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In 2019 the Budj Bim cultural landscape in south western Victoria was listed on the World Heritage Register. It is significant firstly for the Gunditjmara people as a culmination of regaining control over their traditional lands and international recognition of their unbroken connection with the land extending back tens of thousands of years. It undermines a longstanding distinction made in heritage assessment between tangible (material) and intangible (immaterial) categories by instead seeing these as interdependent and 'constitutive entanglements' of everyday life. The corresponding distinction too often made between the built and the natural environment has resulted in a disproportionate acceptance that associates built environment heritage with European or Western societies and identities natural environmental heritage with Indigenous landscapes. Introducing a socio-material perspective where these formerly separate categories are seen as interdependent enables a new mode of understanding cultural connection to the land that is potentially transforming. Finally, it is significant as an exemplar of Indigenous led heritage work that brings together political struggle and advocacy, history work, and in the process creates new knowledge.

As computational methods are widely used in science disciplines, integrating computational thinking (CT) into classroom materials can create authentic science learning experiences for students. In this study, we classroom-tested a CT-integrated geoscience curriculum module designed for secondary students. The module consisted of three inquiry investigations that were age-appropriately translated from the computational practices of volcanologists who study tephra hazards and risks. We developed a domain-specific, block-code-based computational modeling environment where students carried out 1 of the 3 science practices in each inquiry investigation: experimentation, data visualization and interpretation, and modeling. We examined (1) student learning outcomes using pre- and post-tests and (2) student reflections on the computationally supported science practices surveyed at the end of each inquiry investigation during the module. Results indicate that students made statistically significant gains in science content as well as in computationally supported experimentation, data visualization and interpretation, and modeling practices. Over 80% of students identified different ways in which block coding supported their practices during inquiry investigations. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for the future development of computationally supported inquiry investigations in science.

This article presents the epistemological complexity inherent in the roll out of an international project on Disaster and Risk Reduction, and consequently about science education in the Indigenous context of Turkana County in Kenya. After an introduction that explains the current state of Disaster and Risk Reduction, the paper focuses on the 'Paper Volcanoes Laboratory' program and toolkit for children and teachers, which aims to spread awareness about natural hazards among children. The paper argues that the geographical, social and educational context where the project is carried out is critical to consider, and decolonial studies provide a conceptual and theoretical framework for this project. This allows to recognize reproduction of infantilization of Indigenous people and children through Western knowledge and science if implemented without consideration for local contexts, and demonstrates how Western educational projects have been a tool of discrimination and colonization. However, at the same time, it opens up the possibility for a dialogue and an encounter between the different epistemologies present in a project that was conceptualized within the Western context, but is to be carried out in Turkana County in Kenya.

Background: As a psychological construct, inspiration has not received extensive examination in the outdoor literature. Inspiration can be characterized in terms of evocation, motivation, and transcendence. Purpose: This qualitative study explored the experience of inspiration in response to natural landscapes utilizing Bergson's qualitative multiplicity, the experience of co-occurring heterogeneous elements. Methodology/Approach: Survey respondents participated in a traveling field course visiting 19 U.S. National Parks in 2015 (n = 15, 26 days) and 14 parks in 2017 (n = 15, 18 days). Respondents described inspirational experiences in each park. Findings/Conclusions: Qualitative analysis of responses revealed a characteristic pattern: landscape features, landscape qualities, and affective responses. Participants cited vertical features, vastness, and beauty as triggers of inspiration, and characterized inspiration in terms of awe, wonder, and sublimity. Implications: This study describes inspiration in the outdoors, with implications for planning direct experiences of natural landscapes to maximize inspiration.

Integrated river science provides decision-making life-skills for individuals and communities facing environmental change; it is a variant of critical physical geography through its socio-political dimensions. As an example, the frequency and magnitude of river flooding are amplified by climate change: society needs to understand how to cope through learning, adaptative behaviour and planning. Choices should be informed by trusted science that can only be delivered by education, to avoid "knee jerk" post-hazard reactions. We examine curricula and resources in physical geography for England to judge if they make river science more pervasive and persuasive. "Scales" of causation and impact remain a central geographical focus. The concept of "place" is revitalized: environmental processes harnessed to improve resilience. Literacy and numeracy skills to communicate and predict need improving, to ensure that students understand problems sufficiently well to identify the best long-term, rigorously assessed options. Higher education has a hub role for empowering lay individuals, communities and professionals but the core learning principles need to be set at school. We conclude the current physical geography river science content is not fit for future needs, notably at A-Level. Weaknesses include naivety about river processes (water and sediment movement), arcane jargon, absence of a catchment-wide approach to river management, and inadequate links between disciplined fieldwork and databases. Contemporary community dimensions of social learning, argument and countering myths are also weakly developed.

