Welcome back to the sixth installment (of 12) of the actions, approaches, and stories from Learning Environment. In my last post, I discussed the third space—the intersection of professional culture and a student’s lived experience that, when bridged, can create new understandings and ways of being.
But once we’ve stepped into that space, by collecting data in the field or learning in a way that reshapes our sense of what is possible, what then do we do with the magic we’ve conjured?
How do we take a spreadsheet of tree measurements or a jar of river water and turn it into a tool for change?
One way is by mapping the invisible.
Moving past abstract and disconnected readings from a textbook, and towards using locally collected data to help students tell the story of their experience living and learning in their community.
In a Learning Environment inspired class, data is something students collect, analyze, synthesize, and use to tell stories.
A Reading from Learning Environment
Finished [StoryMaps] revealed fascinating details and examples of how my classes interacted with and thought about the immediate world around them. And because this uniquely personal project was the first one completed in the new school year, it had the unintended benefit of helping me learn who my students were and what they liked to do.
— Learning Environment, page 144
Action and Approach: Mapping the Invisible
When I speak about mapping the invisible, I advocate for teaching data literacy as a form of empowerment. In a business-as-usual classroom, data is something students consume from a distance. In a Learning Environment inspired class, data is something students collect, analyze, synthesize, and use to tell stories.
By using mapping tools like ArcGIS, we can enable students to visualize patterns that would otherwise be hidden. And when they use these tools to plot the locations where they have picked up litter or sampled particulate matter we give them the opportunity to get up close and personal with a problem they face every day on the way to school. Extending the data collection process — supporting students to visualize and then present their findings to the public — a local community board say — demanding change, the problems they see (and are actively trying to solve) take on new meaning.
Approaches like these transform students from passive observers into digital cartographers, bridging the gap between scientific inquiry, civic engagement, and social justice. Proving to students that their newly acquired skills can be used to advocate for the health and betterment of their own communities.
Start Small: Documenting your neighborhood
You don’t need an advanced degree in GIS to start mapping the invisible. Start small by treating your neighborhood as a data set:
Photo Mapping: Have students take photos of “environmental amenities” (like a tree or a park) and environmental burdens (like a clogged storm drain or a pile of trash) on their way to school. Use these photos to create a physical map of where they see problems in their community and hang it in the classroom. Then, allow opportunities for them to decide which ones they want to solve.
Help students tell their story: Ask students to write a one-paragraph “field note” for a data point they collect. Encourage them to detail why this piece of data is meaningful to them and how it connects to their lived experience.
Go analog: If tools like ArcGIS are a bit outside your (or your students’) comfort zone, use paper maps to make the invisible come to life. This allows you to meet yourself (and your students) where you are, work at your own pace, and focus on supporting immediate objectives rather than troubleshooting software.
Public Presentation: Encourage and provide opportunities for students to share their final projects (publicly if possible). The visual images and narrative format of maps naturally help students craft more engaging presentations and stories to share with local community boards or elected officials.
The Impact: Mapping the invisible signals to students that their neighborhood is a place of importance and study. It builds the critical data literacy skills needed for today and the future while giving them the agency to identify inequities and propose evidence-based solutions.
Join the Learning Environment Movement
Do you need help making the invisible world visible? Is the data you ask students to collect disconnected from their lived experience? Need help getting started with data in your learning environment?
At Fox EduConsulting, I help schools and organizations leverage digital storytelling tools to make student work public and impactful. Let’s dream, collaborate, and create the learning environment conditions to help your students map the invisible and tell their community stories.
Coming Up Next: In post 7, “Experts in the Classroom,” we’ll explore how impact multipliers and external partnerships can take a classroom project from good to great.
Want to learn more about how neighborhood mapping can be used to help students gain digital literacy proficiency? See my article Data Literacy through Mapping: Lessons from an Informal Science Partnership published in NSTA’s Connected Science Learning, detailing another approach with a long-time collaborator of mine, NYC H2O.
Hitting an article paywall? Message me for access.
Dr. Jared Fox, is an education expert and the founder of Fox EduConsulting. Through his consulting practice, Jared helps schools and organizations craft authentic, engaging, and comprehensive learning environments - with a specialty working at the intersection of science, the environment, and social justice.
Maps are such a powerful tool. When I was a STEM coordinator and instructional coach, I use ArcGIS all the time to help do exactly what you outline here. I love the idea of using physical maps as well! Whether high-tech or low-tech, making the learning visible is so important, especially in science.
I'll bet this would really spark joy and purpose in students and have the additional benefit of creating a deeper relationship with their communities. This is exactly what we need! Who doesn't love maps? This lesson is so empowering. Please transform our school, too!