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GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Supporting geography educators everywhere with current digital resources.

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geography education

Pisa tests to include ‘global skills’ and cultural awareness

Pisa tests, an international standard for comparing education systems around the world, could include a new measurement of global skills in the next round of tests in 2018. The OECD, which runs the tests in maths, reading and science, is considering adding another test which would look at how well pupils can navigate an increasingly diverse world, with an awareness of different cultures and beliefs. The OECD’s education director Andreas Schleicher explains why there is such a need for new rankings to show young people’s competence in a world where globalisation is a powerful economic, political and cultural force.

Education leaders around the world are increasingly talking about the need to teach ‘global competences’ as a way of addressing the challenges of globalisation.”

Source: www.bbc.com

They define global competence as: “the capacity to analyse global and intercultural issues critically and from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgements, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity”.

 

So I guess geography does matter then.  Who knew? 

 

Tagsgeography education, unit 1 GeoPrinciples.

President Obama on Geography Education


President Obama participated in this year’s National Geographic Bee to to “celebrate the important role that geography plays in all our lives.”  During that event he made a statement that I think geographers should use more.  Go to 0:45-1:10 in the video clip to hear this message or see the transcript below.

“The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.”

President Barack Obama

Tags: Geography, GeographyEducation, video, geo-inspiration.

See on www.youtube.com

NCGE Webinar Schedule

Supporting Geographic Education since 1915…

The National Council for Geographic Education hosts “Webinar Wednesday” during the school year which are free for NCGE members.  This Wednesday (Sept. 5th) at 8pm Eastern time Charlie Fitzpatrick from ESRI will host a special, free webinar entitled, “Getting Started with ArcGIS Online.”

Next week (Sept. 12th) I will be the presenter for the webinar for NCGE members entitled, “Social Media for the Geography Classroom.”  I look forward to my first webinar on the other side of the screen.

Tags: Training, NCGE, GeographyEducation and edtech

See on www.ncge.org

The importance of Geography Education

A message from the National Geographic Society that is worth passing on:

Did you know? Only 20 U.S. states require a geography class in middle or high school, while many countries (like Switzerland, France, Norway, and Romania) require geography every year until high school graduation. Maybe that’s why 88% of 18-24 year old Americans can’t find Afghanistan on a map of Asia!

  • Geography is much more than knowing where things are located, but without basic geographic knowledge it’s impossible to make informed decisions in our personal, professional, and civic lives.
  • Right now, geography is named as a “core academic subject” but unlike all the other core academic subjects, including history, civics, economics, foreign languages and the arts, there is no dedicated federal funding stream to advance geography education.

We need to let Congress know that learning geography is important. Join the public campaign in support of the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act. Go to sufgCampusChallenge.org to find out how you can Speak Up For Geography.

Many thanks for your support!

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