Crafting Globes

'Tis the Season describes some of the opportunities in geography education offered in the Bridgewater State University Department of Geography. In Dr. Vernon Domingo's class, what might look like fun and games is actually geared toward helping students explore and master certain geographic fundamentals, such as scale, place, and earth-system processes.

This semester, students in the class exhibited extraordinary enthusiasm and creativity -- a promising prospect for the next generation of geography learners! The globe ornament project was just one of many creative projects to have emerged from the class. Check the Geography Department blog over the next few days for more examples. 

Geography on InFocus

Dr. Jabbar al-Obaidi of Bridgewater State University is host of the Bridgewater Television 9 program InFocus. Recently, he hosted BSU geography professors Vernon Domingo and James Hayes-Bohanan, along with BSU geography alumna ('07) Laura Howard for a half-hour discussion of the importance of geography education, particularly in Massachusetts.

New Book on New England Landscapes

Geographer Blake Harrison and historian Richard Judd have worked together to edit a new book entitled A Landscape History of New England. Although I've not seen it yet, Michael Kenney's review in today's Globe suggests that this will be an invaluable resource for those who teach about the dynamic human and physical geography of New England.

I look forward to evaluating it for possible use in the land-management course I teach at Bridgewater State University, as it seems to complement a number of other titles I have been using in that course.

Another excellent resource on this subject is the Fischer Museum at Harvard Forest in Petersham, whose priceless dioramas capture the dynamism of New England landscapes over many generations of profound change.

Taking the Discussion Nationwide

 Bridgewater State University geography professors Vernon Domingo and James Hayes-Bohanan recently appeared on the CBS/WBZ radio program NightSide with Dan Rea. A couple of Massachusetts Geographic Alliance members were among the callers, though the phones were lit up early and calls came in from all over the eastern United States.

Many members and friends of MGA heard the program, but many others expressed regret at missing it. Not all segments of the Dan Rea show are posted online, but this one is now available, reflecting the importance the host places on the issue of geographic education.

Speak Up for Geography

We spend most of our time working on geography education with our own students, community members, and colleagues. We also have been spending a significant amount of time explaining why geography education needs to be better supported at the state level here in Massachusetts.

We should not neglect, however, the need to advocate for geography at the Federal level. Speak Up for Geography is a campaign to fund existing mandates for geography education. As with many online campaigns, this web site generates letters to members of Congress. In addition to sharing the link, it would be useful for geography educators to tell their own stories, and to let the senators and representatives know where, why, and how we are teaching geography in their home regions.

Getting to a Vote

Thanks to Senator Brewer and several co-sponsors -- including the Legislature's only geographer -- a bill now sits in committee that would greatly improve and expand geography education in the Commonwealth. As with any bill, "in committee" is exactly where the bill is likely to stay unless a groundswell of support is noticed on Beacon Hill in coming weeks. The Joint Committee on Education has many bills to consider this session, and any bills they do not act upon prior to early March will simply expire.

A core group of MGA members has gotten us to this point, by focusing on many details of the legislation and the legislative process. We had a very promising hearing before the Joint Committee in June, and we have followed up with key legislators and staff members. At this point, however, a much broader group needs to make their thoughts known about the bill and its provisions, and to ask that the bill be released from committee for consideration by the full legislature.

On our way to Beacon Hill, we met some great
folks from Sierra Leone, a country that teaches
more geography than we do!
 Read about it on Environmental Geography.

The provisions include expanding geography frameworks from their current inclusion at 4th grade (U.S.) and 7th grade (world). The bill specifies every grade, but any expansion beyond these two years would be a positive step. More importantly the bill would bring geography licensure back to the Commonwealth, after its unexplained disappearance a decade or so ago. The bill -- whose official language is actually quite easy to read -- would also require that geography be included as an MCAS subject, that a geographer be included on the statewide social studies framework committee, and that a Geography Week be declared each April.

It is very important that students, teachers, educators, and administrators communicate with the co-chairs of the committee and/or with individual committee members if they happen to reside in the appropriate districts. Constituents can also ask their own local legislator -- even if she or he is not on the committee -- to write to the co-chairs in support of SB 182. Several legislators have already done so -- please check to see if your local representative and senator are among them, and then contact committee members on your own.

The chairs of the committee are Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch. Other members are listed on the committee web page.

When we are all done, we hope to post a photo of Gov. Patrick signing the bill -- from inside EarthView!

Importance of Geography Education

Every day, we see new evidence of the importance of geographic education. A couple of recent examples are mentioned below; we encourage readers to watch for other stories that exemplify the value of geography in daily life, employment, international affairs, and other arenas.

My Geo-STEM article describes recent attention at the national level to the place of geography in STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). More recently, GeoWorld reported on the use of geotechnology to improve the efficiency of coffee processing in Rwanda. Using GIS to select better locations for coffee washing has played an important role in the dramatic improvement of the economy in what had been one of Africa's most troubled countries.