Geography 101

One of the criticisms of the current social studies curriculum is the perceived lack of emphasis on geographic content: the general challenges from not really knowing where things are in the world.  In a course where we are focused on globalization, there is a hope that students at least have some sort of concept about how our planet is pieced together.

I read in a recent article of a university professor who provided students with a brief pop quiz on geography. The results were disappointing to say the least.  A local opinion of the matter claimed that "[t]oday's students are not dumb, nor stupid, nor lazy. Joe, Bobby, Sue and Ann have simply tossed their 'useless information' in the proverbial trash in order to make room for the more complex stuff."

I've been intrigued by the debate for a while so I decided to try this with my classes today.  Each student was given a blank map and tasked with labeling as much as they could in about ten or fifteen minutes.  Continents, oceans, countries, etc... it was all up for grabs.  All this was intended to be was a glimpse into where we stood in our view of the world around us.

First of all, kudos to each of you for handling the surprise with a sense of humour and a willingness to laugh.  Some of you know that geography is not your strong suit.  That each of you were willing to try was good enough for me.  Second, please remember what I told you in class today: geography is only a small part of a solid understanding of social studies.  In and of itself, your ability to pick out a random country on a map does not make you more or less of a student.  This was simply an exercise to see where we stood on one very particular aspect.

I've started to look through the many maps now on my desk, and some of you have impressed me.  Others have some work to do.  Here, though, are some of my favorites from today:

1.  Africa was labelled as Europe
2.  The Caribbean simply referred to as 'warm places'
3.  Australia was probably the most identified country, after Canada and the US
4.  A few American cities became full fledged nations... Baltimore is the new Algeria

I will be holding onto these maps and revisiting them towards the end of the semester to see if there's a change.  That being said, be reminded again that geographic knowledge in and of itself will not make you an expert in the course.

A reminder to both Grade 10s and Grade 9s... remember to follow the instructions given to you to complete the setup of your Google accounts.  Don't forget to send me the email with your information and be sure you are sending this to the CORRECT email address.

Have a great weekend!

~Mr. T