Geological skills such as interpreting outcrops are often taught during fieldwork. However, recent advancements in digital technologies and the demand for more inclusive and accessible learning has provided an opportunity to teach these skills in virtual field trips (VFT). The Iceland VFT was developed to teach students about volcanic features and processes in Iceland and help students develop geological skills within a third-year, classroom-based, physical volcanology course. To determine the effectiveness of the VFT at aiding the development of student interpretation skills, we calculated the learning gains from an applied sketching exercise administered pre- and post- VFT, where students were asked to sketch a photograph of a lava flow outcrop and interpret flow shape and features from a range of different perspectives. The largest learning gains were for lava flow interpretation in map-view (0.40) followed by lava flow interpretation in side-view (0.31). Student responses to a post-VFT evaluation exercise indicate that the instructional/360 videos and the 3D landscape and rock models allowed students to spatially explore volcanic features within the landscape which aided their ability to interpret what the lava flow outcrop within the applied sketching exercise might look like in multiple perspectives. We conclude that the VFT supported students' geological interpretation of lava flows and recommend that virtual fieldtrips with interactive spatially challenging exercises can be used to improve students' conceptual understanding of content delivered in lectures and laboratories as well as preparation or reinforcement of fieldwork.

Transmission teaching which centres around traditional lecturing discounts the variety of different learners and individual aptitudes. Physical Geography as a discipline has historically provided a range of teaching methods beyond lecturing which embrace field and laboratory activities, frequently adapting new research technologies to further student learning. While technological trends are increasing the demand for Geography graduates with GIS, modelling, or programming skills, Geography lecturers should remain open to using other technological advances as teaching tools. Using an example of low-cost environmental sensors, this paper demonstrates how technologically-focused exercises can effectively solidify a range of geographical skills through experiential learning. Using Kolb's Experiential Learning Model to identify the key learning processes, we compare low-cost environmental sensor training to the UK's current Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education's (QAA) Geography benchmarks. We also consider the practical applications of this technology as a learning tool for Physical Geography. In comparison with a student evaluation, this paper provides an initial basis to support additional qualitative investigations into the learning outcomes of independent, technology-based learning activities.

Teaching sports geography in higher education on the surface seems like it would be a great course to draw students in, get them exposed to geographic concepts, tools, and techniques, and the perfect forum for using examples to which students can relate. However, there are few instances of a sports geography course being in a regular rotation of courses. A deeper look at why this is reveals some challenges both administratively and academically. This reflection paper discusses some of these issues from the perspective of faculty members in the U.S. higher educational setting as well as some challenges of including physical geography in such a course. Although students tend to understand how geography and sports are intertwined from human geography concepts, physical geography concepts are also an important part of this understanding and do not get a lot of attention during these types of discussions. This reflection does consider the many ways that physical geography needs to be part of academic courses on sports geography.

This article reflects on the author's experience of developing a standalone geographies of sport module that is taught using an active blended learning (ABL) approach. The article argues that an ABL pedagogy is an effective way of teaching meaningful sports geography to undergraduate students. It discusses how the approach allows a diverse range of relevant topics to be included, incorporating both "human" and "physical" geographies, and enables a personalised approach to learning. Teaching the geographies of sport provides students with opportunity to cement and enhance their understanding of fundamental geographical concepts whilst applying them to sports case studies that can be adapted to the interests of the student cohort. That is not to say that teaching of sports geographies comes without challenges, and this article reflects on some of those encountered. Most significantly, how to ensure that the module content is appropriate for final-year undergraduates as the body of dedicated geographical literature on sport is still comparatively limited.

This work aims to understand the importance of relief and how it is addressed in geography teaching. Supporting, including its different meanings. To carry out this work, a wide bibliographic research was carried out on the theme. As results it was possible to perceive that the theme relief presents a significant contribution to the student's education, in addition this theme can be studied at different levels and contexts, having the possibility of even relating to the reality of the student, in order to situate it and provide a critical and reflective thought of the environment in which it lives. It is concluded that the use of teaching practices auxiliary to the textbook are necessary for a significant predizing.

Teaching geography creates an opportunity for the transfer of knowledge about environmental problems and ways of solving them. Teachers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Turkey, and the United Kingdom indicated strengths and weaknesses of physical geography as well as the selected geographical concepts of: Maps/Cartography, Astronomy/The Earth in the Universe, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Endogenic processes, Exogenic processes, and Soils and biosphere. There was a variety in how confident students were around these topic areas. The main types of difficulties identified by the study were: too little time for implementation, difficult terminology, and lack of tools for the proper transfer of knowledge. Moreover, the attractiveness of individual issues for students also varies. The research clearly shows that students lack an awareness of problems related to the environment. There are considerable differences between the level of students' knowledge about climate change or air and water pollution (relatively high awareness of global warming) and issues related to soil and vegetation cover (low awareness of soil depletion, soil pollution, changing the boundaries of the occurrence of plant zones, etc.). To make people aware of the importance of environment, we should take care of education in relation to global challenge and sustainable development.

This research focuses on the design, construction, and validation of a questionnaire that seeks to analyse the perception of the landscape amongst undergraduates studying for a Degree in Primary School Teaching at Salamanca University. The process has involved using both qualitative and quantitative techniques to test the content's validity and the construct's reliability and suitability through the participation of a panel of expert judges and a sample of 432 subjects. This has been followed by the introduction of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the data provided by the cohort that has led to a study of the questionnaire's core characteristics, a reduction in its size, and the validation of its pertinence.

