Premier’s EnergyAustralia Environmental Education
Scholarship
An investigation of geographic
information systems (GIS) and their role
in the teaching of environmental
education: An international perspective
John Kinniburgh
The Kings School, Parramatta
Sponsored by
Introduction
This report presents the findings of a research study undertaken as recipient of the 2010
EnergyAustralia New South Wales Premier’s Teaching Scholarship. The focus of the study was
to investigate the role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the teaching of
Environmental Education in selected educational contexts around the world; particularly the
United States, England and New Zealand. The study tour occurred over a four week period in
March of 2010 and included meetings with secondary school educational leaders, university
academics, companies and commercial organisations, as well as a presentation at a regional
schools conference.
The objectives of the trip were primarily to investigate the way that GIS was being used in an
educational setting and for the purpose of teaching Environmental Education. Secondary
objectives were to examine the broader use of GIS within Social Science subject areas including
Geography, History and Science.
Rationale
Geographic Information Systems (or GIS) have emerged as an exciting and innovative tool to
enhance the quality of learning in (primarily) Humanities and Science classrooms. GIS appears to
be making steady in-roads in secondary education with the technology offering teachers and
students a powerful spatial representation and problem-solving tool. The National Research
Council’s book ‘Learning to Think Spatially’ (2006: p.241) highlights GIS as a “powerful support
system that can, with well-trained and imaginative teachers and the appropriate school
infrastructure, help to reshape learning across the curriculum”.
A GIS allows users to visualise and analyse complex interrelationships among spatial data sets.
As most data that humans work with, and problems that they face, have a spatial context, GIS
has enabled problem-solving to be more efficient and effective. The adoption of this technology
in business and industry has resulted in more efficient decision-making when addressing
problems that are inherently geographic in nature. GIS technology is also utilised in nearly every
major discipline including Geography, Biology, Meteorology, Zoology, Business Marketing and
Management, Botany, Economics, Archaeology, Geology, Planning, Political Science, Sociology
and Engineering.
The opportunity to examine environmental topics and issues is significant using a GIS.
Contemporary educational pedagogies encourage students to undertake inquiry investigations by
formulating questions or hypotheses to solve problems and think critically; processes that can all
be undertaken within a GIS-based learning environment. Students are able to access and gather
knowledge and spatial data from multiple sources; present it in the form of maps, images, tables
and charts; explore the data through carefully constructed queries; and analyse the data to
encourage critical thinking and draw conclusions. When students become ‘actively’ involved in
the learning process they become engaged in knowledge representation activities. This is
particularly the case when the GIS learning activity is situated within a real-world context.
Environmental education in NSW schools
Environmental education has been defined by the New South Wales Department of Education
and Training as being a “lifelong multi-disciplinary approach to learning that helps people to
understand and appreciate the environment and their connection to and impact on it (NSW
Department of Education and Training, 2001: p.7). In addition to this, “environmental education
is the responsibility of the whole school community. It is more than a curriculum issue and
involves schools in managing resources and grounds in a way that causes no significant damage
to the environment and considers the needs of future generations” (p.7). Essentially the
underpinning curriculum framework for the teaching of environmental education is that it has a
school focus and that it revolves around the curriculum, management of resources and
management of school grounds (p.8). Currently within New South Wales, the primary areas in
which the teaching of environmental education occurs is HSIE (K-12), Geography (7-10) and
Science (7-10). There are also opportunities in Geography and the Earth and Environmental
Science at the senior HSC curricula level. Environmental education, however, is a crosscurricular matter from Kindergarten rather than being confined to just HSIE. The key point is
that the teaching of environmental education is taught from the perspective of multiple
syllabuses rather than being confined to a formal curriculum.
Study tour itinerary
Three countries were visited – the United States, England and New Zealand.
