Homeschooling Geography: Building Critical Thinking and More
4 Reasons Why Geography Still Matters: Beyond Apps and GPS Navigation.
I recently talked to a student about my geography classes at Homeschool Connections (Physical Geography and Political Geography, if I may be so bold as to give them a plug). The student asked me something I’d never considered before. He said, “What’s the point of learning geography these days anyway? We have apps that just tell us where to go. Isn’t it kind of an outdated subject, like learning cursive?”
Does Geography Still Matter in the Age of Google Maps?
It’s not often that a teacher has to step back and justify why an entire subject exists (and I also dispute the student’s point about the value of cursive!). However, he does bring up a point worthy of consideration. Why should students today grind away memorizing the state capitals, learning the location of Azerbaijan, or identifying the biggest waterfall in Africa? With a quick command, I can pick up my iPhone and say, “Hey Siri, what’s the largest waterfall in Africa?” and get the answer in two seconds. Traveling from Maine to St. Louis requires no understanding of the route, as the GPS provides step-by-step directions along the way.
I often meet young people today who do not even know their way around their own town; they cannot drive from their house to the local Wal-Mart they’ve been to a hundred times without GPS guidance. And if we really need to know where Azerbaijan is, I can simply open Google Earth, type in “Azerbaijan” (or copy and paste the name because who has time to learn to spell it?), and hit enter. Like magic, Google will show me right where it is.
So, yeah, who needs geography?
While technological advances have made it much easier to navigate, there is so much more to geography than just knowing how to get from Point A to Point B or finding some features on a map. Let’s explore some of the reasons why it still makes sense to give children a geography education.
1. Understanding Spatial Relationships and Context
Learning geography is about more than just “getting there.” Geography helps us understand the spatial relationships between different geographical features, both political and physical. For example, knowing how wind and weather patterns interact with mountains helps us understand why southwestern California has a temperate Mediterranean climate while southeastern California is a barren desert. Knowledge of a region’s natural resources gives us context to understand human settlement patterns or the economies of certain countries. In other words, geography teaches why things are located where they are, the relationships between them, and the world’s interconnectedness. Apps give routes; geography gives context.
2. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
A robust geography education can help children develop critical thinking skills in many ways. One example is analyzing spatial patterns (such as a population distribution map. Another example I like to use in my political geography class is teaching students how to understand geographical data visualizations, like a “population pyramid,” which is a graphical illustration of the distribution of a population by age group and sex in a given place. There’s much more to look at in geography than just maps. We don’t just follow maps; we interpret data.
3. Building Cultural Awareness
Geography isn’t merely about locations; it’s about the people and cultures that populate those locations. One thing I have learned from teaching geography all these years is that there is a profound connection between a place and the people who inhabit it. I think we are so used to the entertainment-media complex portraying humans as interlopers in nature that we forget we are part of this world; we are part of the environment we inhabit, just as much as the trees or the birds. Cultures are strongly reflective of this as well, as how a people lives is deeply related to their environment and available resources. Think, for example, how deeply Inuit culture is shaped by the Arctic landscape. Learning about the interrelationship of environment and culture goes way beyond anything Siri could tell us. Geography helps us to become more culturally aware.
4. Environmental Awareness
While many environmental awareness initiatives today are regrettably embroiled with political agendas, geography still plays a crucial role in understanding real environmental issues. For example, water shortages in the American Southwest are tied to interstate disputes over rights to the Colorado River. The Sahara Desert continues to expand each year due to desertification caused by over-grazing. Massive commercial fishing trawlers create “dead zones” in the oceans, where overfishing disrupts the ecosystem. This leads to the spread of algae, which depletes oxygen levels in the water, making it impossible for animal life to survive.
A solid geography education covers climate, ecosystems, natural resources, and human-environment interaction. This knowledge provides a strong foundation for understanding today’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Geography is Still Relevant
As you can see, the prevalence of routing apps and Google Earth has certainly not eliminated the need for a geography education. It is one thing to know where something is or how to get there, and quite another to understand what something means or the interrelationship between geographical features, be they natural or manmade.
If you’d like to look at geography options through Homeschool Connections, I have two semesters of geography available: Physical Geography and Political Geography. Physical geography deals with understanding our planet’s ecosystems, physical attributes, and climate patterns. In contrast, Political Geography studies the world from a geo-political perspective, focusing on educating students on the political boundaries and capitals of the world’s countries on a regional basis.
If you’d like to continue the discussion and share your thoughts on geography or your favorite subjects, I invite you to join me and other parents at our Homeschool Connections Community or our Facebook group.
