Dear Geography Education Colleagues,
I want to thank you all for taking time to fill out the Member Survey from the May 2018 column. We had a tremendous amount of responses and the Board of Directors will use this information as we undertake some new NCGE initiatives. I’ll share the results of the survey with our membership in July.
In the meantime, summer is here! For geography educators, this often means a season of travel and exploration, whether we are taking trips with our families or friends, joining or leading study abroad programs, or exploring our local areas. Those of us who love geography can easily immerse ourselves in exploring places, cultures, and environments during the summer months. It is a time to learn more geography and advance our own understanding and experiences with the world. This could, in fact, be one of the most powerful professional development opportunities for geography educators.
It is also a time to reflect on the previous school year and think about the upcoming year [Ok, you may not want to think about next year just yet…understandable]. You may be involved in revising curriculum this summer, attending professional development programs with colleagues, or working to develop a new initiative in your own school or district. This time to reflect and revise our practice is also critical for professional growth.
Last week I had the fortunate opportunity to work with an amazing group of educators across the state of Colorado. Our group was a mix of social studies, math, English, and technology teachers (and one librarian!). We spent a week together asking geographic questions, exploring the local environment and culture, analyzing data, creating maps, media, and other visualizations, and learning from each other’s expertise as part of the process. While we all came from different contexts with different needs, we were united in our passion for teaching and for integrating inquiry and geography into our classrooms. The interdisciplinary nature of our group only enhanced our learning community. It highlighted the importance geography plays in connecting big ideas across many subjects. It also highlighted the importance of working with colleagues in many subject areas to develop integrated learning opportunities for students. We all learned something new, both as a learning community digging into the inquiry process, but also by accounting for the varied perspectives and expertise from others.
The summer months hold many opportunities for us to explore, learn, and grow as educators. I urge you to reach out to colleagues and work together as much as you can, both during the summer, but also during the upcoming school year.
A few fantastic opportunities that are available this summer (and next summer in case you missed this summer’s event!):
- The National Conference on Geography Education (August, Quebec City, Canada)
- National Geographic’s Geo-Inquiry Institutes (contact your state Alliance) and Educator Certification program
- Power of Data Institutes
- Various Institutes from the National Council for Social Studies
- AP Human Geography Institutes by the College Board
If you are unable to participate in any of these programs, take advantage of this time to explore your local town and neighborhood. Think about the big ideas from geography that are reflected in the place you live. Consider your students’ experiences within this community: How do they see the community? What perspectives and experiences might they have with the local culture or environment? How can you use geography to connect with their experiences?
Enjoy the summer and keep on exploring!
Hi NCGE Team,
My name is Anuj Agarwal. I'm Founder of Feedspot.
I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog NCGE has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 60 Geography Blogs on the web.
http://blog.feedspot.com/geography_blogs/
I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 60 Geography Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!
Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.
Best,
ANuj