A Teaching Model to Raise Awareness of Sustainability Using Geoinformation

Abstract

The increase in geoinformation and its integrated use in cloud-based geographic information systems, or Web GIS, facilitates visualization of data and helps to improve our understanding of socio-economic factors as well as the natural landscape. Effective application of these tools in the classroom requires a change in teachers’ pedagogies. Thus, a review of existing pedagogies and a brief questionnaire given to teachers with lots of experience of using Web GIS, was carried out in order to identify how they were integrating online interactive maps into their teaching to make learning more effective. The results led to the development of a series of learning scenarios, or vignettes. These all use the visualization provided by online maps, to encourage more critical and reasoned learning. They also contribute to educating for sustainability, as they highlight trends and interrelationships that are intended to promote transformative action, beyond the theoretical knowledge and application of the Sustainable Development Goals. Direct observation in teacher training classrooms and detailed discussion over each result obtained has validated a teaching model. To support the use of these materials and the application of the model, a training course has been designed for teachers who are new to the profession or those who are interested in integrating these tools into their teaching. To date, trainee teachers who have been introduced to the model have expressed their satisfaction with this new way of working in secondary classrooms.