• Replies 44 replies
  • Subscribers 17 subscribers
  • Views 13548 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Ask Me Anything about using geography to teach history with Rachel Hansen // November 2023

Kathy Hays

We are honored to have  join us this week for to answer your questions on using geography to help students understand history and the world around us. A Distinguished AP Human Geography educator and National Geographic Explorer, she is passionate about designing learning experiences that compel students to engage in meaningful, authentic projects in their communities, where they can build relationships that produce sustainable change the world. Rachel leads her students in using geography to take action in their own community.

As a Big History educator, Rachel has included geography in her instruction to help students understand the impact of both human and physical geography on world history.  In honor of Geography Awareness Week this month, she will answer your questions on incorporating geography skills into your history instruction.

To help get started, Rachel recommends checking out the following resources:

What questions do you have for Rachel? Here are some ideas you may want to consider:

  • What are the best ways to incorporate geography into a history course?
  • Why is it important to use geography when teaching history?
  • How can I make geography engaging for students?

Share your questions in the comments below. We look forward to exploring the world with you!

Want to learn even more about incorporating geography into your history instruction? Check out the recording of our recent OER Project Skills Clinic - Mapping History.

  •  I would like to know more about your experience with inquiries.  

  • I cannot conceive teaching history without including geography since every human endeavor occurs on a spatial dimension. Maps are crucial tools to visualize phenomena and gain a deeper understanding of spatial relations and historical processes. Accesibility, distance decay, proximity, scale, diffusion, are fundamental aspects to consider when we analyze historical events. Before the OER included the map collection I got my own to illustrate every unit in Big History.

    I explored the Esri GeoInquiries that  suggested and found cool resources to use in the classroom. For example I just added this map with tectonic plate boundaries  to help students visualize the Earth's formation and the plate movements. I save them for next year since it will be a great addition when we read the article Why we're all Lava Surfers. I took some snapshots of the maps.

       

    As I move through the last thresholds I use the OER maps to show the dominant empires that traded along the Silk Roads, the route of explorers during the phase of Expansion & Interconnection, or the diffusion of religions, among other examples. 

       

  •   out of all these resources you listed here, which do you find the best to use in the classroom, one that is user friendly for students and teachers?

    Can you share an activity you implemented with your students?

  • Well  you've already got me rethinking my lesson plan for tomorrow!

    I was planning to introduce Imperialism (ca. 1750-1914) with political cartoons and a lesson on the Berlin Conference. However, I just noticed that Esri has an inquiry that seems to cover the same content, but with a pretty awesome interactive map option. As I am considering an eleventh hour revision for tomorrow, I am wondering: would you suggest working through the map as an instructor-led activity the first time around? Or are students usually comfortable enough with the platform to navigate it independently?

  •  Teaching geography has been a touchy subject in my district lately. For example- many teachers that do US history will teach memorization of the states and their locations (no matter the grade level and often the capitol even if it is not relevant). How would you suggest teaching about the geography of a place without making it about memorization?  What part of the geography of a place is important to teach kids about when doing history? 

  • in reply to Eric Schulz

    Hi,  ! We love a good geographic inquiry around here. These are some of my favorites. Students generally enjoy local inquiries! I've found Nat Geo's Educator Guide for creating Geo-Inquiries to be incredibly helpful. 

  • in reply to Laura Massa

    I love that you found an applicable GeoInquiry! If you're interested in "Hacking" the activity to make it more friendly for your classroom needs, here is a Google Doc guide on how to personalize it. 

  • in reply to Laura Massa

    Hi,  ! I think that Mapmaker is the most student friendly mapmaking software. It's pretty intuitive for students to use, doesn't require an account, and it just keeps getting better as Nat Geo and Esri add more datasets to layer onto the maps. I've had students use it to draw out their Personal Supply Chain maps from BHP Unit 8. 

    One more mapmaking tool that I didn't include that is also super user-friendly is Google My Maps. I've had students create Migration Maps following the journey of a fictional or real-life migrant. Here's a sample map. 

  • in reply to Anne Koschmider

    Hi, Anne! Kudos to you for considering something new in the eleventh hour. :) I would recommend doing an instructor-led inquiry the first time through. I've found that students are generally unfamiliar with using any kind of Geographic Information System (GIS) that requires them to manipulate layers of data. You might find that after doing the first few sections together, they're ready! But don't be surprised if they need a bit more support. I'd love to hear how it goes!

    Also, make sure to modify the PDF to remove the answers! They are italicized and in brackets. Here's how to modify. 

    1. Download the PDF.
    2. Open your Word processor. 
    3. Click "Open"
    4. Open the PDF in Word. 
    5. You should be able to edit.
  • in reply to Kimberly Milligan

    Kim! Thank you so much for this question. I've actually changed the way I do "map quizzes" in my classes to get away from memorizing locations and landmarks. Instead, I have them identify and describe geographic advantages and disadvantages on the map. I think framing geography this way - in terms of advantages and disadvantages - forces students into more analytical spatial thinking. These geographic consequences often determined the course of history!

    We've been using the illustrated version of Prisoners of Geography to learn to make sketch maps and identify geographic advantages/disadvantages. Then when it's time for the quiz, students choose 5 locations to label and analyze. Here are some samples! It's cause/effect with a geographic twist. :)