Developing Democratic Citizens Through Geography

Education builds on concepts and experiences over time. Understanding geographic theories and models is essential to effective civic participation because communities are organized in defined locations reflecting distinctive social and physical characteristics. People care most about their local situation, and equipping students to learn about their communities through multiple tools including archival research, participation in civic meetings, reading about current events, and exploring online mapping will be most effective when explicitly linked to how decisions are made by elected and appointed officials. The progression of understanding the types of information that can be described and illustrated spatially begins with students in primary school so that when secondary students are asked to associate outcomes with policy choices, they are prepared to assess the quality and source of the data provided. This overview of research and best practices connecting geography and civic education at primary and secondary levels highlights American perspectives from the classroom and is intended as a guide for resources. The emergence of digital scholarship embracing geospatial technology tools has created interactive ways for students to engage in history, civics, economics, and geography using data visualization, infographics, digital mapping projects, multimedia presentations, and spatial reasoning. Providing a solid historical foundation for students in how the world is governed at multiple scales is essential for preparing them to place future choices in context. Key practices in geography education frame the discussion. We consider how geography and civics intersect regarding the issues of scale, the environment, and globalization, and examine instructional tools and teacher preparation.