The History, Psychology, and Pedagogy of Geographic Literacy

作者:Douglass, Malcolm P.

页数:201

出版时间:1999-10

价格:$ 45.14

isbn号码:9780275968045

具体描述

There is widespread belief, confirmed by research, that geographic literacy levels are unacceptably low. This book brings to teachers and others concerned about enlivening the place of geography in the school curriculum information in the several dimensions that must be considered if the contribution of geography to one's general education is to be reasonably understood. Included are (1) the history of geography in the school curriculum, along with why and how this strand has come to occupy the place it does in the modern school curriculum; (2) information about the evolution of modern-day geographic thinking (including a brief review of its history as a unifying form of intellectual inquiry); (3) reviews of research relating to the development of spatial abilities and the ability to read maps; (4) discussion of the way the teaching of geographic concepts may be incorporated across the curriculum; (5) analyses of the problem of evaluating progress in teaching geographic ideas and of the problems raised by recent technological developments. Geographic literacy is not simply a desirable educational goal but a most important one for today's schools. But today's geography is much more than knowing the names and locations of places around the world or facts about their importance, knowledge that soon becomes out of date. Today's geography emphasizes becoming knowledgeable about the interrelationships that characterize the human occupancy of physical environments--it is more a way of thinking about spatial interactions than it is of specific bits and pieces of information which the passage of time will make out of date. Educational caregivers--teachers, school supervisors and administrators, school board members--will find here a book that integrates our knowledge about the discipline of geography over time, its place in the school curriculum, research data about how students acquire spatial concepts, and how they learn to read maps, providing throughout discussions of meanings for teaching. Teachers teach what they know; they need up-to-date information if they are to become more effective in teaching students how to think about spatial interactions, to think geographically. School leaders need to be sensitive to the nature of geographic inquiry if they are to interpret to teachers and the public what constitutes geographic literacy and, in the process, assist teachers in becoming more effective in helping students achieve the kind of knowledge a broad segment of society agrees is important to citizenship in the 21st century.

用户评价

这本书的语言风格变化多端，这一点非常引人入胜。在描述历史演进时，文字是古典而富有韵律感的，仿佛在述说一段史诗；而在讨论当代教育实践的困境时，语言则变得犀利、直接，充满了紧迫感和行动的召唤。有一段关于技术进步对青少年空间感知负面影响的分析，作者的语气简直就像一位忧心忡忡的导师，措辞充满激情，读来让人热血沸腾，恨不得立刻起身去改变现状。这种情绪上的代入感，是很多纯粹的学术著作所缺乏的。它成功地平衡了学术的严谨性和人文关怀的温度，使得即便是对地理学并非专业的读者，也能被其所蕴含的对人类认知潜能的关注深深吸引。

我是在一次关于认知地图构建的研讨会上偶然听到提及这本书的，当时的主讲人引用了其中一个关于空间推理能力发展的跨文化比较的观点，立刻激发了我的好奇心。这本书的叙事节奏把握得极其精妙，它不像有些理论书籍那样一上来就抛出晦涩的概念，而是像一位经验丰富的导游，先带领读者从宏观的历史背景切入，逐步深入到个体心智如何编码和处理环境信息。作者似乎非常擅长于在不同的知识领域间搭建桥梁，我尤其欣赏其中关于“地方感”（sense of place）的论述，它不仅探讨了心理学上情感依恋的形成机制，还巧妙地将其与城市规划的历史演变联系起来，使得原本抽象的概念变得鲜活可感。阅读过程中，我常常需要停下来，回味那些精妙的比喻和严谨的逻辑链条，感觉自己的思维边界被不断拓宽。

从纯粹的批判性角度来看，这本书的论证深度令人印象深刻，尤其是在方法论部分的处理上，作者展现了惊人的学术功底。它没有停留在对现有理论的简单罗列和总结，而是对不同学派（比如现象学地理学与认知科学流派）之间的内在张力进行了深入的剖析。比如，书中对“地图阅读技能”的教学法部分，提出了一个非常具有颠覆性的框架，它挑战了传统上将地图视为纯粹工具的看法，而是将其视为一种复杂的符号系统和文化产品。我注意到作者在引用一手资料时非常审慎，大量的案例分析和实验数据被巧妙地融入文本，而不是作为孤立的附录存在，这大大增强了结论的说服力。对于希望深入了解地理教育理论基石的学者而言，这本书无疑提供了一个极佳的参照系和批判的靶子。

这本书的装帧设计本身就透露出一种沉稳而专业的学术气息。封面采用的是那种略带磨砂质感的深蓝色纸张，字体排版简洁有力，书名和作者信息用烫金工艺处理，在光线下呈现出低调的奢华感。打开内页，纸张的选择也十分考究，不是那种过于光滑的反光纸，而是偏向于米白色的哑光纸，阅读起来非常舒适，长时间盯着也不会感到眼睛疲劳。装订工艺扎实，书脊平整，即便是经常翻阅也不会轻易散页。这本书的物理形态，从触感到视觉，都给人一种“这是一部值得收藏的严肃著作”的预期。尤其是书籍的尺寸设计，既方便携带又不失阅读时的开阔感，让人在咖啡馆、图书馆或者旅途中都能沉浸其中。这种对实体书细节的打磨，在如今数字阅读盛行的时代，更显得难能可贵，它不仅仅是一堆知识的载体，更像是一件精心制作的工艺品，体现了出版方对学术价值的尊重。

我个人最欣赏的是本书在提出实践指导时的务实态度。理论的构建是基础，但最终的价值还是要体现在如何改进我们的教学和学习过程。这本书的后半部分，对如何设计有效的地理探究性学习活动给出了详尽的蓝图。这些建议并非空泛的口号，而是基于对真实课堂情境的深刻理解，考虑到了资源限制、学生多样性等实际问题。比如，它详细阐述了如何利用当地社区资源进行“参与式测绘”，并将这一过程与学生的自我认同构建挂钩。这种将高阶理论转化为可操作的教学干预的努力，使得这本书的价值超越了图书馆的书架，真正走进了教师的备课箱。它不仅告诉你“是什么”，更清晰地指明了“怎么做”，是理论指导实践的典范之作。