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In 1851, the prestigious American Geographical Society (AGS) was founded in New York City. This centuries old organization is dedicated to spreading the knowledge of geography, a field that is always developing new resources and growing with time.
Social Studies teacher Sara Stout was recently accepted to attend the annual AGS Fall Symposium at Columbia University.
The AGS holds the Symposium to allow 50 of the brightest and most talented educators across the country to come together to gain proficiency in new geographical tools. This highly regarded opportunity holds benefits for not only Ms. Stout’s classes, but the whole social studies department.
Ms. Stout will be stepping outside of her comfort zone to work directly with industry-leading experts in order to gain new information that she can share with her students.
“I believe [the AGS is] going to be giving me some of the programs that geographers use, and [they will be] teaching me how to use these,” Ms. Stout said.
Due to the complicated and layered nature of today’s map systems, this lesson in technology can be extremely useful. In addition, Ms. Stout’s students may be seeing more interactive lessons in the future, using programs that they are already familiar with.
“Using google street maps and google earth, I’m going to get my students to apply more hands-on technology and map information,” Ms. Stout said.
Although she was previously unfamiliar with the American Geographical Society, Ms. Stout chose to apply to the Symposium with her classes in mind.
“I was hoping this would provide an opportunity to become a better teacher and learn more about geography, “ Ms. Stout said. “I am looking forward to networking with real geographers, and learning how to apply what I get in my classroom, and find this network that I can reach out to, throughout the years.”
Access to consultations with professional contacts can greatly improve the average classroom , and have the capability to inspire and connects students with a career in geography.
“We talk about maps, but we don’t use them enough,” Ms. Stout said. “I think if we get students making maps and using more maps, we can apply geography and make the exam even more interesting.”
