Child observes a flower up-close and touches it with her left hand

Illuminating Instruction: Putting Science and Geography Together for Better Science Learning

This post was written by Jim McDonald, Professor of Science Education at Central Michigan University, a National Geographic Certified Educator, and educator. More than ever, our world is interconnected. Today’s students need to understand how the complex and dynamic human and natural systems interact to make smart decisions and function effectively. The study of geography is essential to the comprehension of how our world works. … Continue reading Illuminating Instruction: Putting Science and Geography Together for Better Science Learning

Celebrate Citizen Science Month: Collect, Collaborate, and Learn from Anywhere

This post was written by educator & 2019 National Geographic Education Fellow Anne Lewis. I might not be paying attention to the days or weeks anymore, but there’s one thing on my calendar that I’ve been celebrating in April and that’s Citizen Science Month. What is “citizen science”? It is when members of the public–like you!–participate in real scientific research. This could be anything big … Continue reading Celebrate Citizen Science Month: Collect, Collaborate, and Learn from Anywhere

Educator Spotlight: Asking ‘Thick Questions’ to Understand Geographic Data

Peter Michaud incorporates geography into his lessons for subjects ranging from math to literacy. In an activity that combined data and statistics with mapping, he encouraged his fifth-graders to ask “thick questions” and consider different perspectives when answering them. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Asking ‘Thick Questions’ to Understand Geographic Data

Finding and Using Spatial Data Sources

By Seth Dixon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Geography, Rhode Island College Data is great, but working with numbers can be intimidating. We have more data than ever before that is available to us, and graphs, charts, and spreadsheets are ways that data can be shared. If that data has a spatial element to it, the best way to visualize a large dataset might just be a map. … Continue reading Finding and Using Spatial Data Sources