Thinking Spatially: The Incorporation of Geographic Information Science Across the K-12 Curriculum

推动K-12教育改革的一个重要因素是，人们担心美国人在全球市场激烈的国际竞争和迅速的技术变革所定义的快速变化的环境中成功竞争的能力。为了提高美国的全球和技术竞争力，人们呼吁在教育过程的各个阶段加强对现代技术的使用。这种发展与批判性思维技能的发展日益增加的兴趣相吻合，批判性思维技能使个人能够概念化问题，获取和分析相关信息，并使用地理信息系统（gis）等先进技术做出有效的空间决策。为了解决这些相关问题，该奖项将为国家研究委员会（NRC）成立的一个特别研究委员会提供部分支持，该委员会将研究美国K-12课程中地理信息系统和相关技术的使用以及地理信息科学（GIScience）的新兴概念和原则。(1)如何将当前的GIS软件版本和gisscience的理论方法整合到跨课程广度的知识领域的基于标准的教学中？(2)认知发展和教育理论如何用于设计适合年龄的GIS软件版本和适合年龄的GIS科学课程？该项目将包括对在K-12年级地理、数学和科学课程中使用地理信息系统和地理信息科学的知识和当前实践进行审查。它将为职前和在职培训项目以及GIS和gisscience项目的课程制定指导方针和建议。它还将确定并完成对大学前地理信息系统和地理信息科学教育中的关键问题的小规模、高度集中的研究，例如协作学习模式在教学中的作用、地理信息系统使用模式作为性别和认知发展水平的功能以及促进认知发展的界面设计。审查将产生一本书篇幅的最后报告，并通过互联网传播更多信息。此计划将有助制订应用指引及概述研究需要及策略，以配合未来学生学习、教师培训及软件发展的需要。该研究将为将GIS和gisscience纳入美国学校提供短期指导，并将确定与改进GIS设计和加强与gisscience相关的教学有关的长期研究问题。

A strong component of the drive for K-12 educational reform have been concerns about the capacity of Americans to compete successfully in a rapidly changing context defined by intense international competition in global markets and swift technological change. The desire to improve American global and technological competitiveness has led to calls for enhancements in the use of modern technologies at all stages of the educational process. This development coincides with increasing interest in the development of critical thinking skills that enable individuals to conceptualize problems, acquire and analyze relevant information, and use advanced technologies like geographic information systems (GISs) to make effective spatial decisions. To address these related problems, this award will provide partial support for a special study committee established by the National Research Council (NRC) to study the use of GIS and related technologies and the emerging concepts and principles of geographic information science (GIScience) across the K-12 curriculum in the U.S. The review will focus on two related questions: (1) How can current software versions of GIS and theoretical approaches of GIScience be incorporated into standards-based instruction in knowledge domains across the breadth of the curriculum? (2) How can cognitive development and educational theory be used to design age-appropriate versions of GIS software and age-appropriate GIScience curricula? The project will include a review of knowledge and current practice regarding the use of GIS and GIScience in K-12 curricula in geography, mathematics, and science. It will develop guidelines and recommendations for pre-service and in-service training programs as well as curricula for GIS and GIScience programs. It also will identify and follow through on small-scale, highly focused studies of key issues in pre-collegiate GIS and GIScience education, such as the role of collaborative learning models in instruction, patterns of GIS use as a function of gender and cognitive development levels, and interface designs to facilitate cognitive development. The review will result in a book-length final report, with additional information disseminated via the Internet. The project will contribute to the development of application guidelines and outline research needs and strategies to meet future needs for student learning, teacher training, and software development. The study will provide short-term guidance for incorporating GIS and GIScience into American schools, and it will identify longer-term research issues associated with improved design of GISs and enhanced GIScience-related instruction.