Texas Alliance for Geographic Education
January 28, 2014

Promoting Geo-Literacy Across Texas

TEXAS' HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION PLANS
and the Future of Social Studies

 

Over the last several months, the Texas Alliance has spoken with numerous school district administrators and teachers. The focus of our discussions has been how best to implement the education reforms outlined in House Bill 5. The Texas Alliance, in consultation with key social studies educators and leaders, developed a consolidated list of recommendations and rationales.

 

  • The Texas Alliance recommends that school districts require either the "Foundation with Endorsements" or the "Distinguished" graduation plans.
     
  • With regard to social studies specifically, the Texas Alliance recommends that four courses be taken in sequence: World Geography, World History, US History, and Government/Economics.
Read more or download pdf 

TAGE SURVEY: HB 5 CAMPUS IMPLEMENTATION

The Texas Alliance for Geographic Education is surveying campuses on plans to implement education reforms outlined in House Bill 5. Please complete the brief survey at http://bit.ly/1cpYHSv.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING & PUBLIC COMMENTS
January 28-31

Agenda
Graduation Requirements
Public Comment

A WORLD TRANSFORMED: THE GEOGRAPHY OF SE ASIA
Online modules now available

Visit TAGE's free online learning unit developed to assist teachers in providing a rigorous level of instruction on geographic concepts to high school students. Although this unit is focused regionally on Southeast Asia, content is provided within six geographic modules - physical geography, culture and religion, economic geography, environmental degradation, climate change and impact, and globalization. Learn more


K-12 GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES

Do you incorporate geospatial technologies into your K-12 class? We want to hear from you. Please email Maggie Hutchins at [email protected].

2014 EDUCATOR ACADEMY IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

The July 1-11, 2014 Educator Academy is a cross-curricular professional development workshop for K-12 formal and informal educators to learn and use:
  • 21st Century Instruction:  5E Lesson Design, Inquiry-Based Exploration, STEM Problem-Based Learning
  • Inquiry Protocols:  Project Learning Tree, GLOBE, Cornell Lab's BirdSleuth
  • Global and Cultural Perspectives:  Service Learning, Sustainability, Global Education

Join Dr. Mo Walters, ASU; Al Stenstrup, Project Learning Tree (PLT); Jennifer Fee (BirdSleuth), and Christa Dillabaugh, Amazon Rainforest Workshops; and work side-by-side with scientists Dr. Steve Madigosky, Widener University; and Randy Morgan, Curator/Entomologist, Cincinnati Zoo.  The Amazon experience is a real world lens through which to view global issues as -- sustainable development, global health, energy, population, water, quality of life and the meaning of service. Experience:

  • a 1/4-mile Rainforest Canopy Walkway and research on Weather and Climate
  • interactions with Indigenous Yagua, Riberenos and a Village Service Project
  • ReNuPeruEthnobotanical Garden and problem solving inspired by Biomimicry
  • Monkey Island Conservation Project

PLT Certification, BirdSleuth and GLOBE training and PD Hours included. Academic Credit and Machu Picchu Extension optional.  Land cost is $2140, plus air.  $1000 scholarship deadline March 1, 2014.  Land cost is $1140 for scholarship recipients. Space is limited! Register early to secure your spot! See Syllabus on Webpage:   http://www.amazonworkshops.com/educators--naturalists.html  (case sensitive).  Contact christa@amazonworkshops.com or 1-800-431-2624. 

 



From Joseph Kerski, Education Manager at ESRI
Do you know what the fastest growing Advanced Placement (AP�) course is?  It's AP Human Geography! Over 113,000 students took the APHG exam in 2013, up from 2,000 just 12 years ago, and there are an estimated 3,200 AP Human Geography teachers in the USA alone.  That's the good news!  But the challenges are that (1) the scores on APHG are among the lowest of any AP exam, and (2) there is a growing demand for experienced geography educators who can effectively teach these courses.  To help educators and their students gain key geography content, skills, and perspectives, Elmhurst College has designed a series of online courses specifically for secondary educators in a Graduate Certificate Program in Human Geography.  This program focuses on teaching spatial concepts as well as basic themes, skills and perspectives of human geography and how to apply them in the classroom.
Learn more:
 http://blogs.esri.com/esri/gisedcom/2014/01/10/ap-human-geography-online-courses-and-certificate-program/
Playlist of videos created for one of the courses, on urban, economic, and population geography, here:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T93k1jdn60&list=PLiC1i3ejK5vsCUBkViR1lZ_h6ZGe4x5YG&index=1


CHOICES PROGRAM
Leadership Institute Applications Now Available

Choices Leadership Institutes at Brown University are an opportunity to be immersed in our award-winning curriculum materials, learn about international issues, and plan strategies for introducing the Choices Program to your school district and beyond. This year's Leadership Institutes are Turkey: Exploring Current Challenges and Thinking Geographically About International Issues. Learn more

Texas Alliance for Geographic Education
512.245.3827
www.geo.txstate.edu/tage
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