For example, one of the findings was that students in grades 2 through 4 are able to make the transition from map symbols that are iconic or representative of objects in the world to abstract symbols. However, research also cautioned that students in this age range are still likely to make errors in interpretation and are likely to need explicit guidance about the meaning of symbols. For that reason, the instructional guidance cautions that students should be provided with maps that display a limited amount of information to help them focus on the information that is provided.

The fundamental lesson of this research is consistent with research on skill acquisition across the curriculum: children should be presented with challenging tasks that demand that they learn new skills but do not overwhelm them with challenges that are too numerous or complex. They should also be provided with enough assistance to identify and correct errors and given enough opportunities to practice skills across a range of challenges sufficient for them to achieve full mastery.

This specific research helps teachers understand in advance what their students will find challenging, select appropriate tasks, and guide students to overcome specific difficulties or misconceptions. Essentially, this research helps teachers understand what most of us have so much trouble understanding鈥攚hat looking at a map is like for someone who has not yet mastered one or more aspects of map reading. Research on teaching across many subjects has shown that teachers are much more effective when they have this information.

Imagine a second grader who is struggling to master the difficult task of determining relative direction on a map. For most of us, it is hard to imagine confusing something being on the left side of a map with something being on the left side of a location in the world. The Alliance Network materials being developed can help the teacher anticipate this confusion and diagnose the reason that our second grader is consistently making mistakes when giving directions based on a map. The teacher would also know what kinds of explanations, examples, and additional tasks to provide to help a student overcome this common misconception.

While these materials and resources could make a big difference in educational outcomes for students, the Network of Alliances for Geographic Education and their partners at the National Council for Geographic Education, the American Geographical Society, and the Association of American Geographers face an enormous challenge in getting them to teachers.

Training teachers could also improve geographic education. We see great potential in Esri’s GeoMentor program to teach map reading skills. We encourage GIS professionals to spend some time reviewing the opportunities to get involved in with local schools on the Esri GeoMentor program website, the materials for teaching basic map skills on the National Geographic Education website, and then reach out to educators in their communities.

Get聽more information聽about the Esri GeoMentor program. Get聽more information聽about National Geographic’s Elementary Mapping initiative.

Read other articles in the聽“GeoLearning” series.