¿Cómo crear una ruta educativa GPS?

Las rutas educativas tienen una popularidad que crece rápidamente. El desafío para los educadores es desarrollar rutas educativas más efectivas. El artículo intenta definir una metodología para estas rutas: GPS. Después de un intensivo estudio de la literatura el autor describe los aspectos más importantes

How Important is the Environment to Adolescents Today?

This empirical study investigates the environmental consciousness among pupils aged 14/15 and 18/19 in Bavaria (Southern Germany) by using a questionnaire. The study focuses on the differences between the two samples. Environmental knowledge, attitude and behaviour are important aspects. The author also examines the influence of social and demographic factors – such as gender and the size of the place of residence – on these three aspects. The results show that pupils at the age of 18/19 always have significantly higher scores concerning their environmental knowledge, attitude and behaviour. How nature is experienced as well as attitudes towards the environment within the family are very important factors which affect the various aspects of environmental awareness. The survey finishes with a series of proposals for further investigation and practice

Which Nature Experience Do Pupils Aged 14/15 and 17/18 Year Gain?

This study investigates in nature experiences of 14/15 and 17/18 year high school (Gymnasium) students in Bavaria (South Germany). In particular, the author was interested in a) the level of outdoor experiences of each group, b) the influence of independent factors as gender and environmental behavior at home on nature experience and c) the relation between outdoor experience and environmental knowledge, readiness to act and actual environmental behavior. The author used a standardized questionnaire. The results showed a significant age effect on the intensity of nature experiences. The older group achieved in nearly all dimensions of nature experiences higher values. The influence of the size of location and of gender seemed to be higher in the younger group. The older adolescents did not have the same expectations of nature experience as the younger group. There is a very high relation between nature experiences and environmental knowledge, readiness to act and actual environmental behavior. The article concludes with the results being discussed in respect of environmental education at university and school.Peer Reviewe

Darstellung Europas in Geographieschulbüchern der 7.–9. Jahrgangsstufe

From the point of view of geography education, Europe has been an important theme for a long time. Meanwhile, every geography textbook refers to Europe and the European Union. The intention is that the students can judge their own opinion and that they develop a Europe consciousness of their own. This is especially achieved by curricula and textbooks, which usually are focused by school work. It is the target of this study to understand the character of the European dimension in actual Portuguese geography textbooks of the 7th to 9th grade. A treatment of quantitative and qualitative methods was developed, which corresponds to the demands of the matter and is suited to achieve a thorough understanding by its straightness and great comprehensibility. By means of quantitative analysis, the study examines how often each European area is mentioned, how many illustrations contain an European dimension and how strong the particular thematic points of the category systems Europe in general and European Union are stressed. The results are consolidated in qualitative analysis

“Hedgerow”: a cooperation between geography, didactics of geography and school practice to improve teacher training at university

The project “hedgerow” is a cooperation between the head of the nature conservation project “Altmühlleiten”, the assistant professor of the department of didactics of geography of the Catholic University of Eichstätt, and pupils of a primary school. The aim of all partners was to improve the children’s knowledge about hedgerows as well as cooperation between scientific geography and teacher training. In the theoretical part, a selected model that the author uses to describe the term ‘cooperation’ will be presented, the elements of which must be fulfilled to form an effective cooperation . Then, this model is transformed to the hedgerow project. The project itself consisted of four steps. First, the participating students of geography didactics are informed about hedgerows in a very interactive way. Hedgerows are a refuge for native wild flora and fauna. They were typical cultural elements of this region but have largely disappeared. After acquiring this information, each university student group prepared one lesson for each school class level during a didactic lecture at university next. With regard to sustainable working and teaching, the students held their prepared lessons in different primary school classes. Finally, the pupils built their own hedgerow in nature. This project can be seen as an example for cooperation between geography, didactics of geography and school practice

Outline of an Effective GPS Education Trail Methodology. GI_Forum 2014 – Geospatial Innovation for Society|

GPS educational trails are enjoying increasing popularity. The challenge for educators is now to develop more effective GPS education trails. This article tries to define a methodology for devising such trails. With an intensive literature study, the most important aspects and outcomes are selected and described. A grid with which to assess the learning effectiveness of a GPS education trail based on the points drawn from the literature is then proposed

Outline of an Effective GPS Education Trail Methodology. GI_Forum 2014 – Geospatial Innovation for Society|

GPS educational trails are enjoying increasing popularity. The challenge for educators is now to develop more effective GPS education trails. This article tries to define a methodology for devising such trails. With an intensive literature study, the most important aspects and outcomes are selected and described. A grid with which to assess the learning effectiveness of a GPS education trail based on the points drawn from the literature is then proposed

Islam and Muslim life in current Bavarian geography textbooks

This paper investigates the Islam and Muslim life in German textbooks. The study is based on the analysis of current Geography textbooks in Bavarian secondary schools. As a first step, the authors developed a system for objective analysis of the textbooks that structures the content in categories. In a second step, the authors used the qualitative method. One category system was developed to analyze the didactical quality of the illustration to the theme Islam and Muslim life another category system was developed to analyze the different aspects of Islam and Muslim life in textbooks. Quantitative analysis shows that the book authors use a variety of illustrations, but especially photos followed by maps. The quality is generally good. Three aspects were selected for qualitative analysis: Spatial representations of Islam, Islam as a religion and Muslim people in Germany. The spatial representation of Islam across the different textbooks is very diverse. Islam is usually not presented as a European phenomenon. The presentation of Islam as an oriental phenomenon risks propagating the idea that there is no other religious group in this area. The information on Islam as a religion is often superficial and may cause students to falsely assume that Islam is a homogeneous religion. Overall, the reader is led to wrongly falsely assume that Muslim migrants, many of whom are living in the 3rd generation in Germany, are still not really part of German society. This is certainly not true for the majority.This paper investigates the Islam and Muslim life in German textbooks. The study is based on the analysis of current Geography textbooks in Bavarian secondary schools. As a first step, the authors developed a system for objective analysis of the textbooks that structures the content in categories. In a second step, the authors used the qualitative method. One category system was developed to analyze the didactical quality of the illustration to the theme Islam and Muslim life another category system was developed to analyze the different aspects of Islam and Muslim life in textbooks. Quantitative analysis shows that the book authors use a variety of illustrations, but especially photos followed by maps. The quality is generally good. Three aspects were selected for qualitative analysis: Spatial representations of Islam, Islam as a religion and Muslim people in Germany. The spatial representation of Islam across the different textbooks is very diverse. Islam is usually not presented as a European phenomenon. The presentation of Islam as an oriental phenomenon risks propagating the idea that there is no other religious group in this area. The information on Islam as a religion is often superficial and may cause students to falsely assume that Islam is a homogeneous religion. Overall, the reader is led to wrongly falsely assume that Muslim migrants, many of whom are living in the 3rd generation in Germany, are still not really part of German society. This is certainly not true for the majority