Synthesis: A Critical Skill for AP Human Geography & the 21 st Century

JODY SMOTHERS MARCELLO

SITKA HIGH SCHOOL, S ITKA, ALASKA

AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY READERNATIONAL COUNCIL

FOR GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION

EDITOR, THE GEOGRAPHY

TEACHER

Synthesis: A Critical Skill for AP Human Geography &

the 21st Century

WHY?SYNTHESIS

Howard Gardner: Five Mindso Disciplinary Mind: the mastery

of major schools of thought, includingscience, mathematics, & history, & of at least one professional craft.

o Synthesizing Mind: the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplinesor spheres into a coherent whole & to communicate that integration to others.

o Creating Mind: the capacity to uncover & clarify new problems, questions & phenomena.

o Respectful Mind: awareness of & appreciation for differences amonghuman beings & human groups.

o Ethical Mind: fulfillment of one‘s responsibilities as a worker & as a citizen.

(Speech at AP Annual Conference, Seattle, 2008)

oSynthesizing Mind: the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole & to communicate that integration to others.

Synthesizing DisciplineoHuman geography

oPhysical geography

Human geography: the study of the spatial organization of human activity and of people’s relationship with their environment (Knox & Marston)

21st CenturyoObserve, synthesize, present dataoWide range of interdisciplinary studies in the 21st century

http://www.p21.org/documents/21stcskillsmap_geog.pdf

21st CenturyoOutcome: Frames, analyzes and synthesizes information in order to solve problems and answer questions

http://www.p21.org/documents/21stcskillsmap_geog.pdf

Geographic Skills

o Ask geographic questions

o Acquire geographic information

o Organize geographic information

o Analyze geographic information

o Answer geographic questions

Ask: Identifies substantial geographic issues & problems

Acquire: Systematically, accurately, & thoroughly locates & gathers geographic information from a variety of primary & secondary sources

Organize: Selects & designs elaborate and/or multiple forms of maps, graphs, diagrams, tables, & charts to organize geographic information

Analyze: Thoroughly & extensively uses complex processes of analysis, synthesis, evaluation & explanation to interpret geographic information from a variety of sources

Answer: Formulates valid, complex generalizations from the results of a full array of geographic inquiry methods

WHY?SYNTHESIS

IN AP HUMAN

GEOGRAPHY

Any Curriculum or CourseThree Enduring QuestionsAligned Curriculum

Have I read the course outline? Intended curriculum

Have I done the instruction? Delivered curriculum

Have I given students the tools to be successful on the exam? Assessed curriculum

AP Human Geography Course Outline (Intended Curriculum)

Key skills:

Maps & spatial data

Associations among phenomena

Patterns & processes

Regions

Changing interconnections

How to: 1. use and think about

maps and spatial data 2. understand and

interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places

3. recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes

4. define regions and evaluate the regionalization process

5. characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places

AP Human Geography Free Response Items (Assessed Curriculum)From the AP Central Website:

o Specific concept and its application to real-world situations

o Ability to pull together and synthesize material from across the course

o Depth of knowledge of a topic + ability to apply & analyze concepts across geographical contexts

The Exam: Section II: Free-Response In the free-response section, you will be asked to write cogent

answers to three constructed response questions. The questions may require you to interrelate different topical areas and to analyze and evaluate geographical concepts. Questions may be based on stimulus material such as verbal description, maps, graphs, photographs, and diagrams. You are expected to use your analytical and organizational skills to formulate answers in writing your essays.

The free-response section usually includes one question that tests a specific concept in geography and its application to real-world situations, one question that tests your ability to pull together and synthesize material from across the course, and one question that tests your depth of knowledge of a topic and gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to apply and analyze geographic concepts across geographic contexts.

Remember to answer each question in the way it is structured. Points are allocated for sub-parts of the question and not for the overall answer. Your answer should be in essay form. Outlines and unlabeled diagrams and maps are not acceptable final answers. Learn to think outside of the box, and you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of key concepts in geography.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/humangeo/exam.html?humangeo

IV. Political Organization of Space . . . . …………………………….........13–17% A. Territorial dimensions of politics 1. The concept of territoriality 2. The nature and meaning of boundaries 3. Influences of boundaries on identity, interaction, and exchange 4. Federal and unitary states 5. Spatial relationships between political patterns and patterns of ethnicity, economy, and environment B. Evolution of the contemporary political pattern 1. The nation-state concept 2. Colonialism and imperialism 3. Democratization C. Changes and challenges to political–territorial arrangements 1. Changing nature of sovereignty 2. Fragmentation, unification, alliance 3. Supranationalism and devolution 4. Electoral geography, including gerrymandering 5. Terrorism

An exampleCourse Outline: Intended Curriculum

Past Questions Analysis

2005 #1• modern state

system

• supranationalism

• devolution

• political geography

• economic geography

• Europe

1. The modern state system is engaged in a struggle between the forces of supranationalism and devolution.

A. Define both terms and give an example of each.

B. With reference to the political and economic geography of Europe, briefly discuss three changes resulting from supranationalism.

