Abstract

1. Spatial context for critical thinking in Inquiry-based STEM projects
Track: Teaching with GIS in Schools
Authors: Lynn Moorman

Grade 5-6 students in Calgary, Canada engaged in a hands-on STEM inquiry project around issues affecting people in developing countries - particularly electricity sources and access to clean water. These needs were emphasized as the students watched a humanitarian crisis unfold in Haiti following the January 12, 2010 earthquake. This situation became the focus for the students' development and prototype efforts.
While GIS use was intended to be integrated throughout the project, a number of reasons deemed that a new tact was required. Spatial context, provided through individual virtual globe exploration, proved (through observation, interview and think-alouds) to ignite students' critical thinking and assessment around their projects and inspired further questions that would be appropriately addressed with GIS. The students also made links between spatial exploration and other areas of their curriculum. The teachers, however, struggled to make these connections, revealing a crucial challenge in K-12 GIS implementation.