Team Geography Rob Whiting – Heather Topel Sara Metcalf – Paul Hohulin.
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Transcript of Team Geography Rob Whiting – Heather Topel Sara Metcalf – Paul Hohulin.
Team Geography
Rob Whiting – Heather Topel
Sara Metcalf – Paul Hohulin
Rob’s Goals
• Introduction to Critical Thinking
• Introduction to Recent Issues in Human Geography
• Develop an interactive game to synthesize Critical Thinking and Basic Skills
Rob’s Recap
• Geography of the American Revolution
• Scale
• Movement
• Networks
• Early American Networks
• Grain Game!
Rob’s Lessons Learned
• Be prepared to adjust your timeline
• Be realistic about how much you can accomplish in the time available
• The more involved the students are the more they pick up
• It’s a lot harder than you think to condense a concept from Graduate to High School level
Grain Game Goals
• Show the dynamics of an Economic Transformation
• Show how the past affects the present• Synthesize Critical Thinking and Basic
Skills – Basic Math– Interpreting Maps and Charts– Decision Making– Listening!
Grain Game Development
• Conceptualization (July-Aug.)• Alpha testing with colleagues (Sept.)• Beta testing with spreadsheets (Oct.)• Rolled out in Centennial High School (Nov.)
– Four ninth-grade classrooms– Teams of 1-3 players
• Three days of immersion– Day 1 – Introduction to concepts and rules– Day 2 – Try out a turn or two– Day 3 – Largely self-paced, rolling forward
Grain Game Structure
• Planting Season– Pay Overhead
• Growing Season– Roll for Harvest Conditions– Get Backpay
• Harvest Season– Get Grain Chips– Roll for Market Conditions– Decide where to sell (St. Louis or Chicago)
• Off Season– Roll for railroads, roll for chance– Buy land– Invest in capital (reaper) or labor– Take out a loan
Selected Snapshots
Sara’s Goals
• Establish rapport in the classroom– Teach standard lessons as well as experiments
• Gain teaching experience– How to communicate a concept to this audience
• Learn geography– Review of basic concepts, infuse with advanced
• Introduce systematic thinking– Bit by bit, this is a challenge– How computers and modeling can aid this way
Sara’s Recap• Physical Geography
– Plate Tectonics– Weathering and Erosion– Climate Change
• Human Geography– Gods Must Be Crazy Cultural Contrast– Mental Maps – Create your own Culture
• Economic Geography– “Gang of Fifteen” Exchange Rate Exercise
• Canada Interactive Presentation• GRAIN GAME
Sara’s Lessons Learned
• The value of “wait time”– Resistance, apprehension can be overcome
• Pushing is okay– Learn where mental boundaries are by testing– A struggle to learn may be memorable
• The answer doesn’t have to be correct– Feedback and interaction may matter more
• A little technology goes a long way– Even spreadsheets seem cool
Team Geography Themes
• Economic Geography– Grain Game– Exchange Rates– Hands-on exercises
• Water in Geography– Demonstrations and labs– GIS and modeling– Role-play controversies
Questions? Suggestions?