Social Studies, including history and geography, is a core part of most state curriculum standards for K-12 education, and for the most part is in need of improvement. Among the technological solutions that have been developed, interactive maps show promise in making the complexities of the social sciences (especially historical geography) more interesting to students, and easier to visualize and understand, without demanding significant investments by schools. A two-group experiment examined this potential for the 7th Grade Utah Studies curriculum. After completing an exercise to analyze possible historical and geographical causes of settlement patterns in Utah, students using interactive maps showed significantly better improvement between a pretest and posttest than students using paper maps. Although some of the test results were inconclusive and highlighted technological and resource obstacles to the widespread adoption of interactive mapping in the classroom, it has been shown to help students learn social studies in a deeper, more engaging manner.

The Effectiveness of Interactive Maps in Secondary Historical Geography Education

Teaching students to gain a spatial perspective is one of the most difficult yet important components of geographic education. This paper presents a series of activities designed to develop a more comprehensive understanding of spatial concepts among students in introductory geography courses. The activities and content are most appropriate for high school or university undergraduate students. An evaluation of these activities demonstrates that they enhance the student's spatial perspective and their understanding of the role of spatial concepts in geography.

Activities to Develop a Spatial Perspective Among Students in Introductory Geography Courses

The concept of correlation is becoming increasingly important to students of all ages as the use of electronic data base technology becomes more common. Data maps offer a significant and new format for secondary students to use along with tables of values and scatter plots as they learn and apply the correlation concept. Data maps are particularly effective in promoting the interdisciplinary treatment of important content by allowing students to interpret social or physical relationships within the geographic context in which they arise.

Data Maps and Correlation: Tools for Inquiry Across Disciplines

tiotemporal Intersection (STIN) Operation: An approach to test spatiotemporal correlation", Cartographica, 23(2): 23(2): 13-20. Wortmann, Kathryn, C. and Buttenfield, Barbara P., (Eds), 1994), "Current developments and use of the spatial data transfer standard", A Special Issue of Cartography and Geographic Information Systems, 21(3): pp 192. Mackaness, W. A., (1994), "An algorithm for conflict identification and feature displacement in automated generalization", Cartography and Geographic Information Systems, 21 ~4): 219-232. Sheppard, E. and Poiker, T., (Eds), (1995), "GIS and Society", A Special Issue of Cartography and Geographic Information Systems, 22(1): pp 104.

Recent Maps and Atlases

Choropleth mapping is one useful cartographic technique that takes geographic instruction beyond the limits of most secondary geography textbooks. It is a simple technique to teach, and it offers the possibility of extending the level of geographic thinking from the description of factual information to interpretation of comparative information and inferences. Choropleth maps of socio economic characteristics for Middle America, for example, raise important questions about Middle American welfare, culture, democracy, and U.S. foreign policies which might otherwise not be discovered or considered by students.

Choropleth Mapping in Secondary Geography: An Application for the Study of Middle America

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Choropleth Mapping in Secondary Geography: An Application for the Study of Middle America