Professor says students can't identify continents on map

[oneh2obabe]

Geography knowledge found lacking in Memorial University classes
CBC News
Posted: Jan 15, 2013 6:10 AM NT
Last Updated: Jan 15, 2013 1:04 PM NT

A professor at Memorial University says her students desperately need to brush up on their geography.

In September, Judith Adler gave students in her Sociology 2270 class a pop quiz – something she now requires her students to pass in order to pass her course.

The course studies sociology of the family, and Adler teaches the material from a cross-cultural perspective.

"I've assigned work on families in Africa, families in Asia, families in South America. And for many years, I just took for granted that if I talked about families in Africa, that my students had a visual image of where Africa was," she said.

Adler decided she had to make sure her students knew the locations she was talking about. She handed out a blank map, and gave her students simple instructions: Identify Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

"The results were really mind-opening to me," she said.

"They should not be confusing Antarctica and the Arctic, and they should know that they live on the Atlantic Ocean ... and they should be able to know where North America is."

Adler described the test as extremely elementary, adding she's had to make it even simpler over the years. This year's results were no less shocking.

"The Atlantic Ocean is labelled as the Mediterranean Sea; Africa is circled and labelled as Europe, with Spain and Italy being put in the middle of Africa," she said.

Adler said she can't believe her students' lack of knowledge when it comes to geography.

"The revelation of how the school system here has completely dropped geography from young people's education has been very striking to me," she said.

Adler is calling on the university to be more proactive.

"I think that the entering students should be tested on elementary knowledge, and they should take a remedial course if they don't have it because the rest of their education depends on it."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundl ... y-115.html

[averagejoe]

removed - Jennylives

[SurplusElect]

Bah - we need to get more students into the trades. All that book learning doesn't do a thing for the economy!

We need to get oil patch safety courses put into place in high schools instead of Geography.

After all we are shaping this country to be a giant Texas, aren't we?

[Bsuds]

removed - Jennylives

[French Castanut]

[Sn0man]

Geography knowledge found lacking in Memorial University classes
CBC News
Posted: Jan 15, 2013 6:10 AM NT
Last Updated: Jan 15, 2013 1:04 PM NT

A professor at Memorial University says her students desperately need to brush up on their geography.

In September, Judith Adler gave students in her Sociology 2270 class a pop quiz – something she now requires her students to pass in order to pass her course.

The course studies sociology of the family, and Adler teaches the material from a cross-cultural perspective.

"I've assigned work on families in Africa, families in Asia, families in South America. And for many years, I just took for granted that if I talked about families in Africa, that my students had a visual image of where Africa was," she said.

Adler decided she had to make sure her students knew the locations she was talking about. She handed out a blank map, and gave her students simple instructions: Identify Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

"The results were really mind-opening to me," she said.

"They should not be confusing Antarctica and the Arctic, and they should know that they live on the Atlantic Ocean ... and they should be able to know where North America is."

Adler described the test as extremely elementary, adding she's had to make it even simpler over the years. This year's results were no less shocking.

"The Atlantic Ocean is labelled as the Mediterranean Sea; Africa is circled and labelled as Europe, with Spain and Italy being put in the middle of Africa," she said.

Adler said she can't believe her students' lack of knowledge when it comes to geography.

"The revelation of how the school system here has completely dropped geography from young people's education has been very striking to me," she said.

Adler is calling on the university to be more proactive.

"I think that the entering students should be tested on elementary knowledge, and they should take a remedial course if they don't have it because the rest of their education depends on it."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundl ... y-115.html

Are these Canadian students they're talking about?

[oneh2obabe]

Are these Canadian students they're talking about?

Yes ... Memorial University - Newfoundland/Labrador

[French Castanut]

Yes ... Memorial University - Newfoundland/Labrador

So... they're Newfies?

[Bpeep]

Yes ... Memorial University - Newfoundland/Labrador

That explains it.

[dogspoiler]

If they don't watch it, people will start telling jokes about Newfies.

[fvkasm2x]

Still better than America.

When a grad class was asked what 2 countries bordered their country, only 50% could name them. Some of them even said Alaska or South America.

[albertabound]

Just goes to show how good the teachers are.

[LoneWolf_53]

Still better than America.

When a grad class was asked what 2 countries bordered their country, only 50% could name them. Some of them even said Alaska or South America.

They truly are that clueless south of the border, and I frankly find it scary. Are they really all so self absorbed that they can't be bothered to learn anything about the rest of the globe, unless it has oil?

I think given a few minutes I could probably still name all fifty states, not to mention having a good grasp of their general location.

[SmokeOnTheWater]

85% of young adult Americans don't know where Iraq is

By marx in MLP
Thu Nov 21, 2002 at 11:39:47 AM EST
Tags: Culture (all tags)

A survey commissioned and published by National Geographic shows that a large majority of young Americans between the age of 18-24 are geographically illiterate.

Less than 15% of the subjects could locate Iraq or Israel on a map. Only 17% could locate Afghanistan, even though the survey was carried out after the war. 11% could not locate the U.S. on a map.

[French Castanut]

A survey commissioned and published by National Geographic shows that a large majority of young Americans between the age of 18-24 are geographically illiterate.

11% could not locate the U.S. on a map.

They're kidding right?