USING PLACE TO HELP STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF LIFE

Place-based education relies on the emphasis that the mind puts on place. Greater understanding of subject matter can come from having a meaningful geographic connection to new material. It is often thought that place-based approaches require bringing students into the field, allowing them to see and experience what they are studying, but this is not always the case. Field trips are a direct method to place-based learning, but they are expensive, labor intensive, and logistically complicated. The challenge then is to offer students a way to learn new concepts while utilizing their connection to places without leaving the classroom.

Our goal was to create an online experience for K-12 students to explore the history of life through their home state of Georgia using MapMaker Interactive provided by National Geographic. Because much of geologic time is represented in Georgia, our map focuses on examples of fossils that have been preserved in different parts of the state. Students are able to see how the landscape of Georgia and life therein has changed fostering an enhanced understanding of how Earth overall has evolved through time. Traditionally, information is presented to students using illustrations and learning does not focus on the local context, as it is not required in the state standards. The “GA PaleoTour” allows students to explore life history on their own however, by learning about what happened in the past through their familiarity with the state. Knowing where something happened, particularly if in their own backyard, allows students to utilize their inherent interest about their surroundings to remember and understand new information. Because students have personal experiences in Georgia, guiding them in learning how places within the state have changed over time broadens their knowledge rather than creating whole new categories of isolated information. Our approach could serve as a model for others interested in creating map tours that provide students the chance to explore the history of life in their own state. This work was developed as part of planning for a teacher workshop sponsored by the Paleontological Society and coordinated by the Georgia Geographic Alliance.