The Learning Framework

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The Geographically Informed Citizen

This is the core of the Framework. It identifies the values and attitudes that educators hope to inspire in all students to create informed, active and engaged global citizens.

Click here to read more about being a geographically informed citizen.

Geographic Inquiry Skills

An important aspect of the Framework is to help educators encourage students to ask questions – to inquire – and to slowly develop over time the ability to apply all of the steps of the Framework when and where appropriate. Once educators are familiar with the concept of a geographically informed citizen, they can provide guidance to students on how to become geographically informed citizens using the Geographic Inquiry Model. This model represents a process that students will use time and again to investigate the world around them, react to and understand events, deal with every day and extraordinary issues, solve problems, develop plans of action, make decisions, and reach supportable conclusions about their environment.

The Geographic Inquiry Model includes the following 6 stages:

• Ask geographic questions
• Acquire geographic resources
• Interpret and analyze
• Evaluate and draw conclusions
• Communicate
• Reflect and respond

Click here for a more detailed description of the Geographic Inquiry Model and how to use it in the classroom.

geospatial skills

The following geospatial skills can be learned at all grade levels and can be taught at any stage in the inquiry process:

A. Foundational Elements

Location

Direction

Scale

B. Spatial Representations

Map Elements

Perspectives

Types of maps

Projection

Geospatial Imagery

Graphs

Visualisations

C. Technologies

Virtual Globes/Digital Earth

Geographic Information Systems

D. Fieldwork

Observe

Collect data

Analyze and organize

Click here to learn more about specific geospatial skills by grade.

concepts OF geographic thinking

There are four core concepts at the heart of geography that must be taught to students in order to prepare them to think geographically. These four concepts are: spatial significance, patterns and trends, interrelationships, and geographic perspectives. As students learn, develop and nourish their geographical skills, these concepts will naturally be adopted, and students will begin to move away from simply learning the facts to actually applying geographic knowledge.

Click here for the table outlining these four concepts, along with lists of associated inquiry questions for engaging students.

competencies by grade cohort

In order for students to be spatially literate, geographically informed citizens, it is important to start implementing the Geographic Inquiry Model from the beginning of their education until graduation.

Implementing the appropriate geospatial skills at the right level is key as students gather, organize and analyze data and information using the Geographic Inquiry Model.

Click here to see the competencies matrix to help gauge how geographically informed your students are, how to expand their geographic and spatial literacy skills, and how to evaluate them in the classroom.