It was day two with the English class at the continuation high school. We were fully into the movie Girl Rising, stopping every 15 minutes to review ethos, logos, and pathos. (Please see yesterday's post for a brief overview of the lesson.)
The teacher had suggested that it might be cool if I could find a world map and point out where each of the girls' stories took place.
A quick Google search turned up an awesome map where you can click on a country and a map of that country pops up. (It's here in case you want to check it out.)
I was not surprised that in most of the classes when I asked where Haiti, Nepal, and Egypt were I only got vague answers that were mostly wrong. This was the continuation high school, and as a culture we are notoriously bad at knowing where anything in the world is.
So, I was surprised when in 2nd period I asked where Haiti was, and one student gave me a very good description. Then he surprised me by correctly locating Nepal. And then Egypt.
They do actually take a geography class as freshmen. I'm glad that at least one of them was paying attention.
Could you locate those countries on a map without a hint? Did you take geography? How did you do in your geography class?
Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...
Geography was part of the Social Studies curriculum. I loved Social Studies. So yes, in high school I would have been able to fnd the countries on a map.
ReplyDeleteCool. I only had to take it in 7th grade.
DeleteI could identify these countries. My daughter in 6th grade had to make a paper mache globe. Helping her put it together, I got familiarized again with where countries were :)
ReplyDeletebetty
I know where they are and do remember taking Geography. But if I had to label all 50 states? I would probably miss a bunch.
ReplyDeleteE is for Experiment: Turning the USS Eldridge Invisible
I'd be hard pressed to pinpoint Nepal and Haiti with precision. But I would have thought they'd know where Egypt was.
ReplyDeleteHonestly - that was SO long ago that I am not sure I remember much of it! lol....I was teaching my 16 yr old grandson all the state capitals when he was 3, he knew 36 of them. Then I got sick, stopped the teaching and I am not sure he remembers much now. My brain, like his is one that you have to feed often or I tend to forget.
ReplyDeleteAnd many countries have changed since we were in school...
DeleteI got a A in Geography when I took it as a Crash Higher (where you take a subject in 6th Year without having done it at Standard Grade). My friend who'd studied it all the way through school got a B so I wasn't allowed to talk about it, hehe.
ReplyDeleteThere was surprisingly little learning about where places were though. It was about features of cities and towns, looking at why dwellings were established in an area, causes of malaria and landscape features caused by glaciation.
It appealed to my sort of brain which can memorise facts and regurgitate them on command so I memorised what I needed to pass the exam. I'm okay at identifying countries, but I wouldn't say my Geography grade had anything to do with that!
Yeah, from what I've seen of geography classes, it's more about how places are. I guess they figure it's easy to get a globe and memorize countries.
DeleteI could name all of those, but then again I have a globe collection so I probably have a high affinity for that type of thing.
ReplyDeleteI had world geography in high school, but it was taught by a football coach and I don't remember learning anything. But I could locate Nepal, Haiti, and Egypt on a map. It's the European countries that I get mixed up.
ReplyDeleteThat's great. I too have trouble with European countries.
DeleteI took Canadian geography not world geography but yes I could identify those countries, not least because I've visited them.
ReplyDeleteNot world geography? Interesting the different educational requirements.
DeleteIphones come in handy for those long overseas distances especially when one gets lost. Perhaps you've seen this phenomena, people can't make decisions anymore without some piece of technology telling them what to do, lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised one of the students got it right as well but so glad someone retained it! :)
ReplyDeleteI was surprised, too. Glad, but surprised.
DeleteI could do this one.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad. It's funny what kids don't know that adults do.
DeleteHi Liz - I loved geography and still do ... so your questions were not a problem. I'm just horrified that kids don't know where parts of the world are - such an essential when they leave school and need to work ... particularly over here. I had a kid in for work experience - we put him in the post room - he hadn't a clue where the countries were, or which towns were which, or counties ... and wasn't interested in learning - his trajectory in life didn't seem desperately high ... Glad your guy had taken note - that's good ... Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeletehttp://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/f-is-for-feral-goats.html
I can because I've visited them! Sadly an earthquake devastated much of Nepal just after I left, so it looks very different from when I was there
ReplyDeleteThe Fish Inn, Amble Bay
That's sad. I didn't realize Nepal had had an earthquake.
DeleteI'm not very good at knowing where places are. I didn't much care for geography back in the day!
ReplyDeleteBut surely you can figure out what continent they're on?
DeleteOh, geography and history were my favorite in school. We used to play the 'capitals game,' see who knew various capital cities. Could surely located the 3 countries. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right that as a culture we are bad at knowing places on the map, or anything, really, about countries outside of immediate vicinity. Not to mention bad at languages. Beats me, this lack of curiosity. Oh, well. Glad your student offered such a nice surprise.
I don't know why that is. It's not everyone, but it seems like a vast majority.
DeleteI think I can...I think I can:) I actually like to study maps and would look at the atlas when I was young
ReplyDeleteCool.
DeleteI was never good at geography. I have trouble with the US States! Happy blogging, my dear.
ReplyDeleteSome of those states are tricky.
DeleteI did take geography. I found I learned a lot more about U.S. Geography by visiting 46 of our 50 states. Unfortunately, I have never been off the North American continent, and my knowledge of world geography is not at all impressive. Now, perhaps, if I take a world cruise...Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteAnd that's a perfectly reasonable reason to take one, IMHO.
DeleteI have learned more about geography through travel than I ever did in a class. While I couldn't really tell you where any of these particular countries are, I now know (western) Europe far better than I ever did in school. :) Now, if only I could pick up on history like that. :-/
ReplyDeleteThere was a teacher who had them come up with a backpacking through Europe trip as a project to try to teach them some geography. that was a cool assignment. True that it's easier to learn geography when one is traveling through it.
DeleteI could probably get in the general vicinity. I'm terrible with direction, though, so who knows. lol
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