This paper studies Greek junior high school students' alternative ideas, both initial and synthetic, on geodynamic phenomena. It comments in detail on students' concepts on Earth structure, earthquake occurrence, volcano formation, and relief change. Additionally, it attempts to trace and interpret how and why these ideas form (concept development), presenting that initial and synthetic ones are indissolubly attached and utterly directed by environmental interaction. Data analysis verifies that curriculum inadequacy and false scientific terminology in textbooks enforce the generation of alternative ideas. New synthetic alternative ideas on geodynamic phenomena are presented which are mainly characterized by intermittent and fragmentary perspective. Furthermore, the characteristics of both initial and synthetic alternative ideas are outlined, giving emphasis on the facts that students represent geodynamic phenomena as instantaneous events and that they are able to describe the repeatability of the phenomena, but they show difficulty in capturing their continuity. Finally, more factors that control alternative idea development on geodynamic phenomena are highlighted--such as (i) lack of continuous thinking, (ii) distribution, intensity and frequency of geodynamic phenomena, and (iii) current affairs (i.e., pollution, technology evolution, human intervention)--hoping that their revelation will lead to alternative ideas' decomposition and thus to pure scientific knowledge.

As part of the educational process, it is currently difficult for a teacher to engage students for the amount of information that is available all around us today. Therefore, it is necessary to choose appropriate methods and actively prepare various teaching aids that can motivate students, arouse interest in self-study and thus educate them. The paper focuses on teaching geography in primary and secondary schools by using innovative methods also during Corona crisis. The results of the paper are beneficial in the educational process of regional landscape geography with a focus on physical geography. The central theme of individual activities is biogeography, focused on specific species of fauna, respectively ichthyofauna and flora of the studied area. The studied area represents the area of the river Rajcianka and Kuneradský brook, which flow through the district of Žilina in Slovakia. The paper also includes a memory game and a folder Fish of our waters, which can also be used as a bilingual brochure for tourists.

A growing literature, much of it with cross-national comparisons, employs geographic lenses to secure insights into educational studies. Most of this literature focuses on schooling, though parts address kindergartens and higher education. The present paper, by contrast, employs geographic lenses to focus on the shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring. It is called shadow education because much of its content mimics that in schooling, but the paper shows that many dynamics are significantly different from those in schooling. Insights may be gained not only from physical geography but also from political, economic, cultural and pedagogical geography -- and from relationships between them. Intra-national, cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons show forces in a domain that is gathering momentum across the globe and causing significant shifts in the overall nature and role of education.

Geographic context is important for Earth Science education but different places have different geological complexities and effectively establishing geoscientific context can be difficult. Well-designed videos can help geoscience educators introduce geologically significant places to undergraduate geoscience students. However, there is no established framework to guide geoscientists who want to create instructional videos for place-based geoscience education. In this commentary, we share a framework including writing a narrative and generating visual materials as well as considering key psychological principles and universal design elements to improve geoscience video effectiveness. The design framework was created based on the place-based education framework, salient elements of cognitive theory of multimedia learning, and the framework of motivational design. More design recommendations were given by summarizing our experience of making and assessing a 6-minute geosicence video about the Permian Basin of W. Texas and SE New Mexico and other best practice of making the same type of videos in peer reviewed articles. We find that well-designed geoscience videos can improve geoscience majors' knowledge about local geology and understanding of connections between place and people. The generalized video-making workflow and design recommendations can help geoscientists make their own geoscientific videos for undergraduates.

Bicultural research is important for disaster education in Aotearoa NZ. Historically, deficit-based perspectives of Western Science underrepresent Maori knowledge. However, culturally grounded research partnerships have potential to revitalize engagement with Maori by braiding Indigenous Science and Western Science narratives to improve our collective understanding of the volcanic processes. We share insights from participant interviews on the co-creation of an educational virtual field trip (VFT) resource that weaves understandings from Matauranga Maori and Geology to teach about caldera volcanoes in Aotearoa NZ. This study highlights some key considerations for collaboration between Indigenous Maori and non-Maori partners. To conduct the research in a culturally appropriate way, a formal kawa (protocol) was established between the lead researcher and the Maori partners and culturally acceptable ethics in accordance with the Maori partners were implemented. The He Awa Whiria (braided river) methodology was followed through the multiple stages of engagement and the two-staged interview study design. Emergent codes from the interview indicate that "relations" and "values" are crucial for authentic partnerships and create "space for sharing" where challenges and emerging understandings can be repositioned. This study demonstrates that Maori academics, local Maori facilitators and researchers are crucial in the engagement process with local iwi (tribes) to define shared goals and understand expected project outcomes. We suggest that the development of bicultural educational resources must be grounded in an understanding of obligations to uphold the intergenerational intellectual property of the local iwi. This process requires significant resourcing of time, knowledge and energy and should be budgeted-in prior to the start of project-partnerships.

