Exploring Sense of Place in the Human Geography Classroom through Independent Study

Keywords: Sense of place, Geography Education, Google, Google Earth, Google StreetView, Google MyMaps, Google Tour Builder, Google Tour Creator, Google Earth Time-lapse, Google Trends, Field Study, Yi-Fu Tuan, Project Based Learning, Student Voice, Equity, Classroom
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 31

Abstract

As a culminating project for my high school Human Geography course, students completed an independent study in which they chose from eight different pathways of exploration surrounding the concept of sense of place. Because emotions, feelings, and cultural identity evoke a strong sense of place, student voice and choice was central in the creation of this project-based lesson. Students chose a pathway of greatest interest and a location, topic, or theme that they were most passionate about exploring.

Essential questions for students included: why do we value some spaces more than others? How do humans curate and show value in a space? What are the implications of the human imprint? What happens when we stop placing value on our spaces?

Employing Google tools students learned to use over the course of the school year, students researched and presented their findings about sense of place, paying special care to connect their observations to those of Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Yi-Fu Tuan, a leading academic on the topic of geographical sense of place.

Depending on the student’s choice, a Google spatial tool was used to collect and present their findings. The spatial tools included Google Earth, Google StreetView, Google MyMaps, Google Tour Builder, Google Tour Creator, Google Earth Timelapse, and Google Trends. Alternatives will be discussed for Google tools that are now defunct. While some of these topics required field studies of our local area, all of these topics can be tailored to suit the needs of any location.