Issue link: https://resources.esri.ca/i/732717
Zion Heights teachers collaborate across disciplines to develop student projects that merge technical skills in geography with math, writing, social studies and more. In grade seven, students begin using ArcGIS for Desktop to work with data layers to create customized maps of Ontario. By the second half of the year, they use newly acquired trigonometry skills to determine the heights of trees surrounding the school, input these data into GIS along with GPS coordinates, and create a map. They also start to involve writing in their GIS projects, such as creating a local tornado incidence map and developing a safety brochure based on their findings. In grade eight, students use GIS to start to explore global patterns like the distribution of wealth and how it affects quality of life in developing countries. By grade nine, at least 70 per cent of students' geography coursework involves GIS. To complement the school's ethnicity curriculum, students map ethnic diversity in their local area and take field trips to Toronto neighborhoods to observe the resulting cultural imprints. This project involves the extraction of census data, giving students hands-on experience in data mining and database building. In advanced classes students study national parks and ecozones. They calculate the percentage of land that is protected and assess the impact of urbanization, which gives them a taste of the power of geospatial analysis. Other projects involve topics that relate to business, such as analyzing demographic data to suggest a location for a new hardware store, or community development projects that involve mapping the locations of farmer's markets and writing news articles about the availability of locally grown produce. Projects like these enable students to become reporters, finding ways to communicate the information they obtain from GIS analysis. Benefits Incorporating geospatial technology into the junior high school curriculum brings context to the subject matter, motivates the students to learn and prompts them to use critical thinking skills. Lessons become less focused on content and more focused on considering the reasons behind the spatial patterns students observe and the potential solutions to problems. Zion Heights teachers notice this phenomenon among all students, even those who did not actively participate and think creatively in past courses. Feedback indicates that students enjoy the interactive approach of their geography courses and the focus on real-life issues. Because projects are based on data that are provided directly by local sources or the provincial or federal government, it gives their work practical significance and importance. Creating informative, professional-looking maps helps to boost their confidence and inspires them to take ownership of their work. By bringing technology and an interdisciplinary approach into the geography classroom, Zion Heights students enter high school with strong computer skills and familiarity with ArcGIS as well as online research, database programs and word processing programs. They are more confident to consider creative solutions to problems and are better prepared for high school courses and ultimately for the workforce that today demands technical aptitude. Geospatial technology enhances learning across the curriculum at Toronto's Zion Heights Junior High School | Esri Canada 2 After creating a map that depicts the historical incidence of tornadoes in their region, students write safety recommendations informed by their findings. Studying the distribution of ethnic populations using census data from Statistics Canada complements the school's geography curriculum and prompts students to consider the unique impacts of different cultures within their city. " Geography used to be just about the 'where.' With GIS, students are asking 'how' and 'why." Danny Nini Geography Teacher Zion Heights Junior High School Solution