Recently I was subbing a class where students had to find latitude and longitude on a map. They were looking for cities on the map and then then had to write the coordinates or vice versa. In certain instances, they had to estimate how far a point was between two points. I was surprised at how many of them either could not estimate or were simply frustrated by the endeavor.
It was then I realized that I had never used latitude or longitude in my life. Why not, you ask? Because google has eliminated the need for latitude and longitude in our lives. Some might argue that if a person is lost and does not have access to a computer, one might still have to use latitude and longitude to find their way on a map, but smartphones and GPS systems have also done away with the need to read a map for most young people today. Thus, we have an important question in the social science departments: How do we teach geography in a way that is relevant to students?
Any thoughts?
Danny is a credentialed social science teacher in California, but is especially interested in students with special education (always the person first and the disability second). He is pursuing his education specialist credential at Cal State Northridge with help from President Obama who has given lots of money to teachers in residency willing to work for three years in Title 1 Schools. Please know that his thoughts are always forming and are subject to change at a moment's notice.
You combine it with the technology to make it relevant.
But as far as estimation goes — I’ve noticed that it drives students nuts on tests. For instance, on a multiple choice test, they freak out because the EXACT answer is not there. They think they have to have the one right answer.
as a future teacher I know how much this drives kids nuts on tests. I suppose, however, that estimation is important for students because they have to do it in life. They will not always have a machine to make decisions for them. Or, perhaps even scarier, maybe they will???