Abstract
Current state and federal
education mandates to improve performance on assessments have left geography
vulnerable to exclusion from the social studies curriculum. Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) provides a framework from which to teach history,
a subject highly represented on New York State’s 8th grade social
studies assessments. Designing modules that use geographic technology
to deliver the history curriculum ensures that geography can survive
the winds of political change in education. GIS technology also provides
a conduit for varying pedagogical methodology thereby reaching a wider
variety of learners, particularly those with a strong spatial intelligence.
This research describes the
effectiveness of GIS-based activities from the perspective of teachers
and students.
Introduction
Photo by Shannon
White |
The need for resilient geographic
education that can survive political directional change is critical
if geography is to maintain a place in the K-12 curriculum. In our efforts
to integrate geography effectively into the middle school social studies
curriculum, we have found that Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
can serve as the perfect conduit. Creative application of GIS by the
social studies teacher can successfully tie together the mandated history,
geography, and technology curricula, the unique needs of middle school
students, and the requirements of national and state assessments.
In the past three years,
we have developed and piloted several GIS enriched social studies modules
for use by eighth grade students in a public school setting. These modules
were designed to align with the required New York state curriculum and
to help students meet the middle level social studies standards mandated
by the state. Our research is qualitative, our approach is action-oriented,
and takes place in the “field” rather than from a passive
distance (Palmer-Moloney and Bloom 2001, 641-654). Upon presenting our
work in local and national forums, the feedback has been overwhelmingly
positive from all arenas - middle school students, administrators, geographic
educators in academia, secondary educators, and industry.
In this article we present
findings regarding the integration of geospatial technology into the
middle school social studies curriculum from the perspective of students
and teachers. Then, we highlight two of the modules we have created
that are based in GIS technology.
What is GIS?
GIS (geographic information systems) are computer-based programs that
are used to create, analyze, model, and map information based on spatial
relationships. The interconnections between spatial data are shown as
layers of information that can be “stacked” to help the
user determine the significance of various features called “attributes.”
Attributes include either elements from the physical world, such as
elevation, floodplains, river systems, and climates, or elements related
to socio-economics, such as income, transportation/communication networks,
language, and race/ethnicity.
Figure 1 Source: ESRI |
Professionals in many fields
use GIS to explore relationships between features distributed unevenly
over space, seeking patterns that may not be apparent without using
advanced techniques of query, selection, analysis, and display. (For
more information on GIS and its many applications, go to http://www.esri.com.)
Educators can use GIS as a tool for map-making and data processing,
but also as a mechanism to gain a deeper understanding of conditions
and events relating to both the physical and social sciences.