The article presents the results of a regional study analysing the factors that predict Latin American faculty adoption and use of geospatial technologies (GST) for teaching geography. The research involved an online survey with 337 participants from 17 countries, who answered a set of items adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology on five GST -- desktop GIS, web-based GIS, remote sensing, GPS, and digital globes. The data was analysed using a structural equation modelling. The results confirmed that faculty who identified pedagogical benefits of using GST considered technologies as easy to master, and valued the opinion of people influential to them about using technologies were more likely to be motivated to use GST for teaching. In addition, faculty willing to use the GST and report adequate institutional conditions were more likely to be using the technologies for teaching. Additional statistical testing found that human geography faculty expressed an infrequent use of these technologies compared to their physical geography and geospatial technologies colleagues, who did report a more consistent use of GST. These findings suggest a divide among Latin American faculty regarding the motivation and institutional conditions to implement technologies, based on their field of expertise.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions around the globe to close or move to a remote format. This article focuses on the transition of an in-person undergraduate physical geography lab to online synchronous learning during the Fall 2020 semester. Findings suggest the importance of abundant learning materials as well as showing similar experiences across different groups of students. In addition, we captured the experiences of lab instructors over time. Ultimately, even as education transitions post-pandemic, these findings highlight the usefulness of extensive/intensive learning, and course flexibility in a synchronous, online, active-learning physical geography lab course.

This paper will focus on how communities can respond to the impacts of a more dangerous world but will emphasize that there exist powerful barriers to climate change adaptation (CCA). This article explores why there are so many barriers to change and offers a simple mnemonic to organize the argument--A.D.A.P.T. The A.D.A.P.T. framework shows that CCA is an emerging threat to many localities that is not yet placed on center stage. Geographers have played important roles in furthering climate science, because they are familiar with the challenges of trying to integrate physical and human affairs. In addition, the discipline is very used to thinking about scale and connecting global, national, and local processes and outcomes. By giving more attention to local risks within the curriculum, geographers and their students can provide effective leadership to residents who are likely to be facing complex challenges in decades to come.

Blank paper maps are often used to assess student location knowledge. A total of 502 students enrolled in 12 undergraduate World Geography classes between 2016 and 2022 were initially asked to find some of the following countries on a blank world map: Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela. Comparing student cohorts, results were generally mediocre and consistent over time, yet changes in identification accuracy appear with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and in times of intense US media coverage of a country.

This study aims to investigate the potential of narrative-based geospatial technologies (NGSTs) in the teaching of regional geography to preservice geography teachers (PGTs). Reflective journals gathered from students who took a StoryMaps-based European regional geography class were analyzed using phenomenography. The results showed that NGSTs are useful for cultivating PGTs' understanding of and insights into regional geography studies and teaching through the integration of regional geography narratives, map layers, and multimedia technologies. These results provide meaningful insights into the education of PGTs, the practice of regional geography education, and the use of narrative-based geospatial technologies in the geography classroom.

The field of research in physical geography relates to subjects such as place-shaping, climatic events, soil formation, vegetation development, the water cycle, and the nature and use of natural resources including underground mining processes. In order for humans to survive and facilitate their daily lives, they must have sufficient knowledge about many physical events taking place on planet Earth. In physical geographical education, various scientific research projects are carried out to bring rigour to the subject and the teaching of related concepts. Such projects include postgraduate thesis studies. In this research, an examination of the status and general trends for postgraduate theses occur in relation to physical geography education in Turkey. The current study is a mixed methods design and an evaluation of the theses occur through a document review. The theses are retrieved from the database of the National Thesis Center of the Council of Higher Education Institution. A descriptive analysis and bibliometric study on the theses aims to reveal the progress in physical geography education. Results from the research show the most common type of graduate thesis includes writing about the research subject, university, year of admission, institute, writing language, sample, study group/sample size, method/research model, data collection tool, data analysis technique/analysis method, research subject and the subject of physical geography, and the level of instruction/target audience. In response to the less frequently covered topics and methods, suggestions are made for future research and investigation to occur at the level of postgraduate studies.

Students completing an introductory physical geography course used an interactive geovisualizations (iGEO) lab exercise centered around lightning in northern Arizona to investigate atmospheric processes. This iGEO looks and plays like a conventional videogame where the student controls an avatar in a 3D environment. This iGEO was inspired by moving the introductory physical geography courses online due to the ongoing university closures to "on-the-ground classes" related the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of an iGEO rests in increasing motivation and encouraging active, engaged learning for students, many of whom are taking the course for required college credit. Most students expressed positive experiences with the new iGEO; the determining factors related to this experience centered around enjoyment, usability, and simplicity of the game. There was also a difference in student experience based on student academic majors. Students of non-geographic or science backgrounds had a lower experience rating than those who did have a geographic or science background. Overall, students preferred the iGEO lab over traditional lab coursework. This research led to a refined iGEO lab for lightning in northern Arizona and it was made available to all interested faculty via a public website, along with three other iGEO-based labs.

