confederatio Helvetica • During the last 10 years geography in Swiss secondary schools faced a curriculum reform that considerably changed the perception and the performance of the subject (Reinfried, 2001)

24. Hernando (1998) argues: geography educators in Spain should seek to limit the evident dogmatism, which influences values and should rather seek to offer by way of alternatives, a renewal of the importance of critical thinking values in geography education

25. Argentina • For most people in Argentina, geography is hardly important though every now and then journalists write about geography topics in an interesting way but with little scientific relevance (Ostuni, 2000)

26. Conclusions • Is there a difference between geography education in the United States and outside of the United States?

27. However the value of geography education shifts from one country to another outside of the United States • Some researchers claim that American college students know shamefully little about the geography of the United States, and that the American students know even less about the world • Others state that American students' geographical knowledge is far inferior to that of European, Russian, Japanese, Canadian, or Australian students

28. Geography outside the United States it seems to be a much more important discipline in other nations’ educational systems than in the American education system e.g. GB

29. BUT… • Bednarz (2002): geography education made great progress in US over the past two decades • Catling (1999):importance of geographical education is not to be underestimated - the foundation for geography’s place in curriculum is based on key elements of human experience

30. Downs, Liben & Daggs (1988): programs of geographic education must link geographic content with an understanding of the nature of the learner and with expectations and knowledge of the teacher

31. Finally: Future research should be done asking why American students are doing so poorly in geography education and what could be done to change this

32. References • Ahlberg, M. & Ahoranta, V. (2002). Two improved educational theory based tools to monitor and promote quality of geographical education and learning. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, (11) 2, 119-123. • Ballantyne, R. (1999). Teaching environmental concepts, attitudes and behavior through geography education: findings of an international survey. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, (8) 2, 40-52. • Bednarz, W. S. (2004). United States world geography textbooks: their hole in education reform. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, (13) 3, 223-238. • Berdnarz, R. (2002). The quantity and quality of geography education in the United States: The last 20 years. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education (11) 2, 160. • Biddle, D. (1999). Geography in schools. Australian Geographer (30) 1. 75-76. • Catling, S. (1999). Issues for research in UK primary geography. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, (8)1, 60-63. • Downs, R., Liben, Lynn & Daggs, D. (1888). On education and geographers: the role of cognitive development theory in geographic education. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, (78) 4. 680.

33. Fien, J. (1999). Towards a map of commitment: a socially critical approach to geographical education. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, (8) 2, 140. • Gerber, R. (2001). The state of geography education in countries around the world. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education (10) 4, 349-352. • Grosvenor, M. (1987, February). Geographic education: An investment in your students' future. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of School Administrators, New Orleans, LA. • Hernando, A. (1998). Values in geography education and teacher training. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, (7) 2, 168-174. • Kerski, J. (2003). Geography education across the Atlantic at the geographical association. Retrieved July 01, 2006 from http://education.United Statesgs.gov/common/lessons/geography_education_across_atlantic.pdf. • Le Heron, R. & Hathaway, J. (2000). An international perspective on developing skills through geography programs for employability and life: narratives from New Zealand and the United States. Journal of Geography in Higher Education (24) 2, 271-273. • Mansfield, T. (2005, June). Projecting geography in the public domain in Canada: geography and schools. Paper presented as a part of the Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, London, Ontario: University of Western Ontario, Canada.

34. Martin, F. (2000). Postgraduate primary education students’ images of geography and the relationship between these and students’ teaching. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education(9) 3, 223-227. • Ostuni, J. (2000). How the Argentineans see geography. International Research inGeographical and Environmental Education(9) 2, 187-188. • Reinfried, S. (2001). Twenty-first century? The impact of curriculum reform on geography education in upper secondary schools in Switzerland. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education (10) 4, 411-418. • Recer, P. (2002, November 21). Geography eludes United States students: Americans score a grade of D on a quiz given in nine countries. South Florida Sun-Sentinel, p. 3A. • Schmid, R. E. (2006, May 03). A lost generation: a poll showed that young Americans are geographically challenged. The Miami Herald, p. 3A. • Solem, M. (2002). The online center for global geography education. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, (11) 2, 295. • Turner, B. (2002). Contested identities: human-environment geography and disciplinary implications in a restructuring academy. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 92(1), 52-53.