Abstract

GIS and Place
Track: Educational Research and Teacher Education
Author(s): Mary Fargher

By examining the role of GIS in the study of place, this doctoral research suggests that by engaging more meaningfully in the type of critical debate about GIS already well-established in universities, teachers might be better placed to decide on an established role for GIS in school geography.

The research examines the influence of GIS on knowledge construction about place using two case study schools, one where GIS is used extensively, and a second where it is being used for the first time. It focuses on three key elements: how GIS influences conceptualization of place; how students make sense of and mediate GIS in their learning and how teachers make sense of and mediate GIS in their teaching. Preliminary findings in both schools suggest that GIS influences knowledge construction about place which merits further pedagogical consideration.

Mary Fargher
Department of Geography, Enterprise, Mathematics and Science,
Institute of Education, University of London,
20 Bedford Way,
London WC1H OAL.
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail: mfargher@ioe.ac.uk