This study aims to find out the effect of activities and practices on concept education to help carry out activities to teach these concepts more effectively and permanently, and determine student preconceptions about the concepts related to the landforms in the 5th-grade social studies curriculum in the learning subdomain called "People, Places and Environments." It was conducted as an action research study, employing a qualitative research design. The participants of the study were 16 fifth graders who were studying at a state secondary school in Bekilli District of the province of Denizli, Turkey. Mind maps, worksheet activities, models and mock-up, focus group interviews and field notes were used as the data collection tools, concept development tools, and process support tools. Collected in four class hours, the data were subjected to statement-based content analysis, and then compared with the criteria developed for the related concept and converted into findings and conclusions. The findings indicate that the student group has a partial preliminary knowledge and perception of the distinctive landforms they see around them. However, the student group's preliminary knowledge and perception of the landforms they do not observe around them is insufficient. The results obtained at the end of the instructional intervention process indicate that the student group is confused about the definitions of the bay, gulf, cape, peninsula, island, strait, and ocean. With the activities implemented after the additional action plan, the student group made progress by effectively learning the basic and sub-dimensional landforms they were confused about. The student group found it useful to carry out mind maps and application activities and achieved effective learning with models and mock-ups. Based on research result, use of sightseeing --observation techniques can be recommended to social studies teachers.

This paper analyses the conceptions of a group of students about geological time and its relation to physical landscape formation, focusing on the frequency and rate of a number of geological processes that have shaped our planet over time and that are involved in the formation of the current relief. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire that was administered to 199 university students from a Spanish public university. A total of 185 of them were pre-service teachers and 14 were geology students. Results demonstrated that pre-service teachers had trouble correctly answering questions about the current relief, but especially those questions related to landscapes throughout the history of Earth. Data analysis was done, taking into account pre-university students' tuition, and results showed that those who had taken a high school branch of sciences and technology obtained better results than those who had taken a humanities and social sciences branch. These latter also obtained better results than those who had taken arts as a high school branch. Furthermore, pre-service teachers had difficulties mastering mid-time magnitudes, which ended up making it difficult for them to understand how the physical landscapes were formed. Finally, from the obtained results, some curricula implications are discussed.

This article reports on a service learning project in a South African primary school teacher education programme, as experiential and practice-based pedagogy in a social studies methods course. We aimed to broaden understanding of service learning as a form of non-placement work-integrated learning for the development of teacher professional competencies. Student teachers drew on topics in the middle school social studies curriculum and incorporated Indigenous geographical elements with local community history in the design of a service learning 'gallery walk' for Grade 5 learners. Using a generic qualitative design, data were generated from students' and teachers' reflective journals, lesson plans, photographs and video recordings. It was analysed for common content themes and prominent discourse markers of students' developing professional knowledge and competencies. The findings provide evidence of deepened student learning, particularly on the influence of context and curriculum differentiation and how their struggles with group work enabled the development of collaboration and cooperation required by professionals. In addition, the service learning prompted changing notions of citizenship and reciprocity of learning.

How are patterns of segregation related to families' engagement in public-school choice policies across U.S. metropolitan areas? This article examines how segregation in urban public schools and the spatial mismatch between school-age children and relatively high-performing schools relate to the shares of Black, Hispanic, and White students enrolled in charter schools, one particular school choice mechanism. Drawing on Core-Based Statistical Area-level data, I find that charter-school enrollment among Black students is positively associated with spatial mismatch. As the degree of geographic imbalance between Black and, to a lesser extent, Hispanic school-age children and high-performing schools increases, so too does the share of Black and Hispanic students who enroll in charter schools. There is no such relationship for White students, whose enrollment in charter schools is higher when school segregation is relatively low--that is, when they would be more likely to attend neighborhood public schools with Black children.

This descriptive study is centred on the representation of climate concepts in the geography textbook and academic books. The study mainly examined how the concepts, which were determined by considering the misconceptions in our previous studies, were presented in the 9th grade newly-published geography textbook and academic books. Also, the study identified, discussed and showed the ways in which the representation of climate concepts in the textbook might corroborate the students' misconceptions. Secondly, the misconceptions were examined by comparing how they were presented in local and foreign academic books. In addition, appropriate corrections, explanations and visual materials were presented to explain the conceptions. The findings show that the misconceptions or deficiencies mentioned in our previous studies still persist in the newly published textbook and local academic books. It is believed that such a study can help solve the problems related to the misconceptions encountered in geography teaching, and that it can increase the geography teachers', textbook writers' and publishers' awareness of the common misconceptions of the students about climate and thus it can shed light on the definitions and materials that can be used in describing these concepts.

