Two Improved Educational Theory Based Tools to Monitor and Promote Quality of Geographical Education and Learning Professor Mauri Åhlberg University of Joensuu in Savonlinna, Savonlinna, Finland Principal Vuokko Ahoranta Kangaskylän koulu, Opintie 9, 59100 Parikkala, Finland New improved educational tools are suggested to monitor and promote quality of geographical education. It is shown that in literature concept maps (Gowin, 1981; Novak, 1980; Novak & Gowin, 1984) and mind maps (Buzan, 1982, 1993) are not prop- erly understood. The difference between concept maps and mind maps is made clear by constructing a mind map and a concept map using the same concepts from Geographical Education. It is shown that the concept map is an accurate representation of the main features of cognitive structure, while the mind map is an ordered associa- tion map open to multiple interpretations. Improved concept maps and Vee heuristics are presented as tools to monitor and promote meaningful, deep, creative geographical learning and metacognition. Values thinking is explicitly promoted by improved Vee heuristics.Empirical examples from a cases study of a geographical learning project are presented, and their usefulness for practical teaching and educational research is analysed and evaluated. Suggestions are made both for practice and further research. Introduction There are traditions (spatial, area studies, man-land, and earth science) and themes (location and distribution, place, relationship within places, people–envi- ronment relationships, spatial interaction, movement and regions) in geography and in geographical education (Archer, 1995; IGU, 1992; Natoli, 1994; Rikkinen, 1998). Spatial maps are invaluable traditional tools of geographical education. However, there is much more in geographical education than just spatial maps and graphical literacy. Kaminske (1997) presents an overview of complexity of geographical concepts, and difficulties in learning them. There are issues concerning values and conceptual and propositional structures, declarative knowledge, what is worthwhile or valuable in geographical learning, why pupils think they should learn geography, what methods for constructing knowledge students know beforehand, what knowledge constructing methods do they actu- ally use, and what pupils know before teaching and after teaching about geographical items, and how to best monitor and promote learning. There are at least two practical tools developed for answering these kinds of basic educational questions: concept maps and Vee heuristics. As presented in Figures 1 and 2 quality of learning may vary from rote learning to high quality learning, which is at least meaningful, deep, creative proactive and metacognitive (metalearning). 1038-2046/02/02 0119-19 $20.00/0 © 2002 M. Åhlberg & V. Ahoranta International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education Vol. 11, No. 2, 2002 119