Using GIS to Teach Placed-Based Mathematics in Rural Classrooms

  • Jacqueline Leonard University of Wyoming
  • Nicole M. Russell University of Denver
  • Robert M. Hobbs Trenton Central High School, New Jersey
  • Heather Buchanan University of Wyoming

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to promote the use of GIS and place-based education (PBE) in rural mathematics classrooms. The pedagogy of place is disappearing from rural communities because of declining enrollments, lack of support, and federal mandates to focus more on basic academic skills. However, PBE does not stand in opposition to standards-based instruction and academic achievement; rather, it enhances instructional strategies for getting at these aims. We present examples of place that can be used to engage rural students in meaningful mathematics activities to improve their content knowledge and problem-solving ability. Barriers exist to full implementation of this work. Yet, we offer a vision of what is possible through the use of technological tools like GIS for teachers who teach in rural communities. Additional studies regarding the effect of using GIS are needed to bring the vision of situated place-based education closer to fruition.  

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Author Biographies

Jacqueline Leonard, University of Wyoming
Jacqueline Leonard is the Director of the Mathematics and Science Teaching Center at the University of Wyoming.
Nicole M. Russell, University of Denver
Nicole M. Russell is an assistant professor of teacher education at the University of Denver.
Robert M. Hobbs, Trenton Central High School, New Jersey
Robert Hobbs in a mathematics teacher at Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey.
Heather Buchanan, University of Wyoming
Heather Buchanan is a former teacher and student in the Middle Level Mathematics Masters’ Degree program at the
University of Wyoming.
Published
2013-07-15
How to Cite
Leonard, J., Russell, N. M., Hobbs, R. M., & Buchanan, H. (2013). Using GIS to Teach Placed-Based Mathematics in Rural Classrooms. The Rural Educator, 34(3). https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v34i3.395
Section
Research Articles