This research seeks to evaluate students' intended behavioural actions in the event of a natural hazard, specifically hurricane, lightning, earthquake, or tsunami. A test instrument, measuring behavioural actions in the event of a natural hazard, and related NOS/NOT beliefs and dispositions, is utilized to collect data in Estonia, USA and Japan (N=2323). Results suggest that students responded adequately to tsunamis and lightning strikes, but to a lesser extent for hurricanes and earthquakes. Results also suggest a connection between dispositions and behavioural actions, but a lack of connection between generalised. NOS/NOT conceptualisations and behavioural actions. Results imply that students find it difficult to apply their learning to new situations requiring responsible behavioural actions. Implications indicate that NOS/NOT are not well understood, while responsible behavioural actions need to more heavily stressed in teaching about natural hazards involving the promotion of student values and attitudes with respect to Natural Disaster Reduction (NDR).

The interactions of climate change and soils (ICCS) are scarcely examined in Climate Change Education (CCE). Analyzing the pre-conceptions of secondary school students (n = 421) reveals a high number of missing answers (48.2%), while residual participants responded with either medium (33.3%) or low (11.5%) complexity levels. The natural and the human sphere are scarcely interconnected and mentioned positive feedback effects indicate students' spatial distance to the ICCS that occur in Alpine regions. In order to bridge these gaps with more elaborated and regional concepts, a careful consideration of ICCS content is urgently recommended for CCE.

This paper addresses the subject of the semiosis process in the transactions between teachers and students about the knowledge at stake in science education. We present a conceptualisation of these transactions as a joint action between students and teachers. This conceptualisation enables us to understand the semiosis process as it unfolds during teaching-learning situations as the semiosis of both the didactic contract and the didactic milieu. We analyse this semiosis in a case study of earth science education at 5th grade, which comprised two subsequent teaching sessions delivered by the same teacher. Our results give an account of the contract-milieu semiosis under the description of different semiotic modes (speech, gestures, stance, gaze, writings, modellings and proxemics). We also define the generic and specific dimensions of semiosis in relation to the knowledge at stake. Finally, we evaluate the relevance of the teaching practice we observed in terms of its staging of a relationship between the semiosis of didactic contracts and didactic milieus.

In this article, the authors highlight how a preschool teacher nurtured children's natural curiosity by inviting an expert visitor into the classroom, resulting in many possible investigations. The setting of this activity was an early learning facility at a university with a volcanologist on faculty who was able to share his expertise with children.

The growing recognition of virtual field trips (VFTs) to support classrooms has led to increasing use of these tools in science classrooms. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Ministry of Education has underscored the need for educational experiences that are inclusive of Indigenous Maori worldviews. Here, we present the potential of the LEARNZ natural hazards "Our Supervolcano" VFT to support bicultural learning spaces. The resource was filmed in 2019 to promote learning about natural hazards specifically volcanoes around Lake Taupo in Aotearoa. Drawing understandings from Matauranga Maori and Western science, this resource can support a bicultural approach to classroom science learning. The VFT videos are powerful storytelling tools where students can identify potential career pathways around science and its link with culture in the context of the landscape. We describe the main features of the VFT designed for use concurrently with the filming. We additionally highlight its potential as an archived (historical) resource that maybe re-used at any time to support primary and secondary classrooms that want to emphasize cross-cultural aspects of science or learn about volcanic hazards using geology and cultural narratives.

Amid the shift to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, educators across disciplines were faced with developing new strategies for active learning. This article discusses findings from a case study of using Google Earth for virtual field trips and projects in an undergraduate Geography of North America course, assessing the process of incorporating Google Earth and student perspectives on their engagement with this technology. With broader applications to secondary and post-secondary education contexts, findings suggest increased student engagement and an appreciation for the opportunity to work with a geospatial technology mapping platform without needing prior coding, software, or mapping experience.

In this article, we report on a study of 32 teachers and their implementation of a digital game designed to support the human and physical geography curriculum in grades 7 and 8 in the province of Ontario, Canada. The purpose of the paper is to analyze and robustly represent the experiences of teachers who participated in the study, most of whom had never before constructed an integrated learning experience utilizing a digital game with one of their classes. By centering teacher voices, which often do not appear in research on digital game-based learning (DGBL), we hope to provide insight into some of the real challenges of incorporating digital games into classrooms.

We developed and implemented the Galapagos Volcanology Field Camp, a 3 week, 3 credit hour course for upper-level university students with a major course of study in geology. The course is offered by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, is open to any student, and is usually populated by students from many universities across the U.S. The course offers the essential skills of field geology, such as lithologic description, unit identification and correlation, stratigraphic logging, and geologic mapping, taught exclusively in an environment of volcanic rocks. Beginning in the subduction setting of the Andes, students are introduced to the regional volcanic and tectonic history. The course visits volcanoes that have produced andesitic, dacitic, and rhyolitic products. Students study lava flows, pyroclastic flows, ignimbrites, lahar flows, and debris avalanche deposits. Students are also introduced to the volcanic hazards and monitoring efforts in Ecuador. During the second phase of the course, the group flies to the Galápagos Islands to examine the basaltic features of hotspot volcanism. Students study recent lavas erupted from well-developed shield volcanoes, lava tunnels and collapse features, and the history of uplift, subsidence, and sea-level variation. Through design and implementation of this program, a sequence of exercises has been found that build a robust curriculum while fitting into an itinerary that is logistically feasible. Study of volcanic deposits in this classic setting leads to strong student learning, with 84% of students who have participated scoring higher than 80% on activities designed to assess the stated learning objectives.

