Maps and geographical education to encourage the joy of learning for all

Abstract

While maps have been generally associated with geography, the use of maps in Geography education has been typically described within the context of mainstream school education. Maps certainly have utility beyond the geographical classroom, from wayfinding to planning and even for military purposes. The extent that maps link to our daily lives has been made more so by the advent of digital maps that are a click away on our mobile devices. To examine non-classroom-based uses of a map, we asked several colleagues what they or others might do with a map. These colleagues were not geographers; they were education-based university academics and former school teachers—but not geography teachers or educators. As you might imagine, the responses were varied and, in some cases, expected.