Research Proves What Pedagogical Approaches are Effective Learning Tools! See how GPS & Geo-Caching fit it with the following: Marzano, UBD, PBL & WOW.

Using GPS units with students can be a highly effective tool when the lessons have been well designed with YOUR students in mind. Project-Based Learning is often utilized throughout GPS activities, especially when students are problem-solving as part of the activity. Geo-Caching, way point marking, and other GPS activities lend themselves naturally to problem-solving and other higher-order thinking skills.

Marzano Classroom Instruction That Works

GeoCaching and GPS activities focus on the following techniques:

Cooperative Learning - Balancing Various Group Structures Best Practices in Small Group Learning Research on Small Group Learning

Generating and testing Hypotheses - Across content areas and grade levels, inquiry in the classroom turns native curiosity to the learner's advantage. Effective teachers create these opportunities to guide students through the process of asking good questions, generating hypotheses and predictions, investigating through testing or research, making observations, and finally analyzing and communicating results.

Setting Objectives and Providing feedback - Instructional goals/objectives narrow on what students should focus. Students see the initial goals as well as long-term goals throughout the GPS activities as long as the lessons are well designed in incremental steps and allowing for problem solving throughout the process.

The Jordan School District addresses the clear connection between Marzano's research and GPS in the classroom.

Backwards Curriculum Design - Understanding By Design- (UBD)

The Jordan School District shows connections between "Understanding By Design" and GPS Activity Design. Sample lessons and activities are listed for grades 1 through 6.

It is through the process of "Understanding By Design", aka: backwards curriculum design, that highly successful GPS activities are built. Starting off with defining what is to be learned, the evidence the teacher will accept as proof of understanding (assessment), then designing the learning activities is a key element to designing GPS and GeoCaching activities.

• Understanding by Design summary
• Set Curriculum Prioritites
• How will you assess understanding?
• School District Support site

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

• NCREL Research
• GLEF "Edutopia" PBL
• Eduscapes Article
• Edutopia Sample of GPS & Learning
• NWREL: River Runs Through It

 

Working On the Work (WOW) by:
Philip Schlechty

According to Schlechty, it is our goal to design curriculum so that it is 'Authentically Engaging' for the students. This means that the activity has a relative immediate value to the student.

The activities must be engaging and pertain to something the larger society believes students should learn (Schlechty, 2002).

The 2006 National Geographic Society and Roper Public Affairs study shows that Americans need to have a much better understanding of geography.

GPS units and Geocaching are the marriage of engaging work focusing on a National weakness: Geographic understanding of the world around us.

• Read CHAPTER 1 of the book listed above