The introduction conveys some data on learning in India and on designing Geography textbooks in this country. The present paper is reliant on four Geography textbooks, ranging from the 9th to the 12th grade. As regards each textbook, the study considers their learning units, then analyses their structure, the unitary way of designing them, the components of the panels of authors, the texts, illustrative materials, drills, learning activities, language, the wealth of Geography lexis, and the glossary.

A simulated physical model of volcanic processes using a glass art studio greatly enhanced enthusiasm and learning among urban, middle- to high-school aged, largely underrepresented minority students in Newark, New Jersey. The collaboration of a geoscience department with a glass art studio to create a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) educational experience increased strong interest in learning about volcanoes by 40.7% and learning of volcanic concepts by up to 92% across four major topic areas. In particular, using hands-on, interactive experiences, activities effectively informed and enthused students about the heat of a volcano and lava, lava flows and the dangers they pose, forms of falling volcanic bombs, volatiles in lava, and interaction of lava with water. Teachers found that students remained highly motivated by the experience even after their return to school. The Glass Volcano Experience has the potential to constitute a critical incident in encouraging students to pursue geoscience as an interest and/or profession. Such innovative collaborations of unlikely partners has the potential of creating new and innovative learning experiences for urban students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to witness geologic phenomena in situ.

Teachers' interest is a key influencing factor in geography class, development of curricula and writing textbooks and only little is known about it. A cross-sectional study along the lines of interest theory originating from educational psychology was carried out in Germany in the summer of 2015, in which 141 teachers at secondary schools completed a questionnaire about their interest in geography topics and regions. At the same time, 3400 students (ages 10-17) were surveyed. Teachers show high interest in a broad range of geography topics. They are very interested in natural disasters and topographic topics whereas there is only little interest in several traditional topics from the field of human geography. The significantly higher interests of teachers only partially correspond to those of students (e.g. natural disasters). Teachers have a high interest in (in descending order) the greater regions of Germany, Europe and outside Europe. Among students, regions outside Europe are placed first. Both groups show high interest in Western countries and low interest in Eastern regions on all scale levels. Gender turned out to be the most influential factor in interest, however not in the total amount of topics but rather in the subscales and individual topics and regions.

The objective of this study is to determine the cognitive structures of the students of geography teaching department by identifying their conceptual frameworks about the concept of earthquake. A case study design from qualitative research approaches was used in this research. Sample group of the study constitutes 155 students from the Department of Geography Teaching who took the course of natural disasters. Free Word Association Test was used to collect the data. The data were evaluated according to the content analysis, categories were formed according to the results of this evaluation and frequencies and percentages of the response words in each category were calculated. A total of 9 categories were created according to their semantic associations. Some of them are; "concepts about earthquake, damages of the earthquake, a category of defining earthquake, types and causes of earthquakes, landforms caused by earthquakes and other effects" and they form the dominant categories. The frequencies and percentages of some categories are low such as; "The things that earthquake makes feel, regions where earthquakes happened before or there is a possibility to happen, people, institutions and organizations about earthquakes, helping to the victims of the earthquakes, factors affecting the safety of life and property in the earthquake." In addition, this study revealed that students have some alternative concepts about earthquake.

As much as the history and study of Africa have been incorporated into social studies curricula, Africa is still a region that is prone to misperceptions and misconceptions. Social studies teachers could provide students with an alternative image, but what if they only perpetuate misperceptions of Africa? This case study examines preservice candidates' perceptions of Africa and categorizes their responses to determine what one group of future social studies teachers imagines when asked to think about Africa. The results show that stereotypes and misperceptions overwhelmingly pervade candidates' thoughts despite years of study. This work has critical implications on the ways in which we prepare pre-service candidates to teach world history and global studies and how we can help pre-service candidates reflect on their own cultural assumptions and the construction of knowledge.

The main objective of the physical geography is to give a meaning to the natural environment. It is only possible with the implementation of the observation method to make the students perfectly understand the physical geography topics, in laboratory environments allowing the participation of all senses in teaching activity. In physical geography teaching, observation method is only applicable with the trips as its laboratory is natural environment. There is a need for new methods in teaching of physical geography topics to motivate the students, increase their interest towards the topics, bring them different perspectives, make the complex issues easier to understand for them, let them have quick and permanent learning and to make the abstract concepts concrete for them. There have been carried out studies and different theories to this effect. We have developed a new strategy using the latest technology against the problem of difficulties in observation-trip method in secondary schools. The basis of our strategy is to create a learning environment with "Physical Geography Teaching with 3D Simulation" model. With this model, the students will be able to experience the fieldwork and the teacher will be able to use the observation method.

