MAYNARD. MA -- 24 teachers from six states - California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, and Washington - will venture to the vast wetlands of Brazil's Pantanal and to the Skagit River watershed of Washington this summer to participate in conservation research projects as part of a $75,000 grant award Earthwatch Institute has received from National Geographic Society Education Foundation (NGSEF). Earthwatch's "Strengthening Geography in Schools through Conservation Field Work and Collaboration" is strategically designed to address the lack of geographic knowledge among students in the United States.
The National Geographic-Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey, a poll of more than 3,000 18- to 24- year olds in 9 countries around the world, rated U.S. students next to lowest in terms of geographic knowledge. Despite the prominence of Iraq and Israel in the news, less than 15 percent of the young adults polled in the U.S. could locate either country on the map. Eleven percent couldn't locate the U.S. The Education Foundation's annual competitive grant programs are designed to help improve geographic literacy, prepare students to embrace a diverse world, succeed in a global economy and steward the planet's resources.
"This innovative project will help students become stewards of our natural and cultural resources," said Barbara Chow, Executive Director of the Society's Education Foundation. "Giving these teachers a first-hand look at the realities of conservation issues will enliven their teaching."
The project will send 24 geography/science educators to conservation projects in the Pantanal wetlands in Brazil and the Skagit River watershed in Washington State. Through subsequent workshops and websites, these teachers expect to reach another 2,400 K-12 teachers and 240,000 students with geography and conservation lessons linking field research to local environmental issues.
The teachers will be chosen from six states where Earthwatch has formed partnerships with National Geographic's state geographic alliances in California, Florida, Maine,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington. Earthwatch's collaboration with local partners will help with teacher outreach, dissemination, geography content, and technology integration.
"This is precisely the academic ‘hands-on' field training that raises the flat map to life."
said Stephen Cunha, Professor of Geography and Coordinator of the California Geographic Alliance. " This initiative will tackle the dire need to advance standards-based teacher content proficiency in geography and the geosciences,"
"Our partnership will help to raise public awareness of the value of geographic literacy, while, at the same time, helping students learn about the global environment from an interdisciplinary perspective," said Paul Mulloy, Co-coordinator of the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance.
Teachers, for their part, will have a valuable opportunity to integrate geographic knowledge into an interdisciplinary curriculum that engages students in their classroom and beyond. State geographic alliances are enthusiastic about supporting field experiences where geographic techniques such as Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are integral to the project.
"It is my firm belief that geography ‘roots' the curriculum to the local environment, our state, our country, and the world", said Helen Johnson, a Rhode Island Geographic Education Alliance consultant, and teacher at Quidnessett Elementary School in North Kingston, Rhode Island. "I know that these first-hand experiences have a deep effect on both teachers and students. Science and geography become active methods of learning, not textbook concepts and facts to memorize." Johnson developed a unit of studies for her whole school based on her participation in Earthwatch-sponsored field research on wild dolphins in Sarasota Bay, led by Dr. Randall Wells of Brookfield Zoo.
Strengthening Geography in Schools through Conservation Field Work and Collaboration is based on Earthwatch's 30 years of experience and successful model of experiential education through field science. Earthwatch conservation projects in Brazil and the Pacific Northwest provide an ideal setting for teachers to integrate science and geography and learn new technologies to share their findings with the educational community.
"The experiential methods, when transferred to the classroom, hold the power to engage students in local conservation initiatives," said Susan Rauchwerk, Director of Education at Earthwatch Institute. "Ultimately, this project stands to increase geographic literacy and global perspectives among students across the country."
For further information on collaborating states and project partners for Strengthening Geography, contact:
Stephen Cunha, Co-Coordinator
California Geographic Alliance
Email:lmolina@admin.fsu.edu; Tel: 707 826-4977
Laurie Molina,, Co-Coordinator
Florida Geographic Alliance
Email: lmolina@admin.fsu.edu; Tel: 850 644-2007
Cathleen McAnneny, Co-Coordinator
Maine Geographic Alliance
Email: Mcanneny@maine.edu; Tel: 207 778-7443
Paul Mulloy, Co-Coordinator
Massachusetts Geographic Alliance
Email: PMulloy@aol.com; Tel: 781 721-1257
Anne Petry, Co-Coordinator
Rhode Island Geographic Alliance
Email: RIGEA@aol.com; Tel: 401 456-8069
Rawhide Papritz, Co-Coordinator
Washington Geographic Alliance
Email: rpapritz@grcc.ctc.edu;
Tel: 253 833-9111 x4378
Earthwatch Institute is an international nonprofit organization which supports scientific field research worldwide by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. The Institute's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.
Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. It reaches more than 200 million people worldwide each month through its five magazines, the National Geographic Channel, television documentaries, books, videos and DVDs, maps and interactive media. National Geographic has funded more than 7,000 scientific research projects and supports an education program combating geographic illiteracy