A project to develop geospatial thinking learning lines in secondary schools

GI-Learner

GI-Learner partners

Checking whether people really know how something works…

Learning Lines

What is a learning line?

A learning line is an educational term that refers to the construction of knowledge and skills throughout the whole curriculum. This learning line reflects an increasing level of complexity, ranging from easy (more basic skills and knowledge) to difficult.Zwartjes, L., 2014. The need for a learning line for spatial thinking using GIS in education. Innovative Learning Geography in Europe: New Challenge for the 21st Century, pp.39-62.

What is a learning line?

A learning line is an educational term that refers to the construction of knowledge and skills throughout the whole curriculum. This learning line reflects an increasing level of complexity, ranging from easy (more basic skills and knowledge) to difficult.Zwartjes, L., 2014. The need for a learning line for spatial thinking using GIS in education. Innovative Learning Geography in Europe: New Challenge for the 21st Century, pp.39-62.

What is a learning line?

A learning line is an educational term that refers to the construction of knowledge and skills throughout the whole curriculum. This learning line reflects an increasing level of complexity, ranging from easy (more basic skills and knowledge) to difficult.Zwartjes, L., 2014. The need for a learning line for spatial thinking using GIS in education. Innovative Learning Geography in Europe: New Challenge for the 21st Century, pp.39-62.

Learning Lines Three possible approaches from the literature:• analytical, competence-based (Bloemen & Naaijkens,

2014)

• problem setting - concept-context approach for selecting learning goals (Van Moolenbroek & Boersma, 2013)

• spatial thinking framework (Perdue & Lobben, 2013)

- certain spatial thinking skills are higher order than others and build upon previous, less complex skills

Geospatial thinkingBased on this review, ten geospatial thinking competences are proposed for GI-Learner:

1. Critically read, interpret cartographic and other visualisations in different media

2. Be aware of geographic information and its representation through GI and GIS.

3. Visually communicate geographic information4. Describe and use examples of GI applications in daily life

and in society5. Use (freely available) GI interfaces

Geospatial thinking6. Carry out own (primary) data capture 7. Be able to identify and evaluate (secondary)

data8. Examine interrelationships9. Synthesise meaning from analysis 10.Reflect and act with knowledge

Skills as a continuum

Easy / Basic Advanced / Complex

Learning Lines

K7: The Local Area

Common to all EU

Local

Definitions of “local”

Wal-Mart’s official definition of local is any product grown or produced within the given store’s state. So, lemons grown in San Diego can be sold and marketed as “local” 500 miles north in Sacramento

http://www.think-mag.com/your-community/defining-local/

The school

OS Custom Made The city

The Fens

Relationships with the local…

Local“nearby”“where I can cycle to”“places that I know well”“within a few miles of Ely”“somewhere I can walk to…”“somewhere I know”“the space I frequent around my home town”

Local“the area within a five mile radius”“where our town stops and another one starts”“where the road / river / railway line runs”“beyond the <landmark>”“where the telephone code changes”“where the postal code changes”

“Good teachers use good tools”Derek Robertson, University of

Dundee

http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/gadgets-gaming/scotsman-games-derek-robertson-on-education-1-3162936

Keri Smith

The Local

This room…

slumped.stitch.recruited

http://www.what3words.com

Layers of meaning… GI layers…• Favourite / least favourite subjects & memories

of encounters with teachers• Cleaning rota• Timetabling• Teacher ‘ownership’ who then moves on to

another school• Form room • Noisy or quiet• Distance from staffroom • Exposure to sun through the day

Doreen Massey

Making my place in the world

http://geography.org.uk/projects/makingmyplaceintheworld/

David Lambert – “Geography” Vol 98 – Part 1 – Spring 2013

Adrian Manning – “Geography” Vol 99 – Part 2 – Summer 2014

http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc147/

DATA VISUALISATION

Bus Routes

Locations are fluid, they are a process.Are young people part of that process?

Lives on the Linehttp://life.mappinglondon.co.uk/

Interrelationships“I think that what is studied in geography lessons should be located and placed within a wider context. Places, regions, countries and continents do not exist in isolation but are interconnected. The location of what is studied in relation to other places is significant.”

Margaret Roberts

Interrelationships“I think that what is studied in geography lessons should be located and placed within a wider context. Places, regions, countries and continents do not exist in isolation but are interconnected. The location of what is studied in relation to other places is significant.”

Margaret Roberts

Here, in the AGIT posters…

Here, in the AGIT posters…

Card Sort

CompetenciesWhat would you use to achieve

these aims?

Discussion…

Find out more and follow the progress of the project…

WEBSITE

http://www.gilearner.ugent.be/

TWITTER FEED

@GILearner