Geography on Nightside

(l-r) Dan Rea, Vernon Domingo, James Hayes-Bohanan
May 15, 2018

Boston broadcast journalist Dan Rea has had a lifelong passion for geography. Starting in 2011, he has occasionally devoted an hour of his popular call-in program Nightside with Dan Rea to a discussion of geography with geographers.

During the most recent visit, Bridgewater State University geographers Vernon Domingo and James Hayes-Bohanan presented him with the Friend of Geography Award on behalf of the Massachusetts Council on the Social Studies.

Unable to show the award on the radio, of course, Dan decided to show the award to his audience during his Facebook Live appearance today.

Perils of Ignorance

What does this map represent? The more you know about geography, the more difficult it is to hazard a guess. But few could guess what it actually represents: some of the places chosen by 1,746 adults in the United States who were asked to locate North Korea on a map.

North Korea.

Only 36 percent put a dot inside the country, with the other 64 percent of answers encompassing a few million square miles of error. In this recent study, as reported by Kevin Quealy in the New York Times, respondents were asked not only to find North Korea on a map, but also to respond to various diplomatic and military responses to recent provocative actions there. 

Not surprisingly, those least likely to know where the place is were the most likely to be willing to attack it militarily. The article includes links to similar studies that have demonstrated similar tendencies. With care, classroom exercises could explore similar relationships between geographic awareness and the willingness to engage diplomatically.

Congratulations Massachusetts Geo Bee Winner

The Massachusetts Geographic Alliance congratulates Theodore Batty for his success as the 2017 winner of the Massachusetts Geography Bee. Theodore is a 6th grader at the Jenkins School in Scituate. 

Theodore will be representing Massachusetts in the national finals of the National Geography Bee on May 14th in Washington, DC.

Geography Day on Beacon Hill - April 19, 2017

EarthView in Nurses Hall, Massachusetts State House
Photo Credit: Ashley Costa Harris
Bridgewater State University Geography '13
This image appears on the first page of the National Standards for geography education.

The Massachusetts Geographic Alliance and Bridgewater State University will be returning to Beacon Hill on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 to celebrate and promote geographic education.

Sox are required when
entering EarthView

The highlight of the visit will be EarthView, a 20-foot inflatable globe of the earth that will be in Nurses Hall from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Project EarthView is a joint endeavor of the Department of Geography and the Center for the Advancement of STEM Education at BSU. By bringing people inside a physical globe of the earth, the project allows people to understand the planet and their connection to it in a different light. Since acquiring the globe in 2008, the BSU team has reached more than 80,000 students -- mostly middle-school students -- throughout Massachusetts and beyond.

Visits to the State House and other public venues serve to remind everyone of the importance of geography education, during a period in which it is shockingly absent from high-school curricula.

Geography Awareness Day on Beacon Hill will take place on Patriot's Day, in the middle of April vacation week, and in the lead-up to Earth Day. It is a reminder that geography is an integrative discipline that brings together global thinking and scientific literacy, in ways that learners can apply to daily life. In geography, after all, the "real world" is a big part of what we do.

The hand-painted EarthView globe is also a great example of STEM to STEAM
thinking -- bringing Art to STEM education.

During the day, geography students, geography educators, and geography professionals will be visiting the offices of legislators to discuss the importance of geographic literacy, and ways that the Commonwealth can promote it. Whether they can attend or not, friends of geography are encouraged to invite their representatives and senators to spend a few minutes in Nurses Hall with this beautiful and educational work of art.

More details at the Facebook event.

Geography Bee

The Massachusetts round of the National Geographic Geography Bee will be held Friday, April 2 in Chicopee. Congratulations to the 2016 qualifiers from throughout the state, including defending Massachusetts champion Inwook (Lucy) Chae of Newton Centre.

The winner will go on to the national championships in Washington, DC on May 22-25. Although Soledad O'Brien will be asking the questions in that final event, the Bee is the work of 10,000 geography educators throughout the United States who use the contest as a way to build enthusiasm for learning about the world through geography.

Bridgewater State University geography student Jason Covert has once again prepared a map of the Massachusetts participants -- 100 students from many parts of the Bay State.

