Do you know where Louisiana is?

[piratebg]

Poll Shows Many Can't Find La. on Map By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer
Tue May 2, 10:06 AM ET



WASHINGTON - Despite the wall-to-wall coverage of the damage from Hurricane Katrina, nearly one-third of young Americans recently polled couldn't locate Louisiana on a map and nearly half were unable to identify Mississippi.

Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 fared even worse with foreign locations: six in 10 couldn't find Iraq, according to a Roper poll conducted for National Geographic.

"Geographic illiteracy impacts our economic well-being, our relationships with other nations and the environment, and isolates us from the world," National Geographic president John Fahey said in announcing a program to help remedy the problem. It's hoping to enlist businesses, nonprofit groups and educators in a bid to improve geographic literacy.

Planned is a five-year, multimedia campaign called My Wonderful World that will target children 8 to 17. The goal is to motivate parents and educators to expand geographic offerings in school, at home and in their communities.

They will have their task cut out for them, judging by the results of the survey of 510 people interviewed in December and January.

Among the findings:

• One-third of respondents couldn't pinpoint Louisiana on a map and 48 percent were unable to locate Mississippi.

• Fewer than three in 10 think it important to know the locations of countries in the news and just 14 percent believe speaking another language is a necessary skill.

• Two-thirds didn't know that the earthquake that killed 70,000 people in October 2005 occurred in Pakistan.

• Six in 10 could not find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.

• While the outsourcing of jobs to India has been a major U.S. business story, 47 percent could not find the Indian subcontinent on a map of Asia.

• While Israeli-Palestinian strife has been in the news for the entire lives of the respondents, 75 percent were unable to locate Israel on a map of the Middle East.

• Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.

• Six in 10 did not know the border between North and South Korea is the most heavily fortified in the world. Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.

Joining in the effort to improve geographic knowledge will be the 4-H, American Federation of Teachers, Asia Society, Association of American Geographers, National Basketball Association, National Council of La Raza, National PTA, Smithsonian Institution and others.

"Geography exposes children and adults to diverse cultures, different ideas and the exchange of knowledge from around the world," said Anna Marie Weselak, president of the National PTA. "This campaign will help make sure our children get their geography — so they can become familiar with other cultures during their school years and move comfortably and confidently in a global economy as adults."

[un b weavable]

Originally posted by piratebg

Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.

:thumbsup:

[LH Panther Mom]

Is Geography not taught any longer? Sheesh, I know I'm old, but what happened to the days of drawing maps and naming the countries/states, etc? :doh: :doh:

:mad: It's been a rather OWCHI day, today. :D

[pirate4state]

What a bunch of idiots!


Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico. Double :doh: :doh:


Oh and yes, I know where Louisana is. ;) :nerd:

[Blastoderm55]

The only thing taught in school nowadays is TAKS preperation. Thanks Dubya for the No Child Left Behind Act. :doh:

[griff]

Remember that nutty skin head teacher in Colorado recently who was recorded by a student spewing an anti-American diatribe? He was teaching in a...

...GEOGRAPHY class.

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
Is Geography not taught any longer? Sheesh, I know I'm old, but what happened to the days of drawing maps and naming the countries/states, etc? :doh: :doh:

:mad: It's been a rather OWCHI day, today. :D

that's the class I got to use all colors of my map pencils :D

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by 44INAROW
that's the class I got to use all colors of my map pencils :D
I can still draw a very good state of Texas, in about 3 seconds, freehand. :cool: 2 minutes and a ruler, and it's almost dead on. :nerd: :nerd:

[Blastoderm55]

Then that explains why his students don't know their stuff. How can they learn when their teacher is put on leave for simply explaining to them that certain people in certain regions have certain views. How dare he teach Geography!


Screw it, stupid link wouldn't work.

He has been reinstated.

