Comparative Study Of Chinese And American High School Geography Textbooks

Geography textbook is an important resource for teachers "teaching" and students "learning", is also the bridge of exchanges of teachers and students, and plays an important role in the practice of teaching. Geography textbook is both the main basis of a geography teacher’s teaching design and teaching activities and the reference of develop the geography curriculum resources, especially the main source of geographical knowledge to the students and the carrier of geography curriculum standards.Along with the progress of the society, geography textbook is constantly adapting and improving. China started a new round of basic education reform from2000. The "ordinary high school geography curriculum standards (experiment)" by the Ministry of National Education in2003made the new geography curriculum standards. Under the joint efforts of many geographers, four versions of geography textbooks were published officially in2004. Since then, various province selected the corresponding version based on the actual situation of the local to geography teaching, and the new textbooks have played a significant role in promoting the quality of geography teaching. Through nearly10years of teaching practice, the insufficient of geography textbook in the overall attractiveness, the system of theoretical knowledge, image expression, activity design and so on also are found. The current geography textbook requires further research and analysis, absorbing the textbook advantages from advanced education country, so we can take up others advantages.In this paper, high school geography textbook used in Shaanxi province---the geography textbook published Hunan Education Press (referred to the Hunan Education Edition geography textbook) and contemporary American high school mainstream science textbook "Earth Science-Geology, the Environment and the Universe" are took as an example to study. From geography textbook’s surface phenomenon, the knowledge structure, the graphic system, the operations (activities, experiment, Exercise) system and knowledge development comparative analysis, and through empirical study of high school students at the school to research the condition of student’s study in the geography course, and the situation of learning geography. Then, combining with the present situation of Chinese geography textbook, learning the United States new idea of geography textbook, put forward practical suggestions to Chinese high school geography to make it perfection.This paper considers the writing revelations of the American high school geography textbook to geography textbook in China:1. Inspire students’ interests. Including: pay more attention to the cover design of the geography textbook, grasp students’ thirst for knowledge from the text language of the geography textbook; attract the attention of students from the elegant and intuitive image; with experimental fun activities to attract the students’ initiative.2. Attention to detail. Including:to increase directory and planning layout, to rich images and design activities, to set exercises and increase the test.3. Strengthen the cultivation of ability. Including:to cultivate the students’ observation, access to information, analysis of spatial thinking ability from the design of the image system, to cultivate the students’ autonomy, cooperation, exploration, hands-on practice ability from the design of experiments, to develop students’ rational thinking, draw diagrams and apply concept ability from the design of the exercises.4. The integration between subject knowledge. Paying attention to the integration of knowledge of other disciplines in the compilation of geography textbook, to make the knowledge of various disciplines to penetrate, complement and promote each other.