1. EDUCATION
GWhen it comes to studying geog-
raphy and learning about global
cultures, international schools are
always one step ahead of the game. With their
students already considered “global citizens”
in that they have a greater awareness of other
cultures, international schools have to con-
sider more engaging ways to teach geography
that go beyond memorizing countries and
capitals.
International schools typically take
advantage of the diverse student body when
it comes to teaching children about differing
experiences worldwide. Often, geography is
intertwined with culture for the youngest stu-
dents to give them something concrete to work
with—a markedly more human approach to
conceptualizing the world around us.
Wendy Gao teaches kindergarten at
Daystar Academy. She
says with the young-
est students, she tends
to focus on the idea of
cultures and customs.
“Because the children
are still quite young, we
don’t go too deeply into
the subject. We teach
them by showing pic-
tures and storytelling,”
says Gao. At this age,
lessons are straight-
forward, as children
need to grasp the broad
strokes of various re-
gions around the globe.
“When we had a lesson
about Asia, we intro-
duced Asian countries.
When we talk about In-
dia, we show pictures of
the Taj Mahal and Holi
[the festival of colors],
while introducing the
stories behind their traditional elements.”
The storytelling aspect keeps the
details fresh and vivid in young minds. In
Gao’s classroom, making posters is one of
the key ways to help students remember
what they’ve learned, repeating some of
the images and stories to make them. The
students will hang their pieces in the class-
room, further reinforcing what the children
hear during their lessons.
However, when it comes to older stu-
dents, it’s important to make sure that geogra-
phy isn’t just about memoriz-
ing maps—students need a
sense of time and place. Gil-
bert Wilding, who teaches at
Beijing World Youth Academy
(BWYA), says, “Map skills are
important, as geography is
primarily the study of place,
but they are one small part of
a wider humanities skill set
required. Finding your way
from A to B is a fun thing to do every now and
then, but it is not a core skill.”
Wilding mentions that most students
perk up when volcanoes, earthquakes and
population explosions are mentioned, but the
study can go much deeper. One popular les-
son traces the footsteps of Dr. John Snow, who
used maps to plot the outbreak of cholera in
London. “I encourage the students to imagine
they have no idea about the germs that cause
disease, but instead believe that miasma or
bad air causes diseases. They try to list pos-
sible responses in groups,” says Wilding.
But if they use the information gathered by
Dr. Snow, the students quickly discover that
cholera cases tend to cluster at certain points.
Students are asked to study the map and fig-
ure out what other variables might be linked.
Many observe that cholera cases are linked
to water pumps—and indeed, when Dr. Snow
investigated water pumps
in Victorian London, he
found that many pumps
had damaged side walls
that allowed raw sewage
to contaminate the water.
Once students understand
the significance of geog-
raphy to solving a public
health crisis, Wilding spurs
t hem to imagine what
modern situations can be understood by their
geographical implications.
In the past, studying geography usu-
ally entailed reading textbooks and coloring
in charts, but this generation gets to grapple
with mapping tools directly, giving a new
dimension to the study. Many students grow
up mapping their favorite hangouts—and ge-
ography lessons can be
enhanced with the very
apps they use in daily
life.
Angela Cabreana,
an EAL teacher at House
of Knowledge, says that
the Internet has broad-
ened the possibilities for
creating engaging les-
sons. “The world has got-
ten much smaller since
I was learning about ge-
ography, and finding new
and interesting topics
that the kids haven’t been
exposed to can be very
challenging!”
On the whole, stu-
dents at international
schools engage with the
world at a deeper level.
“Children who under-
stand the world develop
respect and tolerance
for new cultures and languages,” points out
Cabreana. And while they may not know
all the smaller geographical details about
their home country that their peers back
home might, they understand the key is-
sues. “A population unit is not complete
without a consideration of China and the
one-child policy. A topic about extreme en-
vironments would also be bereft without a
study of Antarctica,” says Wilding. Geog-
raphy, at its core, should have no borders.
Sophie Williams
Daystar students
study handmade
posters
Geography
isn’t just about
memorizing
maps—students
need a sense of
time and place
Students Going Places
Geography investigates both landscapes and human culture
PhotocourtesyofDaystarAcademy
52 | December 4-January 13