GIS As Part of a STEM Curriculum
With the growth of Common Core under the Obama Administration the focus of education has been on English Language Art, and Mathematics. Social Studies is, like it unfortunately has been for quite some time, not receiving the funding and emphasis that Civic Education had in the past. Since it is not explicitly covered in Common Core, or on state standardized tests it is declining. States still have graduation requirements in Social Studies, but very few have Social Studies incorporated into their state-wide tests. As part of Obama's 2013 ConnectED initiative money has been made available to incorporate technology into classrooms. This has helped with the rise of STEM programs, which offers a way for Social Studies to work its way back into the area of emphasis through the incorporation of GIS into STEM Curriculum and regular school programs.
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Advanced Placement Geographic Information Systems and Technology Course Proposal
Getting Started
The Esri ConnectED InitiativeThanks to a large grant by President Obama Esri has made it possible for all K-12 institutions in America to get a free license to use ArcGIS in their classrooms. Talk to your school's technology person or sign up by using the link above. (Sign up is at the bottom of the page)
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Available TrainingsAs part of preparing to teach a GIS course one of the biggest obstacles is being able to perform all the functions necessary. The links above for training exercises will help you prepare to teach using GIS, and maybe even give you some ideas. The ArcGIS Skill Builder (Above) will give you an idea of the progression of skills and an idea of what skills might be necessary before moving on to more advanced skills.
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GIS&T and STEM Resources
Sample GIS STEM Course |
This example course is taught of part of the STEM curriculum at St. Paul Preparatory School in Saint Paul, MN. The course is a standalone program focused on teaching students how to use different geospatial technologies in a project based approach. The course begins with a brief introduction into the basics of Cartography and Geospatial Technologies before moving into making maps. Taking a skill based approach students are given assignments designed to help them master a skill which they need to complete before moving on to more and more difficult skills. The final unit has students complete a number of projects where they need to use the skills from the previous lessons to make unique maps of their own or solve a specific problem.
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This two day course was taught as part of a month long STEM program that was geared at introducing students to the main concepts of the program. The goal of the two day GIS program was to introduce students to some of the geospatial technologies that are available, how to use them and get an idea of how they could be integrated into other uses. The days were established as modules, each with their own specific goal. The first module was more or less designed to introduce students to the guiding principles of geography and GIS. The second module was designed to introduce students to the applications of GIS through a methodical inquiry based project.
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Sample GIS STEM Modules |