Unlocking the Power of Geographic Inquiry Thomas Herman, PhD Director, California Geographic Alliance Department of Geography, San Diego State Univ.
Why I am here, and how I got here A few words about my path to a refined purpose in the arena of geography education.
FORMATIVE INFLUENCES From geographer to geography education advocate and worker Became Director of California Geographic Alliance in 2013-14 Began working with teachers and instructional leaders in 2015-16 Helped develop video on C3 Framework and Geography in 2015-16 Part of CA H-SS Framework rollout and implementation since 2016 Involved with National Center for Research in Geography Education: Teaching with Geospatial Technologies; Learning Progressions in Geography; Powerful Geography
An Inquiry-driven approach WHERE? WHY CARE? WHY THERE? WHERE? WHY CARE? WHY THERE?
What s the benefit? FIRST ANSWER Teachers and students can have personally meaningful and empowering experiences in and out of the classroom and to have those experiences bring them closer to the world while igniting their own curiosities, insights, and creative impulses.
What s the benefit? SECOND ANSWER Integrating the social studies for a greater depth of understanding and an increased knowledge base for action
INCORPORATING GEOGRAPHIC THINKING, INQUIRY, AND LITERACY IN ALL SOCIAL SCIENCE COURSES
Unpacking the Geographic Perspective in Social Science Lessons Overarching geographic concepts/frames of understanding (a working model) [PLACE] [SPACE] [SYSTEMS] [RESOURCES] These concepts help us probe a topic for geographic insights and formulate questions that help students to discover those insights and practice geographic thinking.
Definitions (drawn and elaborated from The Dictionary of Human Geography, 4th Edition) PLACE: A portion of geographic space, named and commonly recognized within a community; bounded settings in which social relations and identity are constituted; space that has gained meaning through history (think of place as subjective, imbued with historical significance) SPACE: A universal of human existence (like time), an external coordinate system of mutually exclusive points (this is absolute space); dimensionality, often understood within particular contexts, and applicable to material, concrete environments and imagined, symbolic environments SYSTEMS: A group of elements organized in such that each one is in some way interdependent with every other element while carrying out an overall function, goal or purpose (not necessarily conscious goals or deliberate intent, function may even be sustainability of the system itself) RESOURCES: A concept used to denote sources of human satisfaction, wealth or strength (e.g., labor, entrepreneurial skills, finances drawn from the human environment as well as mineral and material derived from the physical environment)
Unpacking the Geographic Perspective in Social Science Lessons Let s take a topic [the presidential election] and work through each of the geographic concepts/frames to identify productive starting points for inquiry. [PLACE] [SPACE] [SYSTEMS] [RESOURCES] Use the sheet of geographic questions to prompt your thinking, but make sure to pose the questions in a way that is relevant to the topic and revealing of important issues related to it.
Geographic Questions Exercise Presidential Election Cubs Win PLACE SPACE SYSTEMS RESOURCES
Geographic Questions Exercise PLACE SPACE SYSTEMS RESOURCES Presidential Election What does red state/blue state mean? What kinds of states are red/blue? What happens when you are out of place? How do election results project results across space and misrepresent local voting outcomes? Why is there an envelope of restricted space around polling places? What is process for selecting president and how does it ensure relate to representative democracy? What count as resources within a campaign? How are resources understood and framed at different scales? Cubs Win North side/south side Wrigley as hallowed ground How is a unique space created within Wrigley Field? Leagues, farm systems, labor market Which are most important: players, fan bases, knowledge (i.e., Moneyball), capital
More Thinking About Geographic Inquiry We ve talked about geographic questions But we are looking to build capacity for geographic reasoning and analysis And answering questions about geographic factors is just a starting point for activating the power of geographic inquiry.
The role of geographic questions Questions about simple geographic facts (place and space) Questions about geographic knowledge and perceptions Questions about maps and other geographic representations CONTEXT
The role of geographic questions Questions about interactions between geographic facts and the effects of systems on place characteristics and spatial relationships Questions about the use of geographic information and/or geographic representations to effect outcomes Questions about how space is produced, regulated, and differentiated and how that affects possibilities. EXPLANATION
The role of geographic questions Questions about how to anticipate and respond to changes in a complex environment Questions about how to practice stewardship of a place Questions about how to exercise locational advantage DECISION MAKING
Resources!!! California Geographic Alliance GeoHistogram Esri GeoInquiries National Geographic Education
California Geographic Alliance calgeography.org Story Maps under Resources/GeoQuest menu item facebook.com/californiageographicalliance twitter.com/calgeography California Global Education Project: www.cispisglobal.org
EVER HEARD OF A GEO- HISTO- GRAM?