A pilot test for the design and construction of digital lessons for integrated social science teaching is presented in this study. Combing conventional texts, applications made with Google Earth, and images from the web, three lessons for the sixth grade were created: (1) Evolution of Man, (2) Physical Geography of the Earth, and (3) Pre-Columbian America. Interactive workshops were held with a group of 60 teachers from the city of Montería, Colombia, to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that allowed for the construction of a SWOT matrix. SWOT analysis allowed for the identification of educational limitations in Montería resulting from limited classroom access to computers and the internet and the insufficient teacher knowledge regarding information technology and geotechnologies. This analysis also allowed for the identification of guidelines for the development of digital lessons. These lessons serve as a methodological proposal for teaching social science, promoting the integration of such topics as geography, history, and environmental science. This integrative method motivated the teachers, who believed that it could be a path to true integration of the social sciences.

Oceans play an important role in weather and climate through transfers of heat and moisture to the atmosphere, and by moving heat and climate-relevant molecules like carbon dioxide around the globe. Energy also transfers from the atmosphere to the surface of the ocean, traveling down through the water column creating ocean currents that transport water with different temperatures, nutrients, and organisms from one part of the ocean to another. Students may not have known that there are ocean currents below the sea surface, but we provide methodology for sharing this information in a way that is accessible, including for the visually impaired. In addition to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Ocean Literacy Principles and The Essential Principles of Climate Literacy are addressed.

Critical Physical Geography (CPG) emerged as a discipline around 2014 and has since excited many human and physical geographers, as well researchers in political ecology, geomorphology, science and technology, and environmental science whose research, critiques, and methodologies have formed much of the basis of CPG. However, because of its recent emergence as a discipline, and because of the challenges in teaching transdisciplinary methods, there is a scarcity of literature on methods to teach CPG. The needs for these methods are exceedingly important right now as unprecedented, wicked environmental problems of the Anthropocene continue to emerge, and as structures of power, which have artificially separated the study of humans and the environment, are re-evaluated. CPG provides instructors with cross-disciplinary tools to explore environmental problems, and besides its focus on intertwining biophysical and social methodologies, it emphasizes environmental and social justice, as well critical explorations of power and knowledge production. This paper provides an example of methodologies used to teach a CPG class on contamination in community gardens where students examined how environmental justice policies and funding initiatives failed to reduce high concentrations of contamination in each garden.

Although, a number of studies exists regarding students' experiences of Geography as a school subject, the gender differences in students' geographical knowledge and interests are rarely recognised. Drawing from the cognitive interest theory, and using a qualitative phenomenological design, this study explored the gender differences in the geographical knowledge and interests of 48 Ghanaian senior high school students. In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 males and 24 females, sampled from two public schools in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Asante Region. Data obtained were analysed thematically, with specific normative and subjective views of participants presented as direct quotations. Both gender demonstrated appreciable level of knowledge regarding the subject matter of Geography and its relevance to daily life experiences. Gender differences were, however, observed in students' understanding of the subject matter of Geography and conceptions of the importance of Geography. Congruent to the cognitive interest theoretical perspective, the findings suggest that there is a considerable link between geographical knowledge and geographical interests of both gender. The study findings have the potential of informing policy and curricula changes by relevant stakeholders to help bridge the gender imbalances in school Geography enrolments and also to secure the success of Geography.

Meaningful action on climate change requires affective engagement with the human impacts of the problem. The Last Hurrah (and The Long Haul) project was developed using theatrical storytelling as a tool to provoke thought and empathy about the lived experience of climate change. Over a period of 3 years, a company of Acting students and their lecturer worked with faculty and students from a Geography department to explore climate change stories and the physical and human geographies that shape their impacts. This paper reflects on the process, highlighting opportunities and challenges for Geographers to become involved in interdisciplinary teaching and creative engagement as part of a more holistic approach to wicked problems, and explores the impact of the learning experience with the students involved. We conclude that storytelling is profoundly suited to overcoming the psychological barriers that can stand in the way of appreciating and empathizing with the implications for everyday life of an altered climate system. Recommendations are made for future interdisciplinary education projects using creative arts to address global challenges.

This study investigates students' conceptions of the causes and processes that form eskers and erratics, types of glacial and glaciofluvial landforms which to date have been little researched in geoscience education. The data collected for the study included 134 responses to an assignment completed by 12- to 13-year-old students in the Swedish national geography test in 2013. The responses were sampled and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings show that many of the students held alternative conceptions regarding the causes of these landforms, which included landslides, meteor impacts and human activity. Although some students were able to give a scientific explanation that considered the possible causes and relevant processes involved in the formation of erratics, many students did not give a full account of these processes. Furthermore, only a few students were able to describe the relevant processes involved in the formation of eskers and were more likely to discuss alternative or glacial processes rather than glaciofluvial processes. Given the lack of research on students' understanding of glacial processes and landforms in geoscience and geography education, this study contributes with new knowledge of students' conceptions of eskers and erratics and makes a theoretical contribution to research on students' alternative conceptions and understanding of sequential and emergent processes in geoscience. The findings provide specific insights for teachers and are useful in the design of classroom practices that can change alternative conceptions and strengthen scientific conceptions.