Non-profit scientific and educational society
The National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), chartered in 1915, is a non-profit scientific and educational society in the United States that supports geography education.[1]
History
Since its founding, NCGE has held an annual conference: the National Conference on Geography Education. Today it offers workshops in new teaching methods, technologies, and resource; as well as research papers, networking opportunities, and more. Field trips organized by the conference visit include local and regional places of geographic and historical significance. An exhibit hall is staffed by government, industry, nonprofit, and academic organizations and offers the latest in books, journals, projects, curriculum, software, hardware, and more to support geography teaching. Each conference is highlighted by an annual keynote address.
From 1915 to the late 1970s, the NCGE conference was held in a few U.S. cities. Since 1979, the conference has held its conference in a new North American city each year: Mexico City, Mexico (1979); Des Moines, IA (1980); Pittsburgh, PA (1981); San Diego, CA (1982); Ocho Rios, Jamaica (1983); Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1984); Breckenridge, CO (1985); Chicago, IL (1986); Springfield, MI (1987); Snowbird, UT (1988); Hershey, PA (1989); Williamsburg, VA (1990); St. Paul, MN (1991); Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1992); Halifax, Nova Scotia (1993); Lexington, KY (1994); San Antonio, TX (1995); Santa Barbara, CA (1996); Orlando, FL (1997); Indianapolis, IN (1998); Boston, MA (1999); Chicago, IL (2000); Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (2001); Philadelphia, PA (2002); Salt Lake City, UT (2003); Kansas City, MO (2004); Birmingham, AL (2005); Lake Tahoe, NV (2006); Oklahoma City, OK (2007); Dearborn, MI (2008); San Juan, Puerto Rico (2009); Savannah, GA (2010); Portland, OR (2011); San Marcos, TX (2012); Denver, CO (2013); Memphis, TN (2014); Washington DC (2015); Tampa, FL (2016); Albuquerque, NM (2017); Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (2018); Minneapolis, MN (2022); Columbia, SC (2023).
Operations
The NCGE works with other organizations, including the American Association of Geographers, The National Council for the Social Studies, and other organizations.
Its members are active in the National Science Teachers Association, the North American Association for Environmental Education, the Geographical Association, and in other organizations. Many of its members are also active with the education program of the National Geographic Society and with the National Science Foundation.
NCGE members created the Geography Map, a body of skills and exemplary activities, as part of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Members of the NCGE also work closely on joint publications, joint participation in conferences, and in research and curriculum development with other organizations, most notably the Geographical Association, the Association of American Geographers, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the North American Association for Environmental Education.
The NCGE is involved with an effort called the "Roadmap" project, funded by the National Science Foundation through National Geographic, with a goal to create key documents that define what geographic literacy is and why it is important to education and society.
NCGE holds a webinar series that is open to all and free to members. Topics include teaching with web-based Geographic Information Systems, teaching about the Erie Canal using digital maps, imagery, and geographic inquiry, place-based learning, field work techniques, methods of teaching Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG), and more. These webinars are conducted by the experts in the respective topics and offer live training as well as the ability to watch the webinar recordings that have been archived.
National Geography standards
During the 1990s, NCGE worked with the National Geographic Society, the American Association of Geographers, and the American Geographical Society to create national standards for what students at specific educational levels should know about geography by grades 4, 8, and 12. Entitled "Geography for Life" (1994), they include 18 standards that encompass six elements.[2]
NCGE helped update the national standards from 2008 until September 2012, when a new version was published.[2] The new version reflects the growth and importance of geospatial technologies and spatial thinking in geography. Knowledge statements and performance statements are included for grades 4, 8 and 12.
Publications
The NCGE's journals include the Journal of Geography and The Geography Teacher.
The Journal of Geography has been published for more than a century (by Taylor and Francis). It is a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal designed to help educators learn about teaching and research advancements in geographic education. The Journal publishes research on innovative approaches to teaching and learning, classroom-tested lesson ideas, curriculum, book reviews, and more.
Launched in 2000, The Geography Teacher's aims to illustrate how geography can be taught in the classroom through short articles, lesson plans, teaching tips, and news especially relevant for today's primary, secondary, and pre-service teachers.
