GI-Learner: developing progression in spatial thinking

http://www.gilearner.eu
Developing progression in
spatial thinking
GI-Learner
Karl Donert
President EUROGEO

GI-Learner in figures
•Three years, EU funded project
•Seven partners
•Five countries – Belgium, Austria,
Romania, Spain, UK
•Four high schools (including coordinating
organisation)
•Two universities
•One association, EUROGEO

GI-Learner partners

Project Aim
help teachers implement learning progression lines for
spatial thinking in secondary schools, using GIScience
https://cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/08/DukeTIPCollage.png

Action steps
1. Summarize research literature  report
2. define geospatial thinking competencies
3. develop an evaluative tool to analyze the
impact
4. create learning lines translating them into
learning objectives, teaching and learning
materials for the whole curriculum (K7 to K12)

GI Science  Spatial Thinking
Spatial Thinking dimensions and related terms
(Michel & Hof, 2013)
Michel, E. & Hof, A., 2013, Promoting Spatial Thinking and Learning with Mobile Field Trips and eGeo-Riddles, Jekel, T.,
Car, A., Strobl, J., Griesebner, G. (eds.), GI_Forum 2013: Creating the GISociety, 378-387. Berlin, Wichmann Verlag
Key Literature
Literature Review

The situation
•Schools have better ICT equipment
• Cloud-based developments
•Students bring their own devices
• More openly available data
• Web-based platforms reduced / no costs
•Networking and communities are available
Literature Review

Content already exists …
• iGuess  www.iguess.eu
• I-Use  www.i-use.eu
• EduGIS  www.edugis.nl, www.edugis.pl
• PaikkaOppi learning environment 
http://www.paikkaoppi.fi/
…but materials are not structured or coordinated by the
age or ability of the pupil …
Literature Review
The situation

Bednarz and van der Schee (2006)
•GIS not compulsory in teacher training
•Subject is taught by non-specialists
•Curriculum does not include GIS
•Non-availability of data and easy-to-use
software.
•Attitudes of teachers difficult to persuade
What is still blocking it?
Literature Review

Recommendations
Bednarz and van der Schee (2006)
• address key issues related to GIS
implementation:
• teacher training,
• availability of user friendly software,
• ICT equipment in schools.
• use a community of learners approach
• institutionalize GIScience into curricula
Literature Review

Learning progression line
• construction of knowledge and skills throughout the
whole curriculum
• reflect a growing level of complexity, ranging from
easy to difficult

example
Learning
lines
Field-
work
Working
with
images
Working
with
maps
Working
with
statistics
Creation of
knowledge
Level 1 Perception – knowledge of facts
Level 2 Analysis – selection of relevant geographic information
Level 3 Structure – look for complex connections and relationships
Level 4 Application – thinking, problem solving

certain spatial
thinking skills are
higher order than
others and build upon
previous, less complex
skills
Concept = the region

GI Science  Spatial Thinking
Michel, E. & Hof, A., 2013, Promoting Spatial Thinking and Learning with Mobile Field Trips and eGeo-Riddles, Jekel, T.,
Car, A., Strobl, J., Griesebner, G. (eds.), GI_Forum 2013: Creating the GISociety, 378-387. Berlin, Wichmann Verlag
Key Literature
Literature Review
Spatial Thinking dimensions and related terms (Michel & Hof, 2013)

Key Literature
Literature Review
Based on the review: 10
GI-Learner geospatial
thinking competences,
each with a progression
inside from easy (A) to
more elaborated (C)

Geospatial thinking
Based on a review, ten geospatial thinking
competences are proposed for GI-Learner:
1. Critically read, interpret cartographic and other
visualisations in different media
2. Be aware of geographic information and its
representation through GI and GIS.
3. Visually communicate geographic information
4. Describe and use examples of GI applications in
daily life and in society
5. Use (freely available) GI interfaces

Geospatial thinking
Based on this review, ten geospatial thinking
competences are proposed for GI-Learner:
6. Carry out own (primary) data capture
7. Be able to identify and evaluate (secondary)
data
8. Examine interrelationships
9. Synthesise meaning from analysis
10.Reflect and act with knowledge

Based on the review, ten geospatial thinking competences are proposed

Based on the review, ten geospatial
thinking competences are proposed

Geospatial thinking competences

Translate competences into
curriculum learning materials
• K7: local area
• K8: tourism
• K9: economic disparities
• K10: refugees, migration
• K11: plate tectonics, tsunami risk
• K12: globalisation
+ for each year extra
exercises to come

More than mapping
Linking geospatial thinking to GIS
http://www.eurogeography.eu/gi-learner2018/

Spatial Thinking Examples
• New football
stadium FC Bruges
– alternative:
https://arcg.is/SazXb

• Plate tectonics: https://arcg.is/1X0zqX

• Go to www.gilearner.eu
 Course  Acces to pilot materials of the course

More than mapping
Literature Review
Contextual diagram for geographic information literacy (Miller et.al., 2005)
Linking geospatial thinking to GIS

http://www.eurogeography.eu/gi-learner2018/
Material course:
http://moodle.eurogeography.eu/course/view.php?id=47
example
• K12 exercise globalization
https://arcg.is/SC0vy
• Task paper: https://tinyurl.com/ybhxfufv

Pupils at work during mobility
week Madrid, March 2018
• Creating city tour for younger group (K12)
• Evaluating the project (K9, K12)
• Evaluation Test C (K12)
• Presenting Madrid (K9)

GI-Learner Pupil Work
City Tour
http://bit.ly/2CRgqlP

Making Story Maps
http://bit.ly/2FYY1FO

Evaluation: what did we
learn?
https://dotstorming.com/b/5a97b52ed7a291e445d57365

Final conference
Friday 15 June, Ghent
location Het Pand (centre Ghent)

Price: 50 EUR - Including all materials, coffee breaks & lunch
International grants available:
20 grants of 150 EUR (first come – first serve)
Interest: info on our website of mail
luc.zwartjes@ugent.be
Friday 15 June - 1 day conference:
- Background of the project
- Outcomes of the project:
- Literature review
- Learning line competencies
- Curriculum opportunities
- with the developed materials
- Material using the comptencies & curriculum
- Hands-on working
- developing own materials

Project Timeframe:
September 2015 – August 2018
More info : www.gi-learner.eu
Twitter: @GILearner
Project coordinator: luc.zwartjes@ugent.be
Karl Donert: eurogeomail@yahoo.co.uk

GI-Learner: developing progression in spatial thinking

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