Teaching geography for a sustainable world: a case study of a secondary school in Spain

Geography has a major responsibility in delivering education for sustainable development (ESD), especially because the geographical concepts of place and space are key dimensions for the analysis and pursuit of sustainability. This paper presents the results of a research that investigated how the teaching of geography in secondary education in Catalonia (Spain) contributes to ESD. For the development of this research it was explored what is involved in understanding and resolving issues about sustainable development and how geography teachers might best conceptualize and teach in this new domain. As a result of this theoretical reflection it has been defined a proposal or model for reorienting the geography curriculum from the basis of the ESD paradigm, which is based and structured in four groups of criteria and recommendations as follows: recommendations for defining competences and learning objectives; criteria for selecting geographical contents and themes; criteria for selecting geographical areas and for the use of scale; and finally, recommendations for choosing the most suitable teaching and learning approach

Teaching, Learning, and Exploring the Geography of North America with Virtual Globes and Geovisual Narratives

Amid the shift to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, educators across disciplines were faced with developing new strategies for active learning. This article discusses findings from a case study of using Google Earth for virtual field trips and projects in an undergraduate Geography of North America course, assessing the process of incorporating Google Earth and student perspectives on their engagement with this technology. With broader applications to secondary and post-secondary education contexts, findings suggest increased student engagement and an appreciation for the opportunity to work with a geospatial technology mapping platform without needing prior coding, software, or mapping experience

Adoption of innovative e-learning support for teaching: A multiple case study at the University of Waikato

In response to recent social, economic, and pedagogical challenges to tertiary-level teaching and learning, universities are increasingly investigating and adopting elearning as a way to engage and motivate students. This paper reports on the first year of a two-year (2009-2010) qualitative multiple case study research project in New Zealand. Using perspectives from activity theory and the scholarship of teaching, the research has the overall goal of documenting, developing, and disseminating effective and innovative practice in which e-learning plays an important role in tertiary teaching. A “snapshot” of each of the four 2009 cases and focused findings within and across cases are provided. This is followed by an overall discussion of the context, “within” and “across” case themes, and implications of the research

Student and Teacher Response to Use of Different Media in Spatial Thinking Skill Development

The purpose of this research is to advance K-12 geospatial learning by investigating the methods (traditional paper versus digital technology) best suited for delivering content that improves spatial thinking skills. This research was designed to investigate whether instruction through different media, among other variables such as attitudes toward geography and technology, past travel experience, and demographic variables have an effect on the development of spatial thinking skills. Specifically, it examines traditional, paper aerial imagery as compared to digital imagery visualized with 3-D globes. Findings confirm that students taught by both paper and digital media showed improvement in spatial thinking skills with the advantage contingent on different skills being assessed. A subset of students were invited to share their opinions about the activities in order to develop a richer understanding of their experiences. This paper focuses on the qualitative results of the study by analyzing interview data from participating students and teachers

Enhancing Spatial Thinking Awareness of World-Scale Geography with Excel Dynamic Map Charts and Virtual Globes

Spatial thinking is a unique thinking skill that geographers use to reason. Every individual is believed to have this thinking skill, but not all are aware of it. This condition causes differences in the development of each person. A person’s spatial thinking can be improved by training. Geospatial technology is a representation tool that many people believe can be used to train spatial thinking skills. However, not many people encounter obstacles when using this technology. The complexity of the command to run is an obstacle that is often found. In line with the development of geospatial technology, many applications integrate this technology as part of visualization tools. This teaching and learning were conducted with Action Research Classroom (three cycles) in the form of Project-Based Learning with Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematic (STEM) approach. This article discusses the findings of the research on the use of Excel dynamic map chart and virtual globe to improve spatial thinking in research subjects with the case study of Indonesian Geography and World Regional Geography. With the Excel application project, for the context of upper-level education, the findings show an increase in spatial thinking skills and mastery of the use of mapping platforms without the need for prior experience of coding, software, or cartography, although it needs to be corroborated by other studies

Learner Requirements and Geospatial Literacy Challenges for Making Meaning with Google Earth

This research contributes an educational research perspective to teaching and learning with geospatial technologies. This work considers the literacy of a geospatial text that is readily accessible to students, but often assumed to be intuitive to read– dynamic scalable satellite imagery, which often serves as base maps for common navigation, GIS, and virtual globe applications. Within the context of a STEM project, Grades 5 and 6 students were observed and interviewed to identify knowledge and skills that were required to make meaning of Google Earth imagery. A qualitative methodological approach incorporating a thinkaloud data collection protocol was followed to stay true to the breadth, depth and nuances of the student voice and experience. When engaged with Google Earth, the students were observed to employ a range of image interpretation skills, demonstrated various expertise in navigation, and also drew upon their knowledge of the technology. Challenges to understanding the imagery included dominant alignment effect, dimensional translation, and interpreting the nadir view. Students who had an understanding of the underlying technology of the application were better able to overcome these challenges. These results suggest that ensuring students have knowledge about the technology itself, and basic literacy of satellite imagery, is valuable in order to make meaning of the data, critical at this age when students are developing their mental constructs of the world with such geospatial data

Mobile learning for sustainable development and environmental teacher education

Outdoor learning has, for a long time, been an important instructional resource in school education, usually embedded in the natural sciences and social sciences curricula. Teaching geography, geology, or biology beyond the traditional classroom allows students to interact with physical and social environments for meaningful learning. Mobile devices that are based on geospatial technologies have provided more accurate data, but also a combined instructional design with other WebGIS, map viewers, or geographic information system (GIS) layers, which are useful to foster education for sustainable development. This paper analyzes the applications of mobile learning based on citizen science and volunteer geographic information, but also on the growing awareness that citizens and educators need a set of digital competencies to enhance and innovate lifelong learning and active citizenship. The empirical research aims to measure teacher–training experience, highlighting the potential of mobile devices and their applications in environmental education. Data collected from the research and results prove the positive impact of mobile learning in environmental education. Finally, a discussion about mobile learning and education for sustainable development is provided

Pengaruh Media Pembelajaran Google Earth Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Spasial Siswa SMA

Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh permasalahan mengenai rendahnya kemampuan berpikir spasial siswa SMA. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji pengaruh media pembelajaran geografi berbasis Google Earth terhadap kemampuan berpikir spasial siswa SMA. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain penelitian eksperimen semu. Indikator kemampuan berpikir spasial meliputi: comparison (kondisi dan koneksi spasial), aura (spatial aura atau zona pengaruh objek ke sekitarnya), region, hirarchy, transition, analogy, pattern, dan association (korelasi). Data yang diperoleh melalui tes kemampuan berpikir spasial siswa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemanfaatan media pembelajaran geografi berbasis Google Earth berpengaruh signifikan terhadap kemampuan berpikir spasial siswa, dengan hasil uji T-Test yang meninjukkan sig.2-tailed 0,000. Pemanfaatan media pembelajaran geografi berbasis Google Earth mampu meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir siswa, yang dibuktikan dengan kelas eksperimen memiliki skor Gain yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan kelas kontrol, yaitu 0,7 dan 0,43, dengan selisih skor Gain sebesar 0,23. Kemampuan berpikir spasial siswa setelah diberikan perlakuan dengan menggunakan Google Earth mengalami peningkatan yang signifikan