[un b weavable]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
I can still draw a very good state of Texas, in about 3 seconds, freehand. :cool: 2 minutes and a ruler, and it's almost dead on. :nerd: :nerd:
I guess that's a useful skill to have.:thinking:

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by un b weavable
I guess that's a useful skill to have.:thinking:
It is when your spouse is less than informed about how the UIL boundaries are drawn for the different regions. ;) :p

My point was that back when we used slate to complete our homework ( :rolleyes: ), we actually learned Geography. Many of the countries that we were taught, no longer exist as they did then (i.e. Czechslovakia, Russia, etc), but we learned where they were, the capitols and about the people in the countries.

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
It is when your spouse is less than informed about how the UIL boundaries are drawn for the different regions. ;) :p

My point was that back when we used slate to complete our homework ( :rolleyes: ), we actually learned Geography. Many of the countries that we were taught, no longer exist as they did then (i.e. Czechslovakia, Russia, etc), but we learned where they were, the capitols and about the people in the countries.

The Congo and Zimbobway (I know that's not spelled right)

[sahen]

i actually hated geography class cause i hated to color, but i must say my mind is like a globe because of it....i have this weird ability to know where almost any country is (not all the small ones and the "stans" but most of them)....i guess i can thank the many maps and colors for that, it helped it stick....

[piratebg]

When I was in 4th grade I used to watch a PBS game show call Where In The World Is Caren Sandiego? I learned a lot about geography and still remember a good amount.

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by Blastoderm55
The only thing taught in school nowadays is TAKS preperation.
And I grew up with "achievement tests"...same difference. The last time I checked, Geography is a requirement in Texas public high schools. And I know that in some schools, this is still taught, because I've helped my kids with map stuff.

[Phil C]

SHOW SOME COMPASSION!! :mad:

Besides I not only don't know where it is but I can't even spell it!!





;) :D

[Blastoderm55]

True, we've always had benchmark tests, but nowadays, schoo districts are living or dying by these standardized scores. Refusing funding due to low scores is absurd, and as of the last I read, had schools submitting incomplete scores (its apparently legal to omit a percentage of minority grades) in order to keep their funding. I help my younger siblings nearly every day with their school work, and it all currently revolves around the damn TAKS.

[sahen]

Originally posted by piratebg
When I was in 4th grade I used to watch a PBS game show call Where In The World Is Caren Sandiego? I learned a lot about geography and still remember a good amount.
i liked that show when i was little haha....maybe cause id idnt know i was learning geography....

[NSUTrumpet08]

Originally posted by piratebg
When I was in 4th grade I used to watch a PBS game show call Where In The World Is Caren Sandiego? I learned a lot about geography and still remember a good amount.

Dude! I loved that show! I always wanted to be on Carmen San Diego! I thought i could do better than any of those kids on there.

Yeah we had to take world geography my sophomore year at Jasper. I remember the coloring of with map pencils and we learned all the states of the US, provinces of Canada, and all the countries in the world...tons of fun...Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan...Benin my Togo...Ghana go to the Ivory Coast...little things like that i remember...

[Adidas410s]

I found it...

http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9904/04/la.tornado.02/louisiana.benton.jpg

[sahen]

y is Benton on the map? Baton Rouge = Capital.....Benton = ????......Shreveport-Bossier is the biggest city up there...

[Bullaholic]

I think these map boys annexed a little "Arkansas" into their Louisiana map, sahen.

[sahen]

Originally posted by Bullaholic
I think these map boys annexed a little "Arkansas" into their Louisiana map, sahen.
ok, that is why it confused me....

here is the survey....
http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/index.html

[PPHSfan]

I am impressed that the question was "Do you know where Louisiana is?".

Most folks nowadays would say"Do you know where Louisiana is AT?":doh:

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by sahen
y is Benton on the map? Baton Rouge = Capital.....Benton = ????......Shreveport-Bossier is the biggest city up there...

because I pulled the map off of google...

