One of the services NCGE provides is facilitating trips at home and abroad for geography educators. This session will cover three things: (1) the types of materials teachers produce from previous excursions, notably GeoCamp Iceland, (2) practical resources for aspiring field guides, and (3) strategies for expanding field trip options beyond existing locations.
Field-Based Learning | Professional Development | International Trips
Joshua Tree
Mayra Román-Rivera, Tracy Edwards, Nicole Means, Gina Bloodworth, and Thomas Larsen
Thomas Larsen is 2024 President of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE). He serves as Co-Coordinator of the Geographic Alliance of Iowa (GAI) and teaches geography at the University of Northern Iowa.
Tracy Edwards is a Lecturer in the Department of Geography at Frostburg State University and an adjunct instructor at Allegany College of Maryland, both in western Maryland. She teaches Human Geography, Physical Geography and Sustainability Studies courses, often working with Community Partners to integrate aspects of experiential and project-based learning into her teaching. She is anxious to share some of the lesson plan and activity ideas emerging from the 2024 GeoCamp Iceland adventure.
Mayra Román-Rivera is a coastal geomorphologist specializing in post-storm recovery and remote sensing and GIS applications of coastal environments. Her research focuses on understanding changes that occur in the coast over time (i.e. erosion, accretion, sea-level rise), how they change the landscapes, how they affect communities and people, and how, if possible, can those changes be mitigated. Mayra also participates in community outreach and citizen science programs. She believes it is our responsibility as scientists to take what we have learned through research to the communities and help them become more resilient and better prepared to face changes happening in their communities. As part of that interest, Mayra incorporates community-engaged learning in the courses she teach.
