National Council for Geography Education

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 […]

Summary This lecture will present the findings of two geographers who recently conducted field research in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in preparation for leading professional development in the region. The presentation will provide a foundation for deeper exploration and future engagement with the Balkans, a region shaped by a rich and complex history of […]

Summary Join Lisa Elikan, NCGE 2025 Salvatore J. Natoli Dissertation Award recipient as she shares her dissertation that was conducted under the Department of Geography, Texas State University, San Marcos Texas, USA Session Focus All Grade Levels Conference Room Winnebago Meet the Presenter Lisa Elikan is an independent scholar and non-formal geography educator. Her research interests […]

Summary The erasure of minority stories makes challenging the dominant reading of history important. The Green Book was an annual travel guide used by African American travelers from the 1930s to the mid-1960s to navigate a racially segregated America. A group of 9th graders, social studies teachers, and college students mapped Omaha’s 30 Green Book […]

Summary In this presentation, I will explore how geographic principles enhance Holocaust education, emphasizing spatial thinking, geographic inquiry, and geospatial technologies. Drawing from professional development courses and curricula, I will highlight three key themes: the varying scales of the Holocaust, the geographies of camps and ghettos, and the spatial ideologies behind Nazi policies. Maps, Geographic […]

Summary Building on Ed Ayers’ 2021 essay, “All History is Local,” freely accessible digital scholarship tools and resources will be explored, allowing participants to drill down to local historical data, and then widen the lens to see how their community is part of the story of our shared American past. Data visualizations and interactive mapping […]

Summary This session focuses on a chapter from the forthcoming book, Teaching Holocaust Geographies in Middle and Secondary Schools. The camp system was the heart of Nazi terror and control, and it played a dominant role in the systematic murder of millions of people. When war broke out in September 1939 and Nazi Germany began […]

Summary This professional development session will explore the power of case studies in enhancing student learning in world geography. Participants will learn how to select and develop compelling real-world case studies relevant to diverse global issues. We will delve into effective strategies for structuring case study discussions to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and inquiry-based learning. […]