Learning Progression Research in Geography: What Teachers Need to Know

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE), which funded this project through its National Science Foundation grant on Transformative Research in Geography Education (NSF 1560862).

Notes

¹ We owe thanks to the following scholars, among others: Kristin Gunckel, Jenny Dauer, Niem Huynh, Audrey Mohan, Lindsey Mohan, Michael Solem, Sarah Bednarz, and Richard Boehm.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thomas B. Larsen

Thomas B. Larsen is a PhD student of geography at Kansas State University. His research considers human-environment relationships, geographic thought, and the intersection between place and learning progressions. His interests in geography education originated in 2012 when he began volunteering for the Missouri Geographic Alliance during his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He currently serves as a member of the Kansas Geographic Alliance.

Lisa Millsaps

Lisa Millsaps is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Northern Iowa. She is an active member of the Geographic Alliance of Iowa, a former middle school teacher, and is part of the Secondary Social Science Education program at UNI. In her work, she always strives to connect the K-12 classroom with the work being done in the academy. Her research interests include geography and GIS education, climate change education, research methods, the interdisciplinary advantage of social science and STEM education, and Latin American studies.

John A. Harrington

John A. Harrington, Jr. is a Professor and former Department Head in the Department of Geography at Kansas State University. Since 2007, John has been Coordinator of the Kansas Geographic Alliance. His research and teaching interests include the human dimensions of global change, remote sensing of land cover change, climate science, GIScience applications in local resource management, and geographic education. Dr. Harrington has considerable experience working on interdisciplinary teams to address research questions related to challenges associated with coupling natural and human systems, including adaptation to climate variability and change.

Rhonda Lefferd

Rhonda Lefferd is an elementary gifted facilitator in the Shawnee Heights school district in Tecumseh, Kansas. Rhonda earned her B.A. from Wichita State University and her M.S. from Emporia State University. She has been teaching for 16 years. She is a member of the Kansas Geographic Alliance and serves on the executive committee for the organization. Rhonda's passion is to expand her love of geography to both teachers and students by providing classroom support and developing geography focused lessons plans.