Posted on 03/02/2006 11:57:54 AM PST by doug from upland
This is an exciting time to be studying global and regional geography! In this course you will take a penetrating look into the geographical - or spatial - relationships between human societies and cultures, the natural environment, and historical changes that have shaped the contemporary world. More than answering the question "what is where," this course adopts a conceptual approach to understanding and explaining the dynamic human and natural features of the earth’s surface. Particular geographic themes will e emphasized and applied largely to the regions of South, East, and Southeast Asia, the Middle East (North Africa & South West Asia), Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Russia, and Australia. Important themes include: population, religion, human rights, notions of development and underdevelopment, impact of colonialism historically and currently, sustainability, impacts of modernization on developing countries, globalization of economy and culture, political and international conflict, cultural diversity, and global environmental concerns. To that end, a deeper understanding of current events from a historical and geographical perspective is imperative. Thus, timely issues and events in the news will be tied into the overall framework of the course.
Because of the emphasis on the relationships between social, cultural, political, and environmental components of human societies and regions, world geography combines various aspects of the social sciences. Further, it addresses four essential skills: critical and creative thinking, critical reading, spatial reasoning, and effective writing. Such skills will be derived from a combination of questions sets for reading assignments, mapping exercises, seminar (class discussion), films, lectures, group projects, and essays that synthesize your understanding of concepts and theories related to the themes presented in class.
Course Goals
1. Critical and creative thinking
2. Critical reading
3. Spatial Reasoning
4. Effective writing
Course Objectives
1. Students know how to use and construct maps, globes, and other geographic tools to locate and derive information about people, places, and environments
2. Students know the physical and human characteristics of places, and use this knowledge to define and study regions and their patterns of change
3. Students understand how physical processes shape Earth’s surface patterns and systems
4. Students understand how economic, political, cultural, and social processes interact to shape patterns of human populations, interdependence, cooperation, and conflict
5. Students understand the effects of interactions between human and physical systems and the changes in meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources
6. Students apply knowledge of people, places, and environments to understand thepast and present and to plan for the future
Course Structure
The course is comprise of lecture, readings, films, seminars, map exercises, group projects, participation in the global fair, and writing assignments. Your grade will be calculated from five areas: tests/quizzes, writing assignments, seminar, group work/projects/maps, and homework. Sharing your knowledge, opinions, information, and experiences is a requirement. The format of the course is intended to reinforce learning on the course topics. It is critical that you attend each and every class, keep up with your reading assignments, have questions or problems ready for discussion, and take concise notes from ALL sources of information.
The following materials are required for every class meeting
1. 3-ring binder/fold for handouts and readings
2. Lined paper for notes and class work
3. Pencil and pen
4. Textbook and/or readings
Suggested Materials
1. Colored pencils and black fine point pen
2. Goode’s World Atlas (20th edition or later)
3. Ruler
Grading Policy
Your grade each semester will be determined by total points accumulated from the five areas listed above.
Grading Scale A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
*** All written assignments except impromptu essays or tests are on a portfolio grading system, which means they may be re-written as many times as desired for additional points. This is done in the interest of improving writing skills, as well as, generosity.
Make up/Late Work
· Notes should be acquired from a fellow student
· Any assignments given during an excused absence must be turned in within two school days following your return from the absence for full credit
· To get make up work just see me during my office period or pick it up in the classroom
· It is students responsibility to stay up-to-date on assignments, late/make-up work, tests, activities, and notes
· Any assignments given prior to an absence are due the say the student returns
· Unexcused absences – assignments due on the date of an unexcused absence will not be accepted. I reserve the right to refuse collection of work related to an unexcused absence
Extra Credit
Extra credit may be obtained from a variety of sources dealing with current, historical, or geographic events. Students must submit a written/typed paper that includes a brief summary, a connection to course material, and an opinion. Extra credit may not increase your standing more than one letter grade. Sources for extra credit include, but are not limited to:
· NPR (National Public Radio) 1340 AM · The New York Times
· The Wall Street Journal
· The News Hour (PBS) channel 6
· The BBC News (PBS) channel 12
· www.npr.org
· www.pbs.org
· www.guerrillanews.com
· www.tompain.org
· www.cato.org
· www.heritage.org
· www.indymedia.org
· www.freespeech.org
· www.newamericancentury.org
· www.brook.edu
· www.zman.org
Classroom Rules>
· Respect must be shown to myself and fellow peers at all times
· Tolerance for differences, remain open minded
· Turn in all assignments at appropriate time
· Complete all readings and arrive to class attentive, prepared, and willing to participate
· Disregard for these rules will not be tolerated
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Dear Parents/Student,
As your history teacher, it is necessary to inform both of you as to the nature and make up of my class. Two of the primary tenets of my class are respect and tolerance. The classroom must be a safe learning environment. As such, all students are entitled to their own opinions and beliefs. Students will not be permitted to insult or belittle others in the class, respect is paramount, tolerance is also extremely important. Students will be treated as adults, as long as they demonstrate mature, responsible behavior. Since discussions and participation are a significant part of my class, all students must feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Listening skills are essential, interruptions and/or disruptions are inappropriate.
Students will be given weekly syllabi to help organize and manage their time. Students are expected to be prepared, with necessary materials and/or assignments completed. I expect students to be attentive and active participants in their own education; the following is a brief list of classroom rules that are very important:
· Respect must be show to myself and fellow peers at all times
· Tolerance for differences, remain open-minded
· Turn in all assignments at appropriate time
· Complete all readings and arrive to class attentive and prepared
Disregard for these rules will not be tolerated. Students who fail to adhere to these rules will not be permitted to attend class. If the infraction is serious, parents and administrators may be contacted. The main objective of my class is to help students to think for themselves, and to become independent, responsible, upright young adults. This entails showing respect, consideration, and tolerance to all people and ideas in an academic context.