GeoHistoGrams World GeoHistoGram with related activities: https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/se/geography/michigan%20geographic%20alliance/geo graphy%20resources/pages/world-geohistogram.aspx US GeoHistoGram with related activities: https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/se/geography/michigan%20geographic%20alliance/geo graphy%20resources/pages/u.s.-geohistogram-with-activities.aspx Developed by Michigan Geographic Alliance Standards-based inquiry activities that utilize a web-based map
Esri https://www.esri.com/enus/industries/education/schools/geoinquiries-collections https://www.gisetc.com/geoinquiries/ World s leading producer of GIS software, which is free to K-12 schools Standards-based inquiry activities that utilize a web-based map
ENGAGING WITH THE POLITICS OF EXPANDING U.S. TERRITORY GeoInquiries are instructional activities using ArcGIS software Great way to engage students in both technology and geographic thinking! Free to use, easy to customize Map URL: http://esriurl.com/historygeoinquiry11
National Geographic Education https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education Activities, Lessons, and Educator Guides Printable Maps and Map Making Projects GeoStories Explorer Classroom Educator Certification Program and Geo-Inquiry PD https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/programs/educator-certification/
Essential Element 1: The World in Spatial Terms Each standard is broken down into a few main concepts or competencies Benchmarks are defined for grades 4, 8, and 12 Note that link to National Geography Standards take you to National Geographic Education website with tons of resources NATIONAL STANDARDS (PROTOTYPE) The goal of the National Geography Standards is to enable students to become geographically informed through knowledge and mastery of three things: (1) factual knowledge; (2) mental maps and tools; (3) and ways of thinking.
What s the benefit? FIRST ANSWER Teachers and students can have personally meaningful and empowering experiences in and out of the classroom and to have those experiences bring them closer to the world while igniting their own curiosities, insights, and creative impulses.
Capabilities and Powerful Knowledge
Geo-Capabilities Amartya Sen (1985): The Capability Approach is defined by its choice of focus upon the moral significance of individuals capability of achieving the kind of lives they have reason to value. https://www.iep.utm.edu/sen-cap/
Geo-Capabilities Young and Lambert (2014): 3 criteria for defining powerful knowledge: It is distinct from common sense knowledge acquired through everyday experience and therefore context-specific and limited. It is systematic. Its concepts are related to each as part of a discipline with its specific rules and conventions. It can be the basis for generalisations and predictions beyond specific cases or contexts. It is specialized; developed by specialists within defined fields of expertise and enquiry. https://eddieplayfair.com/2015/08/19/what-is-powerful-knowledge/
3 Possible Futures for Education A Future 1 curriculum is the curriculum inherited from the 19 th century which assumes that knowledge is a given and is beyond debate. The future is seen as an extension of the past.
3 Possible Futures A Future 2 approach acknowledges that knowledge has social and historical roots. It is defined in terms of particular needs and interests, often those which are dominant in society. It was a response to the rigidity and elitism of the Future 1 model but it was based on a misguided theory of knowledge. The fact that knowledge is socially constructed does not necessarily mean that it is inherently biased or that some knowledge is not better; more valuable, more truthful or more universally applicable.
3 Possible Futures Future 3 locates knowledge as the creation of specialist communities of researchers rather than simply treating it as given. It acknowledges that knowledge is fallible, contestable, provisional and subject to change. But in contrast to Future 2 it does not see it as an arbitrary response to a particular challenge; it is bound by epistemic rules about what makes things likely to be true. Future 3 treats subjects as the most reliable tools we have to help students acquire powerful knowledge and make sense of the world. Subjects are a resource to take students beyond their experience, to challenge their existing ideas.
An assessment of our situation Under-preparation of social studies teachers in geography, especially more advanced ways of geographic thinking and reasoning Geography education leadership has narrowed (and aged) over time, and not all embrace student-centered approach We do not have space or support for an expansion of geography education, so we need to be strategic.
Human(e) Geography How does geography help us understand what has happened, what is happening, and what is likely to happen in my life/our lives/others lives? A geography of flows Representations of space Sociospatial dialectic (how space and society are mutually constitutive)
Space of Flows SOME COMPELLING QUESTIONS What kinds of things flow between places? Why? How have flows changed over time? How do you decide when to intervene or manage the way something flows from one place to another?
Representations of Space SOME COMPELLING QUESTIONS What are some of the different ways that we encounter representations of space and place? What is the difference between an accurate and an informative representation of the earth? How have representations of the world changed over time?
Sociospatial Dialectic? SOME COMPELLING QUESTIONS How do the environments humans create shape our social patterns and the way we relate to each other? What landscapes reflect (American) identity? Which landscapes shape (American) identity? Do we make places or do places make us? Does cyber space work like physical space in terms of how it relates to society?
Conclusions/Recommendations Examine the world closely, beginning at home/school and extending as far as possible. Look at maps, look at pictures, read stories and listen to music (and interpret them) to learn about places. Make maps, take pictures, and tell stories about places. Ask people what places mean to them, how space presents challenges, and how they use geographic strategies. Always challenge your students to think of what could be different, and use geographic inquiry to.
Conclusions/Recommendations Connect with the geographic alliance in your home state and seek out online resources from other states alliances. Use geospatial technology to promote spatial and relational thinking (Esri ArcGIS Online, GeoInquiries) and create maps. Find ways to get teacher professional development to increase capacity. Talk to others in your school and district about how geographic inquiry promotes literacy, critical thinking, and STEM skills.
Unlocking the Power of Geographic Inquiry Thomas Herman, PhD Director, California Geographic Alliance Department of Geography, San Diego State Univ.