Musical Themes

Just for fun this morning, two items that illustrate geography themes with popular music lyrics.

First is place:

©John Atkinson on Wrong Hands

Then movement:

 SIC: Georgia is spelled as pronounced in the song.

Activity: Add your own places and/or modes of transport.

Geography on Nightside: The Podcast

Thanks to all of the MassGEO members and friends who tuned in to the recent appearance of geographers Vernon Domingo and James Hayes-Bohanan on Nightside with Dan Rea last Monday night.

If you missed it, you can hear the entire program -- including some quizzes, banter, and serious discussion about the politics of geography education -- on Dan's podcast of the show.

Friends of geography who live in Massachusetts can do their part by contacting legislators in support of the bills we discussed on air.

Map Thief Author @ State House

The Map Thief by Michael Blanding
Thursday, January 21, 2016—Noon to 1:00 pm
State Library of Massachusetts—Room 341, Massachusetts State House

The January Author Talk at the Massachusetts State Library should be of special interest to geographers. Award-winning investigative journalist and best-selling author Michael Blanding, who will be speaking about his recent book The Map Thief.

In this engrossing book, Blanding delves into the world of the antique map trade and tells the story of E. Forbes Smiley III, a map dealer who stole countless rare maps from libraries and universities around the world.  In addition to detailing the downfall of this once esteemed map dealer, The Map Thief also reveals the history of the explorers and mapmakers who created the priceless maps that Smiley stole, giving the reader an even better understanding of the great loss to society when such cultural heritage items go missing.

Mr. Blanding’s talk is free and open to the public, and copies of the book The Map Thief will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Please register online. (LINK REPAIRED 1/16)

The State Library is located near the top of the State House. In the same area, geographers will be interested to find the Commonwealth's official 50-foot scale -- made of wood installed along a hallway.

Arrive early to clear security as you enter the building.  

Geography on Nightside

Monday Evening, January 11
9pm-10pm on AM1030 CBS Radio

Bridgewater State University geography professors James Hayes-Bohanan and Vernon Domingo will return to the airwaves with popular talk-radio host and geography enthusiast Dan Rea. This will be the fourth time in recent years that geography has been the focus of an hour-long discussion on Dan Rea's Nightside program.

The program is an opportunity to engage a call-in audience in a discussion of the importance of geographic education, whether it be to promote a better-informed citizenry or a better-prepared workforce.

We know that Dan and many of those who call in are very fond of maps, so despite the limitations of radio, we plan to bring in a few for discussion, and look forward to the calls from the program's vast and varied listening audience.

One example might be this early map of what came to be the International Dateline, which took quite a zig and zag around the Philippines.

Image: Atlas Obscura

The program is timely, as the Massachusetts Legislature considers -- for the third time -- an Act Relative to Geography Education that the MGA has been supporting for several years.

Geographers are especially encouraged to call during the Monday evening broadcast. If you are going to call, please dial early in the hour, as this hour goes by very quickly! The number is 617-254-1030.

Listen on 1030 AM in Massachusetts and throughout much of eastern North America, or listen live via WBZ streaming.

Geography on Nightside Radio -- Monday January 11, 9pm

Bridgewater State geographers Vernon Domingo and James Hayes-Bohanan have been invited back to the CBS radio program Nightside with Dan Rea to talk about geography education and our efforts to improve it in Massachusetts.
Broadcast throughout eastern U.S. and Canada on AM 1030.
This is a call-in show -- join us at (617) 254-1030!
We will be on-air from 9pm to 10pm on Monday, January 11, 2016.
FB users can get this must-hear radio on their events calendar as a reminder.

THIS APPEARANCE WAS ORIGINALLY TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN EARLY DECEMBER, BUT WAS RESCHEDULED BECAUSE OF BREAKING NEWS THAT DAY. 

Beacon Hill Update

Massachusetts Geographic Alliance continues to advocate for geography education on Beacon Hill. The Joint Committee on Education is currently considering two bills -- a Senate and a House version that are very similar and likely to be consolidated if the bill moves forward. The Joint Committee has advanced similar bills in two previous sessions, but both times the bills failed to reach votes on the floor, as they were allowed to die in technical committees.

