Learning Readiness in Elementary Geography

Renner, George T.

doi:10.1080/00221345108982642

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Before the 1960s, hardly any research was done on young children's mapping abilities, and I am certain that mapping was not generally taught in the beginning grades. Nearly all of the programmatic statements on the matter suggested deferring map-skills education until the third grade (see, e.g., Fairgrieve 1930;Shryock 1939) or later (Renner 1951), although a very few geographic educators, following the lead of Lucy Sprague Mitchell (1934), recommended map work in the ªrst grade and even kindergarten (Sabaroff 1959;DeSart and Trytten 1961). The prevailing pessimism was grounded in a view, inherited from nineteenth and early twentieth-century philosophies of education, which asserted that pedagogy should move slowly because mental development is slow, and that children cannot be pushed (or invited) into much faster development by enriching their educational experience.…”

Section: Piagetian Pessimismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Piagetian Pessimism and the Mapping Abilities of Young Children: A Rejoinder to Liben and Downs

Blaut

1997

Annals of the Association of American Geographers

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Section: Piagetian Pessimismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Piagetian Pessimism and the Mapping Abilities of Young Children: A Rejoinder to Liben and Downs

Blaut

1997

Annals of the Association of American Geographers

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“…A: "No." Research (e.g., Renner, 1951) suggests that adequate understanding of areas, about which one learns vicariously, rarely is acquired before ages 11 or 12. Nonetheless, remote territories frequently appear in commercial maps used w^ith elementary children.…”

Section: Territorialitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematics and the Map Skill Curriculum

Muir

Cheek

1986

School Sci & Mathematics

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Research over a forty-year period (e.g., Miller, 1931;Bettis and Manson, 1975) indicates that pupils in elementary schools are not proficient readers of maps. Two major reasons for that circumstance appear to be that 1) mapping curricula rarely reflects what is known about the manner in which cognitive spatial ability develops in children and adolescents and 2) map skill curricula rarely are coordinated with other curricular areas in which spatial development is addressed. A discussion of problems and one solution associated with the issue of development are proposed elsewhere (Muir and Cheek, 1984). The present article addresses the second issue, especially the relationships between mathematics and map skills. Research and theory suggest that efforts are warranted to better coordinate companion skills in mathematics and map curricula.Spatial abilities are used and developed in both elementary school mathematics and geography. While spatial understanding abounds in geometry, it also underlies other mathematics fields (e.g., measurement, direction, algebra). Geography in the social studies program involves spatial skills in order to make or read maps and to understand geographic knowledge, such as the nature and location of places. Table 1 identifies the relationships between eight skills and one concept used on maps and their companion spatial abilities in mathematics. In this context, "skill" refers to a performance ability while "concept" identifies an idea or understanding. Map Skills SymbolsBoth maps and mathematics abound with symbols. Unfortunately, many teachers believe symbols on maps to be "pictorial" in nature, rather than recognizing their abstract nature. While research indicates that symbols are one of the School Science and Mathematics Volume 86 (4) April 1986

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“…Renner (37) concluded that geography as a content area is losing ground. He pointed to weaknesses in present geography programs and made some definite proposals for their improvement.…”

Section: Promising Trends In Content: the Traditional Content Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%