United States
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Bishop Dunne High School (Dallas)
Presentation at GeoTech 2011 Geospatial Technology Conference (Dallas)
University of North Texas (Texas)
England
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Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford (Oxford)
St. Edward’s School (Oxford)
The Grammar School at Leeds (Yorkshire)
Bishop’s Stortford College (Hertfordshire)
Harrow School (London)
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) UK (Aylesbury)
Sherborne School (Dorset)
Wellington College (Berkshire)
New Zealand
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Botany Down’s Secondary College (Auckland)
King’s College (Auckland)
Queenstown Lakes District Council (Queenstown)
Wakatipu High School (Queenstown)
Lakes Environmental Planning (Wanaka)
Christ’s College (Christchurch)
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Christchurch Boys High School (Christchurch)
Tour highlights
It is not possible within the scope of this report to outline every aspect of the study tour. A
summary is provided below.
Bishop Dunne High School and GeoTech 2011 Conference
Bishop Dunne High School was founded in 1901 and is of catholic denomination. It is a high
school that serves a diverse multi-cultural community with an almost equal distribution of
African-American, Hispanic and Caucasian students enrolled. The school is located within a low
socio-economic area of Dallas, however, it has an exceptional culture that nurtures a ‘sense of
family’. The school also has an outstanding academic program and this is reflected in the
outcomes for the class of 2010 who earned over $10.5 million in scholarships to universities.
The purpose of visiting Bishop Dunne was twofold.
Firstly, it was to visit one of the United States most recognised schools in the effective use and
integration of GIS into curriculum. The school has a designated GIS laboratory and has received
over US$400,000 in grants and awards. Also, there have been over 900 students who have
learned advanced GIS computer mapping skills at the school. The school also has a dedicated
‘Crime Team’ who provides maps each Monday morning for the Dallas Police Department.
These maps highlight areas of crime such as graffiti that has occurred over the course of the
previous week. The Crime Team has also worked on over 20 missing person cases using their
advanced GIS skills.
One outstanding environmental based project using GIS assessed water quality in a local
waterway called ‘Five Mile Creek’. This project, developed by a student, involved analysis of
Digital Elevation Models (DEM) to investigate stream flows, fills and sinks as well as catchment
streams. This analysis provided an excellent way of observing the catchment processes as well as
pressures from human activity.
The second purpose for visiting the school was to attend and present at GeoTech Conference
2011, a regional Geography educators’ conference in Dallas focusing on the use of Geospatial
Technologies in the classroom. The author also delivered a presentation on the use of GIS at
The King’s School and the potential for further integration with the development of the new
Australian Curriculum.
There was a range of outstanding speakers and presenters at the GeoTech conference. One
excellent presentation by ESRI (a US based GIS company) highlighted the potential role of
mobile technologies and smartphone applications in the classroom. Of particular interest were
asset management applications that can be used to investigate issues in the real world using
mobile phone technology to collect and record data; for example taking photos, GPS readings
and then synchronising this data with commercial or free GIS applications such as ArcGIS and
ArcGIS Explorer.
Another presentation was given by Mr. Scott Sires from Brookvale Community College which
provides GIS training for predominantly mature aged students. Some of the projects undertaken
at the community college include:
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Mapping of sea floor using sonar radar (Belize)
Mapping vegetation habitats
Water quality sampling in the ocean
Determining spectral reflectance of plants.
Miss Amy Work from the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology New York also
presented an excellent GIS based project that investigated watershed analysis in a local
catchment area of New York State.
University of Oxford
A productive meeting was held with Dr. John Boardman from the Environmental Change
Institute (ECI) at the University of Oxford. Dr. Boardman is a geomorphologist and Emeritus
Fellow at the ECI. Whilst he has retired from the position of Deputy Director of the ECI and
Director of the MSc in Environmental Change and Management, he continues working on land
degradation issues, particularly in the Karoo, South Africa. Dr. Boardman has also published
over 100 papers on land degradation and edited several books. His main interest is in the area of
land degradation in South Africa and whilst the context is very different to soil erosion issues in
Australia the study has relevance as GIS has been utilised as an analysis tool in this study over
time.