EarthView has been a big part of our advocacy work on Beacon Hill. Shown here during an April 2014 visit.
It will return on Earth Day, April 20, 2016.

The bill calls for three measures in support of geography education. One would simply be to declare a Geography Day for the state, acknowledging the importance of this field of study. The second would be to ensure that a geographer is part of the governance infrastructure that oversees social studies in the curriculum statewide. Third and most importantly, the bill would create a commission -- comprising educators, government officials, and geography-related professionals -- to make recommendations regarding the status of geography education in the Commonwealth. The commission would have 12 to 18 months to hold hearings around the state, to gather information from other states, and to bring real rigor to the process of deciding how to improve geographic literacy in Massachusetts. It has the potential to make Massachusetts a national leader in geography education.

In its two versions -- S291 and H491 -- the bill currently enjoys support from both major parties, both chambers, and all regions of the state. If your legislators is among the sponsors, please thank them.

The chief sponsors are Sen. Anne Gobi and Rep. Todd Smola, who happens to be the only professional geographer in the Legislature. Other sponsors include (in no particular order):

S291: Joan B. Lovely, Marc R. Pacheco, Claire D. Cronin, Jennifer E. Benson, Angelo L. D'Emilia, James M. Murphy, Louis L. Kafka, James J. O'Day, Keiko M. Orrall, William F. Galvin, Harriette L. Chandler, Thomas P. Kennedy, Tom Sannicandro
H491: Michael D. Brady, Louis L. Kafka, Angelo L. D'Emilia, James M. Murphy, Ellen Story, James J. O'Day, William C. Galvin, Keiko M. Orrall

In any case, please ask your legislator to contact members of the Joint Committee on Education in support of the bills, and consider contacting members directly as well.

Where Did Geography Class Go? (Nightside with Dan Rea)

On February 16, members of Massachusetts Geographic Alliance were pleased to return to the airwaves as guests on Dan Rea's program Nightside on CBS affiliate WBZ-AM1030. Broadcast veteran Rea is, as he says, a "huge fan of geography" and has been supporting our efforts to promote geographic literacy and education for several years now.

For the latest conversation, Dr. Kathy Babini, Social Studies Coordinator for Plymouth Schools, joined Dan and Bridgewater State University professor James Hayes-Bohanan in the studio.

Early in this evening's program, the Nightside producer played the audio of a very fun geography video -- Yakko's World,

This has inspired many to attempt their own renditions -- mistakes and all -- including a reverse-karaoke version by the blogger known as snolygoster. Notice at 0:42, 1:06, and 1:50 in his video that he divides his arrow in two -- very clever!

Stewart Clamen has posted Yakko's lyrics and corrections to the lyrics, including corrected names, countries that were omitted in the original, and countries that have been created. Note that these pages include a link from each name in the lyrics to the country or territory's profile in the CIA Factbook, but those links have expired. Since Clamen's update, two additional countries have been created: Timor-Leste (East Timor) and South Sudan.

Our appearance was on President's Day.

Nightside is a call-in show with an audience spanning 34 states (by AM radio) and beyond (by streaming audio). One of the first calls was from very close to home, though, from the director of the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History. A partner of Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, the Spellman Museum is a great place for people of all ages to learn geography through stamps. In addition to the second-largest collection of stamps in the United States, the museum provides an ever-changing series of educational exhibits that can be organized around any theme.

Our conversation touched on the kinds of work that are available to those who pursue geography as a college major. We mentioned just a few; the Career Services office at the University of Tennessee lists many more geography careers, along with ideas about how to prepare for each.

At the end of the program, we briefly mentioned our most recent legislative effort. Once again a variety of Massachusetts legislators -- from both houses and both parties -- are supporting A Bill Relative to Geography Education. If passed, it would establish a commission to study ways to improve geography education in the Commonwealth. MGA is grateful to Sen. Gobi and Rep. Smola for re-introducing this legislation. At the time of this writing, it appears as docket items, rather than bills. The Senate version is SD 1066 and the House is HD 259. There is still time for friends of geography to encourage their legislators to support both versions of the bill.

