Pumpkin Globe Gallery

Thanks to teacher DeeDee Chang of Mansfield for sharing these very creative pumpkin globes created by her students at St. Mary's Catholic School. Pumpkins are round, of course, and come equipped with meridians to help guide creative cartographers in the recreation of a globe in a fun new context! And the whole thing is just in time for Geography Awareness Week approaching in just a few days!

The artists pose with their work.

Creative textures give each globe a unique look!

SENATE Bill 200 Update

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/Senate/S200

Submitted by Sen. Brewer forThe Massachusetts Geographic Allliance

Annual visits of EarthView at the State House
have helped to increase legislative interest
in geography education.

The Massachusetts Legislature is currently considering a no-cost bill to create a commission to evaluate the status of geography education in the Commonwealth. 

Geographic literacy is essential to our national security.  It is also vital to our understanding of international markets, global and local environmental problems, geotechnologies, transportation planning, and global cultural understanding. It is readily apparent that the United States – and even Massachusetts as an education leader – is falling behind in all of these areas.

For this reason, the Massachusetts Geography Alliance has worked with legislators of both parties and both chambers to introduce a Bill Relative to Geography Education. With 18 co-sponsors led by Sen. Stephen Brewer and Rep. Todd Smola (the Legislature’s only professional geographer), we are closer than we have ever been to genuine reform in geography education. During the final weeks of this legislative session, the MGA calls on supporters of geography to contact legislators to discuss the importance of geographic education as a pathway to greater global understanding.

The next steps in this process are:

1. Joint Education Committee hearing on October 31 from 10 am to 1 pm Feel free to join us!
2. Senate Committee on Ways & Means
3. House Committee on Ways and Means
4. Vote by Full Legislature

The Commission will include educators at all levels and employers in the Geotechnology (GIS/GPS/Satellite) and Green industries. The Commission will hold hearings statewide to:

• Evaluate the status of geographic literacy in the Commonwealth
• Compare this status to other states and countries
• Evaluate the status of geography at each grade level, K-12
• Evaluate the relationship between teacher preparation and the implementation of geography standards

Check the S200 information page to see whether your senator or representative is a bill sponsor. If so, please write or email your thanks. If not, please contact your local legislators to encourage them to consider this important, no-cost bill.

Fascinating Earth Globes on Boston Common

In mid-August, Bostonians and visitors to Boston were greeted to an intriguing sight of more that 30 earth globes (5ft in diameter and colorful). Positioned on Boston Common and at Copley Square, these globes illustrate very effectively the theme of global sustainability (or not) and the actions that we can take to create a more livable world. As geography teachers, we regularly use globes in the classroom and this public globe project provokes us to think in new ways about what and how we teach geography.
It seems that the globes will be there until the middle of October - a treat for all. Here is the link to the article in the Boston Globe.

http://www.boston.com/2013/08/14/globes/3NInpdkFzebUYBGOFpfWgN/story.html

 We'll all have our favorites; here are two of mine: one about Green Roof impacts and the other concerning our dwindling water resources.

Going to the Hill

On Tuesday July 23^rd, eight members of the MGA steering committee went to the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill and they paid visits to offices of their state senators and representatives, urging them to actively support the Geography Education bill (S.200) that is now in the Joint Committee on Education. Legislators were urged to either write letters of support or to appear personally at the bill's hearing on Thursday October 31^st. This is part of the strategic push to get the bill passed this year so that the public hearings on geographic education can occur next spring. This is an exciting time for geography education as we are within striking distance of having a geographic education commission - the first ever for our state. We encourage you to contact your state representatives (https://malegislature.gov/) and request their support. We need more geography in our schools as geography is THE subject that teaches about the variety of cultural and physical places that make up our world. Geography teaches those spatial thinking skills that are so essential for jobs ranging from map making to environmental planning. The National Geographic Society Education Foundation provides excellent material on Geo-literacy and why we need it to become involved citizens in the 21^st century. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/geoliteracy/?ar_a=1

 

Geography Bee

Massachusetts Geographic Alliance member Dr. Vernon Domingo was featured on a recent NECN report about the very successful Geography Bee held last week. Although the report is introduced with the erroneous notion that this competition is about obscure facts, the report itself does a nice job of highlighting the importance of geography education.

S200 Filed

As we detailed in "Renewed Effort" a few weeks ago, we are back in the legislative process, with much higher hopes of success. In addition to our stalwart supporters from the 187th session (Sen. Brewer, Rep. Smola, and their amazing staff members), we were seeking additional sponsors. 

View EarthView Experience in a larger map

Thanks to the efforts of the original sponsors, appearances of EarthView, and the many calls of support from MGA and other friends of geography, a new bill was filed in February (S200) with EIGHTEEN sponsors! The bipartisan group is also geographically diverse, as indicated by the State House domes above. 

Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre

Sen. John Keenan, D-Salem

Sen. Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester
Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge
Sen. Katherine M. Clark, D-Melrose
Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield
Sen. Marc R. Pacheco, D-Taunton

Rep. Smola, R-Palmer

Rep. James Murphy, D-Weymouth

Rep. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer

Rep. Christine Canavan, D-Brockton

Rep. Louis Kafka, D-Stoughton

Rep. William Galvin, D-Canton

Rep. Jennifer Benson, D-Lunenburg

Rep. Angelo D’Emilia, R-Bridgewater

Rep. James O’Day, D-West Boylston
Rep. Tom Sannicandro, D- Ashland
Rep. Denise Andrews, D-Orange

Stay tuned for news about hearings, which should be coming soon.

Whatever has happened with S200 by late spring, members of the legislature and the Patrick administration will be invited to a special geography program at the State House when EarthView returns to Nurse's Hall on Monday, May 6. Mark your calendars!

Renewed Effort

Senator Brewer, Representative Smola (the Legislature's only geographer), and their staff members continue to work hard on legislation to create a Commission to investigate the status of the discipline in Massachusetts schools and teacher-preparation programs.

The bill was favorably reported from the Joint Committee on Education and from the Senate Ways & Means Committee, but as with most legislation, it did not make it to the floor for a vote during its first session.

MGA leaders have again worked closely with these legislators and their staff members, and the bill has been reintroduced. We are not taking anything for granted, but we are optimistic that the bill will pass during this session, perhaps in the first half of this year. If it does, the Commission will begin holding public hearings on the status of this important discipline at several locations around the state.

As of this writing, the legislation has more than a dozen sponsors, with the possibility of more being added by February 2. (Use "Find a Legislator" for more details about these individuals or to find your own legislators.)

Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre

Sen. John Keenan, D-Salem

Sen. Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester


Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge
Sen. Katherine M. Clark, D-Melrose
Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield
Sen. Marc R. Pacheco, D-Taunton

Rep. Smola, R-Palmer

Rep. James Murphy, D-Weymouth

Rep. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer

Rep. Christine Canavan, D-Brockton

Rep. Louis Kafka, D-Stoughton

Rep. William Galvin, D-Canton

Rep. Jennifer Benson, D-Lunenburg

Rep. Angelo D’Emilia, R-Bridgewater

Rep. James O’Day, D-West Boylston

Rep. Tom Sannicandro, D- Ashland
Rep. Denise Andrews, D-Orange

This is a no-cost, bipartisan bill which can lead to profound improvements in science education and global education in the Commonwealth, by restoring and expanding the role of geography in primary and secondary schools.

Members of the legislature and the Patrick administration will be invited to a special geography program at the State House when EarthView returns to Nurse's Hall on Monday, May 6. Mark your calendars!