Summary The Nebraska State Legislature passed a law in 2024, prohibiting public school classrooms from using the Mercator map projection, in favor of Gall-Peters and AuthaGraph. Although there are exceptions described in this statute when it is permissible to use projections outside of Gall-Peters and AuthaGraph, it has led to confusion among public school educators. […]

Summary This session shares ongoing efforts by the presenter to promote critical perspectives in a geography methods course for pre-service teachers. This presentation explores how interdisciplinary connections have raised student consciousness about the utility of the field of geography to frame issues of power and inequality. Drawing from decolonial thought, ethnic studies, and media literacy, […]

Summary In a rapidly changing educational world filled with AI, social media, loosening teacher requirements, and curriculum concerns across states, what can we do in geography education to ensure our existence beyond all the unnecessary noise? In this presentation we will share ways to keep geography relevant and get students engaged in the classroom. We […]

Summary This session explores the lyrical content of the music of Midnight Oil, an Australian rock band active for more than 40 years, as a strategy to illuminate the varied political, social, and environmental landscapes of Australia. The band’s lyrics use place names, evocative place description, and Australian vernacular terms to create for the listener […]

Summary Given the complexity of our world today, it’s never too early to introduce students in the elementary grades to geographic thinking. While it’s not unusual for schools to include as part of their cultural programming an experience of “ethnic” foods, the subject of food can be used in a more substantive way, acquainting students […]

Summary Studies indicate climate literacy remains low across the U.S. K–12 system. Funded by the Virginia and Maryland Geographic Alliances, the Chesapeake Bay Climate Institute has introduced educators to the issue of climate change since 2019. Using America's Estuary as a place of learning, the immersive multi-day, professional development experience includes expert lectures constructed around […]

Summary This engaging workshop explores the vital role of the Amazon and its powerful connections to classroom curriculum at every  grade level encompassing subjects as diverse as geography, social studies, science, language arts, math and global citizenship. Educators will discover how the Amazon influences global climate, biodiversity, indigenous cultures, and why its preservation is critical […]

Summary This session will cover redlining in Omaha as well as the opportunity for highway diets to reconnect a city. It will cover the economics of redlining in Omaha and how the hotel we are in divided the city. The session will end with an uplifting message of entrepreneurship and how teens across Omaha have […]

Summary Geography has laudable goals that could make students become responsible citizens. However, students’ achievement in geography is generally low, and this is caused by map reading. Previous studies on map reading concentrated largely on teaching strategies with little attention to factors that could hinder effective learning of geography. This study, therefore, investigated self-efficacy and […]

Summary In this presentation, I demonstrate a mini-lecture and in-class activity I use in my undergraduate World Regional Geography course to introduce students to the concept of a region. On an outline map of U.S. states, they draw the boundaries of “the Southwest” and list physical and/or human characteristics that define the region. They compare […]

Summary In this session, we will discuss how to use laboratory assignments to teach population geography. Population geography connects diverse topics including sustainability, economics, politics, and culture. Using labs to teach this topic allows students to use real world data to deepen their understanding of population geography concepts. In this session, we will begin with […]

Summary The creation of a dedicated student atlas for use in Nebraska elementary grade classrooms will be discussed. This teaching tool began with an initial 2016 limited edition and came to fruition with subsequent revised publications in 2017 and 2022. Mirroring efforts in recent years by several state geography organizations, the process of starting an […]