Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 23, 1995 TAG: 9511240031
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Geography is different, she said. It's in the present, and you can see how it affects your life.
Bright, a ninth-grader at Hidden Valley Junior High School, is not surprised that a recent national examination showed that students had higher scores in geography than history.
Almost three out of four American students in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades have basic geography knowledge, based on results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Only 40 percent of 12th-graders had a basic knowledge of American history. About 60 percent of fourth- and eighth-graders scored at the basic level on the NAEP history exam.
``You can experience geography more than history. You can see how it affects people,'' said Amanda Osborn, another ninth-grader at Hidden Valley, in Roanoke County.
The students think geography scores might be higher than those for history, because they consider it to be an important subject, particularly in a world economy.
``With computers and technology, the world is becoming smaller and more global,'' said Carol White, another student. ``We need to know more about other countries, and that is where geography is helpful.''
White said her world geography teacher, Joyce Ross, shows students why they will need geography knowledge in their lives.
Jolan Patterson, a ninth-grader, said that while the students have to memorize some facts, the geography course is interesting because it also deals with cultural, environmental and sociological issues.
Geography deals not only with the location of cities, rivers and mountains - traditional topics for study, she said.
``It is also about how people interact and adapt. We have learned about how women have been oppressed in some cultures,'' Patterson said.
Ross, the teacher, believes students are scoring higher in geography because they are receptive to the subject and consider it important.
``We emphasize today that the world is a community, and there is an awareness that we are interdependent,'' she said. ``Students' attitudes are changing, and they are more open to the subject.''
Ross also said geography teachers as a group probably are more knowledgeable and competent in their field now. In the past, some geography teachers had not specialized or been trained in the subject, she said.
She thinks new interdisciplinary approaches to geography have created more interest among students. ``In the old school, there were a lot of facts to be memorized, but now teachers are relating it to other courses, and student attitudes are changing.''
The NAEP exam was the first full-scale testing of geography at grades four, eight and 12 with a new assessment method. The test was given to 19,000 public- and private-school students around the country.
The results showed that about one out of every four children scored at the ``proficient'' level, meaning they had extensive knowledge of the concepts and terminology of geography.
Boys scored higher than girls at all three grade levels. Private-school students scored higher than public-school students, and students in the Northeast and Midwest scored better than those in West and Southeast.
White and Asian students scored higher than blacks and Hispanics.
Students were tested on their knowledge, understanding and application of geography to their lives.
``The new framework for this assessment is comprehensive, and so the results are meaningful," said federal Secretary of Education Richard Riley.
Not only do the results show that most students are learning more geography, but they are getting a firm grasp on how to apply that knowledge to their everyday lives, Riley said.
``Of course, geography is a lot more than memorizing national borders or finding mountains and rivers on a map,'' Riley said. ``Geography is a window on a very complex world, and its people, history and future.''
The Hidden Valley students are studying Canada and realizing how little they know about the country. Some could identify only two of Canada's 12 provinces and territories when they began the study.
Katie Hooker said geography is a tough course, but she enjoys it. ``We've never had these things before. It's not like science or math, where you have some of it every year and build on what you learned before.''
Sara Rains said the students have to make oral presentations in class, drawing on National Geographic magazine articles and other materials for research.
``If you present geography in the right way, it can be fun,'' Rains said. ``I think our teacher tries to do that.''
by CNB