Geography: What It Is!

From the students in Dr. Anne Mosher's senior seminar at Syracuse University comes a terrific introduction to our field. It was made by undergraduate geographers for other undergraduates and high school seniors considering their department, but it is suitable for K12 levels and our discussions with the general public as well.

Busy Week for Geography!

Last week was a busy one for geography education in Massachusetts -- especially on local CBS affiliates!

On Tuesday the 7th, news anchor Paula Ebben dedicated her Eye on Education feature to Family Geography Night that had taken place the previous week at North Andover Middle School.

This award-winning night has been organized by MGA member Robert  Poirier each of the past six years, and in 2011 is was recognized by the Massachusetts Senate for educational excellence. As shown in the video above, many teachers and other volunteers commit their time to an evening of truly engaged learning involving both students and their families.

Then on Thursday evening, MGA members Vernon Domingo and James Hayes-Bohanan visited the studios. They were able to thank Paula Ebbens in person for her support of geography while waiting to go on air with Dan Rea. The two had been on Nightside with Dan Rea once before, and were glad to be back on this program, which is heard throughout eastern North America because of the night-time range of strong AM radio signals.

Be sure to listen to the entire hour (the play button is in a black box just below the program description. The many interesting calls from listeners included one from a graduate of our department now teaching in Florida. Brenda reminded us and the rest of the audience that geography is both a physical science and a social science.

Geography is, in fact, at the intersection of STEM Education and Global Education. This is one reason that geography is a vital discipline for 21st-century learning. It is a subject that informs and enriches understanding of many related fields. Geographers are, in fact, especially well prepared for making interdisciplinary connections.

As Dan Rea made very clear during the discussion, however, we cannot rely on a sprinkling of geography in the courses to substitute for a sound education in geography itself.

The discussion included current efforts toward that end in the Massachusetts Legislature. Thanks to broad, bipartisan, and bicameral effort that includes the Legislature's only geographer, the body is considering An Act Relative to Geography Education. The Joint Committee on Education and Senate Committee on Ways and Means have approved the measure, but it is currently awaiting approval by technical committees. The bill provides an opportunity for Massachusetts to declare its support of geographic literacy through an annual Geography Education Week. More importantly, it would create a fixed-term Geography Commission to examine the ways to improve geography education throughout Massachusetts.

Many legislators have become aware of the gaps in geography education through MGA State House visits with EarthView. 

The Question Machine

EarthView is a question-generating machine!

When Kenneth C. Davis -- of Don't Know Much About Geography fame -- toured EarthView during the NERC45 conference, he soon realized that he was asking questions faster than they could be answered.

It was then that he described the beauty of EarthView as a tool for engaged learning so perfectly. On the outside of EarthView, people sometimes ask what it is for or how it can be used. Once inside, however, they ask about the Earth, and will do so for as long as they are able.

During the policy forum on geographic literacy the prior evening, one educator mentioned the value of having students work with multiple maps of the same area. EarthView offers a similar cognitive workout by depicting something familiar in a very different way.

The questions -- and exclamations of the sheer joy of learning -- were plentiful on the part of the Moran Middle School students who were attending NERC. Seeing the Earth in so many new ways was a thrill for these young geographers. They describe their experience as guest bloggers on BSU EarthView.

Geography Policy Forum

Source: Washington Post blog The Monkey Cage

This evening's Policy Forum at NERC 45 began with a consideration of this map. It represents the answers given by two thousand adults in the United States when they were asked to locate Ukraine on a map of the world. Although the most common answers are actually in Ukraine and the most common wrong answers are in Eastern Europe, the MCSS participants were astonished spatial distribution.

Not only are large errors -- averaging 1800 miles -- common, but as reported today on the Washington Post blog, the greater the error, the greater the likelihood that a survey participant favors military intervention. That is, Americans are most likely to support a war in a place whose location they do not know.

This was an excellent point of departure for the policy forum on geography education that was organized as part of the Northeast Regional Conference (NERC 45) of the National Council on Social Studies. After discussing some of the compelling reasons to improve geographic literacy -- both for employment and for effective civic participation -- the discussion turned to ways to promote geography on several tracks. The first of these is the continued expansion of public outreach programs such as EarthView and Family Geography Nights. Integration of these tools into professional development programs for teachers also has great potential to expand the reach of geography both in Massachusetts and throughout New England.

