Population Dynamics

Population Dynamics:
Using Geographic Skills

"Geographic skills provide the necessary tools and techniques for us to think geographically." (Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, page 41). In addition to skills which focus on geographic analysis, geography utilizes skills common to all disciplines; i.e., forming hypotheses, observation, classification, graphing, etc. The development of skills is stressed equally with content and perspective in the Geography Standards.

RELATED READINGS

Three Patterns of Population, in World Population: Fundamentals of Growth
Geographic Skills: Acquiring Geographic Information
Activity: Finding a Million
Activity: The Science and Art of Observation
Power of the Pyramids, Activity 6 in People and the Planet, 1996 Zero Population Growth.

GEOGRAPHIC SKILLS
What geographic skills are employed in order for us to gain knowledge and understanding of population concepts and issues?
1. Asking Geographic Questions
2. Acquiring Geographic Information
3. Organizing Geographic Information
4. Analyzing Geographic Information
5. Answering Geographic Questions
ACQUIRING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
1. Geographic information is obtained from a variety of sources, including US Census data.
2. Observation
  1. Basic skill
  2. Rules of observation
  3. Observation of population
    1. Location of people.
    2. Number of people in a place.
    3. Characteristics of people in a place.
    4. Consideration of scale of inquiry.
3. Numbers of people vary by scale of location
  1. If where is the world, then numbers are in the billions.
  2. If where is national, then numbers are in the millions.
  3. Activity: Finding a Million
ORGANIZING AND ANALYZING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: POPULATION PYRAMIDS
1. The shape indicates the potential for future growth.
  1. Rapid Growth
  2. Slow Growth
  3. Zero Growth
  4. Negative Growth
2. Used to organize and analyze other population information.
  1. Historical trends in population structure.
  2. Dependent ages.
  3. Other.

Using Geographic Skills. Activity 6: Power of The Pyramids. 1996 Zero Population Growth. People and the Planet.Pyramid Building Lesson

Contents || Introduction || Population Dynamics || Settlement || Resources I || Resources II || Boundaries