Students’ individual incentives for achievement are personal respect and satisfaction. Grades may, to some extent, determine one’s future opportunities; however, grades should not be the primary motivating factor in education. Students need to learn for themselves, in the end, this make their education more meaningful and relevant.
All students are expected to follow school policy regarding attendance. Make-up work will not be accepted unless the absence is excused. Studetns must complete make-up work within two days of the date of the absence.
Parents will only be contacted in extenuating circumstances, and/or if requested. The lines of communication are always open, students and parents are encouraged to inquire or arrange conferences or meetings. Please read the class syllabi, then sing and print your name at the bottom of this page. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jay Bennish
Parent ______________________________ Student ____________________________
The thing is that their idea of "authority" and my idea of it are different things. They don't question the "authority" of the MSM; I do. They don't question the "authority" of Liberals in power; I do.
Very good point that authority is often legitimate and should be obeyed, too.
My list of most annoying bumper stickers, the ones that really just piss me off! --
Hate is not a family value.
and
Baby On Board
I always get an irresistable urge to stuff a tennis ball in the mouths of the drivers. Wankers.
I'll admit in my youth I had a bad bumper sticker that read: Save gas. Fart in a jar. *sigh*
Wow! Sounds like a very cool teacher! Wish there were more like them!
Some teachers are considered "cool" by their students, but their approach to instructing their pupils should not be governed by a desire to be popular with pimply-faced adolescents.
Teachers must guard zealously and impart enthusiastically the subject matter with which they have been entrusted and to which they have devoted their life's work.
They should never distort or depart from their subject matter just to facilitate some "fun" activity or to flog some personal viewpoint.
This "geography teacher" seemed to be doing both. He was souping up geography to stroke his own ego.
When I teach, I constantly remind myself, "It's not about me!"
The syllabus is academic spinach. If he could just make #3 happen: "Students understand how physical processes shape Earth's (note the cute capitalization of 'earth')surface patterns and systems," he would earn his money. But then he would have to call the course Physical Geography or Geomorphology. (FYI: For years introductory Physical Geography was the most difficult, but likely the best, undergraduate geography course taught at the University of California, Berkeley's renowned Geography Department.)
Thanks for posting a more intellectually honest syllabus for a geography class.
Those of you who are not in public education need to understand that one of the fundamental attacks on traditional teaching and learning is the assault on subject matter itself.
The idea that, within a given academic discipline, there is a universally recognized body of knowledge that must be mastered is the "authority" that is continually being "questioned."
Hence, geography need not include geography. It, instead, can be the launching point for the discussion of a hundred seeming unrelated (and often more interesting and less intellectually demanding) topics.
The comparison between a real geography syllabus and Mr. Bennish's syllabus reveals what is happening in all academic subjects in public schools.
I think there are also cool teachers in the sense that he presents everything clearly and thoroughly and in an easy-to-understand manner. It must be noticed, though, that most adolescents may not "appreciate" such teachers!
I remember a few teachers in high school that I consider cool: one teacher always called back to basic foundational principles in 5th Form (equiv to US high school Sophomore) chemistry such as moles, empirical formulas, etc when we got stuck. He also extended the teaching materials and included something about acid-base concepts that were not examinable until 7th Form (senior) but which helped us immensely in understanding 5th Form materials (of course he didn't set any tests on these extension materials). Another teacher in maths taught all the common tricks in problems such as solving (2x - 1 = 2x + 3).
Of course, bad teachers are those that actually refuse to really teach anything, those who actually thought he had gone over a topic but in reality hadn't (I had one teacher like that when in high school - and it produced confusion in the class). I'm sure that most of the students in Mr Bennish's class would consider opinions like mine as from nerds.
Thanks, and to be honest NCEA is already affacted by the postmodern theories of education that the modern Left is so fond of. My alma matar is so unhappy with the whole concept of standards-based education and "skills-based" learning that it single-handedly introduced Cambridge University's international exams to New Zealand's schools.
You can notice that the first syllabus is more hard-knowledge-and-skills-based, while the second one starts to look more Bennishized.
I love when we catch them doing stupid things like this. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
I was also one of those nerds who considered "cool" those teachers who could teach their subject matter in such a way that I could both understand it and feel motivated to learn it.
I had several excellent, many mediocre, and a few flat-out bad teachers in my academic career.
To this day, I cherish the memories of those teachers who really inspired me to learn.
There are a couple of interesting bits at the Denver county court. Nothing big, though.
Dude, she's not even cute.
"One of the students recorded it on his mp3 player and took the audio home to play for his father."
I'm sure audio recorders (even used to record class lectures for later studying) will be the next thing added to "zero tolerance" contraband.
Twenty years ago when my brother decided to home school his two children I thought he was nuts. Now, 20 years later, I would do it also if my life were to be re-lived. Public schools absolute cesspools. I am pointing things my daughter needs to watch for in my grandkids public school - so far fairly good school system and excellent teachers in grades 1-6. Next year (grade 7) should get interesting.
I spoke to the school district today and asked about the curriculum and his class. The woman volunteered to fax me the syllabus.
I am furious enough over the abusive treatment of these children (and the destruction of their safe learning environments), let alone if one of them were my very own.
Actually it is quite well written. I have no problem with any of it, unlike his recorded rant, which is at tension with the above.
This from the Ward Churchill School of Government
That's reasonable.
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