Grammar School at Leeds
The highlight of the study tour was, without question, a visit to the Grammar School at Leeds
(GSAL). GSAL is the leading school in the United Kingdom to use and integrate GIS in their
curriculum. The author met with two outstanding GIS education integrators, Mr. Mark Smith
and Mr. Steve Dunne. Both were extremely passionate about the use of GIS and firmly of the
belief that GIS is a powerful educational tool. What was most impressive was the fact that the
integration of GIS within the school was embedded in Religion, Economics, Biology, History,
Physics, Mathematics and of course Geography. Many of the learning activities that incorporate
GIS are constructivist in their nature and developed using an inquiry approach. Numerous
projects were reviewed some of which were environmentally based. One in particular examined
vegetation communities and the biophysical interactions that enable the community to grow.
Students are also required to examine weed infestations and consider reasons for their growth.
Students collect GPS data as well as soil pH and other important characteristics.
Other projects included:
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Mapping germ theory and disease
Mapping global conflict
Comparing pedestrian flow to land use zones
Using 3D GIS models to examine the relationship between building heights and retail
activity.
It was also noted that many of the GIS-based learning activities required students to collect data
in the field using GPS devices. Inquiry-based learning approaches such as those highlighted at
the school are very much aligned with contemporary educational pedagogies and high levels of
student interest and motivation were obvious.
Bishop’s Stortford
The work being done to integrate GIS at Bishop’s Stortford College was also exceptional and led
by Dr. Peter O’Connor. Students at the school were exposed to a variety of different GIS-based
learning opportunities, notably determining flood risk vulnerability in the village of Bishop’s
Stortford. Students were required to conduct fieldwork to investigate the issue and then used
GIS technology to map and identify areas of risk. Other projects were noted including using GIS
to examine the relationship between urban morphology and social and economic deprivation in
the small community of Harlem. Students also used GIS to explore the way that deprivation
statistics influenced voting tendencies.
Harrow
Harrow is one of Britain’s leading independent schools and is located just outside of London. A
series of discussions was held with the Head of Geography and Head of ICT centred around
exploring the way that Information Communication Technologies (ICT) were being integrated in
the classroom and the potential for technologies such as GIS to be adopted. Serious
consideration is also being given to the broader integration of mobile technologies within the
school generally and some discussions were held about how smartphones can be used by
students to investigate and collect data about environmental issues.
ESRI UK
A full day of meetings was held at the UK subsidiary of Environmental Systems Research
Institute (ESRI) in Aylesbury. This commercial organisation has a dedicated team of GIS
educators who are solely responsible for the promotion of GIS in schools throughout England.
The education program, ‘Digital Worlds’ has been extremely successful and responsible for
numerous schools adopting the technology to investigate a range of topics. A number of
discussions also centred on models of professional development for their successful GIS
workshops that are regularly conducted throughout the country.
There were a number of other locations visited whilst in England. A brief summary is provided
below
Wellington College
Wellington College is another leading independent school in the UK and an outstanding two day
visit was completed towards the end of the study tour. Several meetings were held with heads of
faculties including the Head of Geography, Head of Science, Head of Chemistry as well as the
coordinator of the school’s environmental group, Mr. Ant Peter. This group is developed to
enable environmentally minded and interested students to investigate environmental issues
within the school and promote sustainable practices in all areas. There appeared to be significant
interest amongst the students at the school in issues of sustainability; however, it was felt that
more could be done to promote the issue. According to Mr. Peter, all English schools by 2020
must show that they are acting sustainably in areas of curriculum, campus and community. One
school, Ringmer College, was highlighted for the work being done to promote sustainability.
There was the feeling that a lot could be done at the primary level in any school. Mr. Peter also
indicated that environmental awareness and sustainability programs were most successful in
those schools which had adopted these core tenets in their mission statement. Projects discussed
included water quality analysis of local streams and water bodies as well as a energy audits in
boarding houses. Discussions also centred upon awarding Prefect status to those students who
were leaders in promoting environmental awareness at the school.
King Edward VI Five Ways School
Whilst at ESRI in Aylesbury, the author also met with Mr. Robert Lang from King’s Edward VI
Five Ways School. Students at Mr. Lang’s school are exposed to a variety of innovative GISbased learning activities with many of the projects centred upon scenarios or projects. An
exciting outreach program was also discussed in which the school supports Mr. Lang to visit
other schools to conduct professional development. The outreach program allows him to share
his knowledge of GIS-based education and assist less able schools to implement the technology
in their curriculums.
