Modern Methods of Teaching Geography

The teaching of geography would gain both in interest and educative value, by paying less attention to the mere enumeration of details and more to their scientific interpretation. A major area of debate within the social studies has been the nature and role of the discipline of geography. Of particular concern to geographers and geographic educators in recent decades has been what they have seen as the underemphasis placed on their discipline within the social studies, and the numerous ways in which the discipline has been trivialized and misunderstood. A common theme in many recent reports is the undeniable truth that geographic education relies too heavily on the rote memorization of supposedly geographic facts and neglects the teaching of geographic thinking. This reliance, in turn, has lead to the widespread misapprehension among both students and the general public that the discipline of geography consists simply of a body of facts, rather than a set of skills. Against this background, it is no wonder that geographers have faced an uphill battle in convincing skeptical teachers, administrators, and parents that their discipline deserves a more prominent role within the social studies curriculum. This book designed for both student teachers and experienced teachers. The author hopes that it will also be useful to the administrator and supervisor who is not well prepared in geography but whose duties involve the direction and supervision of instruction in geography and the social studies.