[Highschoolfan78]

Thats the problem with polling northerners.. They don't care about anything but whats surrounding them

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by Blastoderm55
The only thing taught in school nowadays is TAKS preperation. Thanks Dubya for the No Child Left Behind Act. :doh:
.
NCLB was drawn up by Teddy Kenedy...:p :p :p
I don't want to start anything political, just set the record straight.:D

[Haunta Yo]

Originally posted by 44INAROW
that's the class I got to use all colors of my map pencils :D

You only needed 4 different colors, though....
http://www.cs.uidaho.edu/~casey931/mega-math/workbk/map/mpexample.gif

[WOSgrad]

Okay, can we put the brakes on this runaway train?

Are we really gonna indict young American's knowledge of geography on the basis of a non-randomized survey of 510, that's right, 510 people? That is less than the entire student population of many of the schools which this message board represents! And yes, I know about sample sizes, but to make such sweeping generalizations about the whole of American youth based upon such a small sample is silly!

But if you think that is a large enough sample size, let's look at some of the less publicized parts of this survey:

-68% of those surveyed correctly calculated that if it was noon in New York that it would be 9:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. Do you know that I have had to reschedule depositions because another attorney could not make that calcuation?

-almost 2 out of every 3 students ID'd the Amazon rain forest in South America

-3 out of every 4 ID'd the nation Colombia as being in South America

-6 out of 10 noted that of these cities, Honolulu, Manilla, Tokyo and Mexico City, that Mexico City would be least likely to be threatened by a tsunami

-67% of those surveyed correctly ID'd the origin of the dangerous strain of the avian flu as Asia

-8 out of every 10 noted that if you were able to wear light clothing, you most likely lived near the equator

Now as to those answers that were publicized:

-How many of us would have correctly answered Mandarin Chinese as the largest primary language (if you look at the survey, it did not say most spoken)? This is not an example of geographic illiteracy, this is a question that would have required logical leaps in that "Well since China has so many people, it must be Chinese." BTW, that China has at least the twice the population of the U.S. was a fact ID'd by 84% of those in this survey, with 39% correctly noting that China's population is 4 times the population.

-The largest percentage (37%) got the heavily guarded border answer right. Aside from the much publicized 30%, 21% answered the China/Russia border, to me anyway demonstrating an understanding of some other tense areas in the world.

-Yes, not being able to find one of the states on a map is not good. But how many of us if we had a blank map right now, could hit all 50 correctly. I'd love to see some of the scrunched noses when it would come time to fill in the New England and upper Mid-Atlantic states. You know how I learned the locations of the states? For my sixth birthday, my godfather gave me two puzzles, a map of the world and a map of the U.S.

-Before Saddam invaded Kuwait, how many of us could have pointed out those countries on a world map? And more importantly, how many of us would be branded "geographically illiterate" for failing to do so?

I guess what I am getting at is an old saying that I know we all know so well, "There's lies, there's darned lies and then, there's statistics." And I find that is probably the case here, particularly given that the results of the survey comes out simultaneously with the new National Geographic Society's "My Beautiful World" program.

I've got one survey question that the NGS did not have on it's survey:

"The spearheading instrument of the My Beautiful World program will be:

A. Having junior high, middle school and high school teachers pushing students to get a subscription to National Geographic Magazine

B. Having elementary school teachers push students to get a subscription to Junior World Magazine

C. Promizing children wonderful prizes so they will bug their parents mercilessly to buy magazines published by the National Geographic Society.

D. All of the above."

[sinton3055]

I'm in Louisiana right now, I am ready to go back to Houston.

[BTEXDAD]

must be slow day at the office WOSgrad, but a well thought out post.
Students tend to learn what's taught to them.
Some years back, my mom cleaned out attic and gave me some of my old school workbooks, which would be from the 60's when I was in grade school.
Many things I was learning in second and third grade are now being taught in kindergarten and 1st grade. Their math classes in jr. high are eqivalent to mine in high school.
As far as being smarter by book standards, today's students are far advanced over their parents and grandparents.
However, I do still feel they are short on problem solving ability by plain old common sense.

[BTEXDAD]

Originally posted by sinton3055
I'm in Louisiana right now, I am ready to go back to Houston.

Get on I-10 and head west, sinton. You will find it okay.

[pancho villa]

Heck I missed 2 questions.