A Controlled Experiment in Teaching Physical Map Skills to Grade 4 Pupils in Elementary Schools

Abstract

A new unit for teaching physical map skills to Grade 4 (age 9–10) students in Israeli elementary schools has been developed. Designed using previously reported research into the initial cognitive abilities required to learn map skills, it has been evaluated in a controlled teaching experiment. The results indicate that using this new unit for teaching map skills helps to overcome continuing teaching difficulties and students' underachievement. Students showed a mastery of the required cognitive abilities and knowledge of map skills which was significantly higher than that in students who had studied by conventional methods.