Botany Downs Secondary College Auckland
The first school visited in New Zealand was Botany Downs Secondary College in Auckland. This
school provided an outstanding model of effective GIS integration and numerous projects were
discussed. Mrs. Sally Brodie is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher with many years of GIS
experience. She has developed a number of interesting and environmentally based GIS units
including the mapping of plant vegetation communities on the school property as well as
investigation of water quality in local streams and catchments. Many of the GIS based learning
activities also incorporate fieldwork and data collection.
Lakes Environmental, Queenstown Lakes District Council
An excellent meeting was held with Miss Michelle Grinlinton-Hancock at Lakes Environmental
in Lake Wanaka whose jurisdiction falls under the Queenstown Lakes District Council. This
meeting discussed the way that GIS was being used to help map environmental issues in the local
area as well as planning to prevent building development in hazard zone areas. This was
particularly relevant considering the recent earthquakes that had devastated Christchurch. Much
of the work being done at Lakes Environmental was to assess the potential risk of natural
hazards to urban planning proposals.
Christ’s College, Christchurch
An excellent visit to Christ’s College was completed at the end of the study tour. Despite the
recent devastating earthquake, the author was able to meet with staff at the school a few days
after it had re-opened. A large part of the meetings held at Christ’s College discussed the way
that GIS was being used to monitor and evaluate the damage from the recent earthquake in the
city centre. The use of Geospatial Technologies in mapping previously unknown fault lines was
also identified. An hour long video conference was also viewed with staff at SCION, a Crown
Research Institute dedicated to building the international competiveness of the New Zealand
forest industry and building a stronger bio-based economy. This organisation is largely
responsible for promoting sustainable forestry but has made a significant effort to support
Christ’s College students learn and understand Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This
partnership was in its infancy but has the potential for further growth and development. The
school is well resourced and in a strong position to integrate GIS-based technology into a
number of curriculum areas including Geography and Science.
Conclusion
It is simply not possible within the scope of this report to provide a complete outline of all the
information that was acquired on the recent study tour. A vast amount of knowledge was shared
and many ideas were discussed with various individuals at each location visited. There are,
however, some very useful ideas generated that are worth sharing and these relate specifically to
the way that GIS can be used in the collection, analysis and presentation of real world data.
Firstly, any geographic issue or topic that has a spatial location can be mapped. As a result,
environmental issues such as pollution, erosion or even vegetation communities can be measured
and recorded using data recording instruments such as a hand held GPS device (Global
Positioning System). By adopting an inquiry learning approach students are actively engaged in
their learning through fieldwork. This data can then be analysed further using powerful
technologies such as a Geographic Information System (GIS) and trends observed using grid
analysis. This is an extremely powerful function of a GIS and for a student this provides
immediate feedback on patterns and trends. What was obvious, however, in all GIS-based
activities observed overseas, was that all investigations must have a driving question or focus
topic. This forms the basis of the inquiry approach to learning and provides a relevant context
for students to conduct their investigation. Numerous examples of this approach were observed
overseas and the potential for investigating environmental issues is significant. Essentially, GIS is
a valid educational technology and most reports of its use noted the high levels of student
engagement when using the technology. Of real value is the fact that the GIS effectively integrate
fieldwork which results in students being continually actively engaged in their learning.
Final note
The study tour was an incredibly enriching experience for which I am eternally grateful. Being a
recipient of the New South Wales Premier’s Teacher Scholarship has been a career highlight and
professionally rewarding and gratifying. As a result of the study tour I am even more committed
to the development of school-based GIS learning activities that focus on environmental
education particularly as well as the natural sciences and humanities generally. My experiences
abroad reinforced my belief that GIS is a powerful learning technology that, when used
effectively, can engage students to think critically to solve real world problems. I am very excited
about the opportunities to share this information through professional development workshops,
student resource booklets, conference presentations and published articles.
Bibliography
National Research Council. (2006). Learning to Think Spatially. Washington DC, The National
Academies Press.
New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2001). Environmental Education
Policy for Schools.