Case Studies

explore and analyze information and draw conclusions about the insights they gain. Mr. Munro used K-12 education resources available from Esri Canada's Education and Research group to develop the school's geography curriculum. These resources include lesson packs, which contain a lesson plan, background, tutorial, presentation, assignment and data, and Esri Press publications. He has also attended Esri Canada's GIS in Education Conference and enrolled in free online Esri training courses to enhance his own GIS skills and, in turn, offer more informed guidance to his students. Mr. Munro developed lessons that teach GIS fundamentals and allow students to apply these skills in group work to explore local and global issues and subjects in a spatial context. For example, grade 12 urban geography and geomatics classes studied the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya using ArcGIS for Desktop. Students were briefly introduced to the subject and then studied it independently in groups, sourcing, mapping and analyzing data to understand better the issues affecting the slum's inhabitants. In 2015, Mr. Munro received a grant to support field research and spatial analysis in local and regional areas that allowed a grade 12 geomatics class to participate in three experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom. Students travelled to Toronto, Owen Sound and Bruce Peninsula National Park to apply GIS concepts learned in class and gain valuable field skills, such as data collection and tree identification. Other GIS-based projects completed by students, including an analysis of fire hydrant distribution in Chesley and ambulance response times in Bruce County, have focused on identifying ways to improve health and safety in their local community. Benefits Student engagement in junior and senior geography classes at the school has increased since the integration of GIS technology and the introduction of the geographic inquiry process into lessons. The quality of student project work has improved and the school elective courses in geomatics and urban geography are popular amongst students. Mr. Munro has observed that students' comprehension of subject matter improves when they conduct field work and then return to the classroom to map and analyze their results. Mr. Munro noted that maps visualize field data and research for students, which in turn helps them to identify spatial patterns. This approach encourages students to make a positive connection between the skills they learn in the classroom and how they can be applied to understand better the world around them. Former geography students pursuing a post-secondary education are applying the GIS skills learned at high school in their program, which, in some cases, extends beyond studying geography and GIS. For example, one former student is putting his GIS skills to work in a police foundations college program. In fact, his proficiency with ArcGIS led him to help teach it to sociology classmates. Students' successful ability to apply GIS technology, spatial analysis and collaborative mapping skills was also highlighted at the 2015 Skills Ontario GIS competition. A two-person team comprised of students from Chesley District Community School achieved second place at the competition, which challenged students to create routes for a road cycling race. Small School Gives Students Big Advantage with Commitment to GIS | Esri Canada 2 An analysis of fire hydrant distribution in their community led one group of students to collect field data to determine the location and condition of hydrants. Mr. Munro has observed that students' comprehension of subject matter improves when they conduct field work and map and analyze results in the classroom. "I've seen a significant increase in student engagement when we apply our learning to real-life scenarios and spatial inquiries. Students have produced fantastic projects and they have made some valuable connections to the world around them." Cory Munro Teacher Chesley District Community School

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