Finally, the group discussed ways to encourage Massachusetts legislators to approve Senate Bill 200, a no-cost, non-partisan bill that would recognize the importance of geography education and establish a commission to investigate ways to provide for its sustained improvement.

NERC 45

42° 06' 51" N
72° 05' 22" W 

This is the location of the Sturbridge Host Hotel -- and the gathering point of social studies educators from throughout New England. The 45th annual Northeast Regional Conference of the National Council on Social Studies is taking place in Sturbridge, a very convenient and convivial location. 

EarthView has been part of NERC since 2010.

Massachusetts geographers are pleased to be playing many roles in NERC 45, including a keynote presentation, various workshops, a policy forum and of course a visit from EarthView.

EarthView at NERC is currently featured on the EarthView blog. EarthView is a a joint project of the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, Bridgewater State University Department of Geography and the BSU Center for the Advancement of STEM education.

The policy forum is being held at the hotel at 7pm on Tuesday evening (April 8) and is open to all. It brings together educators and professionals from fields that rely heavily on geographically-educated employees. This blog will carry highlights of the forum and information about future forums that would be required by the passage of Massachusetts Senate Bill 200.

MassBee!

Friday the Massachusetts round of the National Geography Bee took place at the Worcester Academy -- a central location in our state with a famous geographer among its alumni. Read all about this year's Massachusetts Bee on the EarthView blog.

Geography Bee entrants. Map: Jason Covert, BSU

Thanks to Dr. Boellstorff at Bridgewater State for preparing a large map of the state, on which entrants could show their home towns.

The field was so crowded with excellent competitors that an extra round was included to find 10 finalists among the 29 who had perfect scores so far.

In the end, as reported by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, the correct answer to a question about a 15th-century whaling station at Belle Isle in Canada allowed Nicholas Rommel of Lexington to advance to the National Geography Bee in Washington, DC. There he will meet journalist Soledad O'Brien, who will be hosting the national competition for the first time.

The winning answer had to do with the establishment of a whaling station in Labrador -- NOT at the island of the same name in what is now Detroit. It is purely coincidental that the Isle is home to  Detroit Boat Club Crew. Green and red arrows indicate traffic patterns for small boats around this island, which is both part of the United States and NORTH of Canada!

Geography Education and The Five College Center for East Asain Studies

Geography can serve as a platform to teach other disciplines. On Saturday February 1, 2014, the Five College Center for East Asian Studies hosted a workshop for educators from all corners of New England at Smith College in Northampton, MA.  Dr. Darrin Magee of Hobart and William Smith Colleges presented an overview of China’s environmental challenges to 25 teachers. These educators teach in both public and private schools and serve the needs of students in grades K-12.

Key items discussed during the lecture included a brief introduction to the environmental challenges faced by China’s people and leaders, with a focus on water pollution, water scarcity and air pollution. Dr. Magee incorporated small group discussion time in which the participants were invited to brainstorm ideas about bringing China environmental issues into the primary and secondary school classroom through curriculum modules and class projects.

With a central focus on water resources, participants were able to examine more deeply issues connected to water resources in China including scarcity, quality, and connections to food and energy security.

As a first year teacher, I seek out opportunities to deepen my understanding of pedagogy and curriculum development.  Events like this workshop and the networking possibilities that stem from it allow for the collaborative opportunities from which many educators benefit.   Listening to others share their ideas about the Six Essential Elements of Geography as they relate to  environmental education, political systems, anthropology, and chemistry helped me to see other ways of teaching China that could spiral into other disciplines, thus allowing for more collaborative efforts at my school.

The Five Colleges for East Asian Studies offers many opportunities to educators throughout the year. Aside from gleaning information from a lecturer attendees also received handouts, resource lists, and a SPICE curriculum unit. If you would like to know more about this workshop, or other resources, contact the Five College Center for East Asian Studies at fcceas@fivecolleges.edu or 413-585-3751.

Resource page, click here

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!