Teaching Behavioural Geography

ABSTRACT
This paper discusses the teaching of the analytical approach to behavioural geography. After examining the relationship between teaching and research in this area of inquiry, the paper proceeds to outline some fundamental concepts and principles, concentrating specifically on models of man, models of environment, perception and cognition, information diffusion and adoption, space preferences and time-path analysis. Comments are then made as to how analytical behavioural geography may be taught at all levels of education, from elementary schooling to postgraduate courses.

First Year on the Faculty: the quality of their teaching

ABSTRACT
Approximately 100 geographers were studied during their first year of full-time college teaching in an attempt to assess the quality of their teaching during this formative stage of their careers. An effort was made to answer three general questions. What were they trying to accomplish as teachers? How well did they teach? How did they react to their experiences as college teachers?

Mapping with Micros: teaching introductory computer cartography

ABSTRACT
Computer-assisted cartography has been available for some years on mainframe computers, but programmes have been cumbersome and not readily accessible to undergraduate use. The advent of powerful, stand-alone microcomputers has changed all this. Cartographic applications can be achieved without high demands in computing skills on the part of the user and, more important, in an interactive environment which allows the user to experiment in ways that are not otherwise possible. Micro-based cartography offers important educational benefits, not least in developing skills in the decision-making which underpins graphics communication.

The Limits of Library User Education: arguments for a lecturer-led, student-centred approach

ABSTRACT
The author discusses some of the thinking behind programmes of library instruction in higher education. The shortcomings of such courses are examined, with particular reference to a course for first-year students at Portsmouth Polytechnic. The author argues that library instruction can only succeed when fully integrated with the teaching of the subject. This requires greater consideration by geography teachers of the relationship between bibliographic knowledge and substantive knowledge.

Ungraded Writing Assignments in Geography Classes

ABSTRACT
Two examples of ungraded writing assignments are described: in-class writing and periodic writing. The purposes of these assignments are (1) to increase the use of writing as a learning tool to complement lectures and readings, and (2) to enable students to write more frequently in geography classes without unduly burdening the geography instructor with papers to correct.

The Geography Discipline Network would also like to thank Taylor & Francis Ltd for permission to reproduce abstracts from the Journal of Geography in Higher Education