1. South Dakota State University Geography Professor Charles Gritzner (2002) describes geography very succinctly as knowing “what is where, why there, and why care?” integrative spatial science concerned with the distribution and interrelationships of Earth phenomenon divided into the duality of physical and human geography  physical geography study of the geographic phenomenon that make up our natural environment  human geography complex science that integrates many of the social sciences into a geographic perspective geography is the science that brings all sciences together APHG Framework Conclusions The Practicality of Teaching High School Geography using Advanced Placement Human Geography Suzanne N. Vogt, Trevor G. Browne High School Key References 6 Independent Concepts 1. population geography 2. political geography 3. cultural geography 4. economic geography 5. urban geography 6. agricultural and rural geography designed to overlap to give a context for studying the variety of subjects covered in a college introductory human geography course 1. Bailey, A. J. (2003). Editorial II: Recruiting and Preparing Students for University Geography: Advanced Placement Human Geography. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 27(1), 7-15. 2. Gritzner, C. F. (2002). Defining Geography: What is Where, Why There, and Why Care? Journal of Geography, 101(1), 38-40. 3. Jones, M.C. (2006). High Stakes Teaching: The First Course in Geography. Journal of Geography, 105(2), 87-89. 4. Murphy, A. B. (1998). Comments. Journal of Geography, 97(3), 132-136. 5. Murphy, A. B. (2000). Teaching Advanced Placement Human Geography. Journal of Geography, 99(3), 93-97. 6. Trites, J. and D. Lange. (2000). Challenges of Teaching Advanced Placement Human Geography. Journal of Geography, 99(3), 169-172. ˇ usually only 1 geography course required for high school graduation ˇ geography not explicitly tested on mandatory and/or high-stakes testing ˇ teacher preparation & competence ˇ teacher confidence ˇ lack of access to texts and reading materials for students ˇ recruitment ˇ AP test scores can count as only measure of success in the eyes of students, parents, schools, district There is no replacement for a solid educational foundation. Geographic skills and techniques play a large role in preparing high school students for post-secondary education due to the nature of the applicability and relevance to understanding how the world works. No student should be denied an opportunity to study the principles of physical and human geography in their own right, not jumbled in with history or other humanities content. The Advanced Placement Human Geography course allows students to explore the realm of human existence in-depth and with the potential for developing an interest in the discipline. Teachers should not be discouraged from teaching Advanced Placement Human Geography because of a limited knowledge. Fostering a relationship with geographic content and one’s own discipline is a great place to start integrating geographic concepts into lesson planning. Current news events, public policy debates, and even articles in magazines like National Geographic published by the National Geography Society can be inspiring content to use in the classroom. State geographic alliances such as the Arizona Geographic Alliance are very relevant sources of knowledge on how to implement geography into other contents. They can also serve as a reference to use as evidence to convince state departments of education to consider the importance of geography courses. Educators must be aware of their resources and put them to use for our posterity by teaching geography to the youth of this nation. Geographically informed people will determine whether or not the American education system can compete in an interdependent world for decades to come. What is Geography? Challenges to Implementation Post-Secondary Educational Benefits ˆ improved study skills ˆ knowledge of test taking strategies ˆ exposure to a college-level curriculum ˆ most qualified teachers ˆ most motivated teachers ˆ heightened awareness of geographic concepts ˆ wider consciousness of available careers in geographic sciences http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/continuum.gif Pittsburgh, PA. Useful for studying population geography. http://rlv.zcache.com/without_geogr aphy_quote_postcard- p239527455320988499trdg_400.jpg http://darrengarnick.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/missteenusageography.jpg “If geography is prose, maps are iconography.” Lennart Meri, leader of the Estonian independence movement and second president of Estonia, 1992 - 2001 But I don’t want to sound like this … “…uh, some people out there in our nation don't have maps…” Lauren Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007