C. With reference to the political and economic geography of Europe, briefly discuss three changes resulting from devolution.

Course Outline = Assessment =Instruction?

Do we have alignment?• Instructional

planning report as one tool

• Multiple textbooks

• Examine own teaching

• Search for/create tools Source: de Blij, Murphy, Fouberg, p. 238.

Past Questions Analysis

2006 #3• centripetal force

• centrifugal force

• state

• region of South Asia (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal)

1. The viability of any state depends on a balance between centripetal and centrifugal forces.

A. Define the concepts “centripetal force” and “centrifugal force.”

B. Give a specific example and explain a centripetal force that affects the viability of any state shown on the map above.

C. With reference to a different specific example, explain a centrifugal force that affects the viability of any state shown on the map above.

Centrifugal Forces

Centripetal Forces

Human Group

STATE

Territory

Different languages, strong minority groups

No central core area

Ambiguous boundaries; high population density in frontiers areas

Strong language, common cultural history

Strong polarizing, core area

Well-defined & uncontested boundaries (e.g. sea, mountain ranges); low population density in frontier areas

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onSource: Haggett, Peter. Geography: A Global Synthesis. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall, 2001. pp. 518-520.

Let’s do an example

1. Start with partners

2. Build to groups of 6

Source: Knox and Marston

Stop and discuss

HUMAN GROUPSSTATE

TERRITORY

Whole Picture???Synthesizing Mind: the ability to integrate ideas

from different disciplinesor spheres into a coherent whole & to

communicate that integration to others.

AssessmentScoring assessments: projects throughout the year

Offers the opportunity to synthesize information in each unit

Construct knowledge

Geographic Skills Scoring Guide Opportunity to improve (Palmer

Wolf) Chance to revise (Darling

Hammond) Learning trend (Marzano)

Source: Knox and Marston

AssessmentScoring assessments: free response items

Can or did your students make the connections?

Free Response Items: 2010 #3 Demographic transition +

population pyramids + economic development

Source: Knox and Marston

UK Geography

Instructiono Map Analysis

o Refugee Assignment

o Cultural Assignment

o HDI or China Assignment

o Black Gold

o Geopolitical Diagram

o Urban Questions: Canada/US (geo questions on DC as activity)

o Rwanda review

AP Human Geography Course Outline (Intended Curriculum)

Key skills:

Maps & spatial data

Associations among phenomena

Patterns & processes

Regions

Changing interconnections

How to: 1. use and think about

maps and spatial data 2. understand and

interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places

3. recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes

4. define regions and evaluate the regionalization process

5. characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places

How do we make the match among the intended, delivered, and assessed APHG curriculum & provide opportunities for synthesis?

Key skills:Maps & spatial data

Associations among phenomena

Patterns & processes

Regions

Changing inter-connections

How?Free response questions early

and often (Gillespie re: Fellman, Getis, and Getis ?s)

Free response questions that cut across units

Review not just by concepts or units but across concepts and units (Rwanda example)

Let students construct synthesis

Feedback (opportunity to improve, revise, learn)

7 units:

Nature

Population

Culture

Political

Economic

Urban

Agriculture

Sources

College Board. AP Human Geography Course Outline and Website.de Blij, H. J., Murphy, Alexander B., and Fouberg, Erin H. Human

Geography: People, Place, and Culture. 8th edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.

Gardner, Howard. Presentation. AP Annual Conference, Seattle, July, 2008.

Geography and 21st Century Skills. Tuscon: Partnership for 21st Cenutry Skills, May 2009. Accessed at: http://www.p21.org/documents/21stcskillsmap_geog.pdf.

Haggett, Peter. Geography: A Global Synthesis. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall, 2001.518-520.

Knox, Paul L. and Marston, Sallie A. Places and Regions in Global Context: Human Geography. 4th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007.

Photos in presentation by Jody Smothers [email protected]