Learning to See More Clearly: Extending Lucy Sprague Mitchell’s Vision for Geography Teaching

In 1934, Lucy Sprague Mitchell called for teachers and students to make maps in order to better understand the world around them. Her inquiry method is still critical to developing geographic thinking in students and can be extended further. Map making can not only clarify relationships in our environments, it can also be used to develop students’ abilities in perspective taking. Making maps, sharing and juxtaposing of maps can support students in understanding that others experience the world differently. Maps can tell stories of our experiences in space that can expand our understanding of one another. This understanding of a map maker’s perspective extends to all maps and becomes a critical piece in students’ analysis of these contemporary and historical resources.