Every state has geographic standards that explore data, maps, and models. Geography standards ask you to analyze data, make a model, and explore patterns, but how do you know which type of model or map to use? This session will break down the types of data visualization and when you should use each type. When is a bar chart, scatter plot, choropleth map, or pie chart the best choice? This session will help teachers easily make those decisions, and also provide *free* tools to create different types of data visualizations! Teachers will walk out of this presentation having created various types of models and maps with various geographic data at local, regional, and global scales.
All Grade Levels | Data | Maps | Models | Inquiry
Xavier
Jessica Flach is a former AP Human Geography teacher from Pensacola, Florida. Currently in graduate school at the University of South Carolina, Jessica works with the South Carolina Geographic Alliance in organizing professional development for K-12 geography teachers in South Carolina. Her graduate research focuses on youth geographies, travel, and citizenship. She is especially passionate about data literacy in geography classrooms, and strives to help geography teachers create engaging, inquiry-based lessons.
Michael Mewborne has taught in various grades, subjects, and capacities from 2006-2009 in private schools around Columbia, South Carolina. In 2009 he received his Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Carolina and in 2010 started teaching at Chapin High School where he first taught and fell in love with geography. Mewborne initially did not want to teach geography, so he needed a lot of support and turned to his state geography alliance. Through the alliance, Mewborne found a community of peers to challenge and encourage him, making him a better teacher. He moved to River Bluff High School, an Expeditionary Learning Education school, where He taught from 2016-2018, at which point he took on the position of Education Programs Manager with the South Carolina Geographic Alliance. Mewborne is now the Associate Director of the Alliance and on staff in the University of South Carolina’s Geography Department. He does outreach to other colleges and universities across the state working with pre-service teachers, school districts and in-service teachers to support them in their work to bring excellent geography education to every student in his state through resource creation, research, and professional development.
