List of workshop topics (not scheduled)
These are some workshops we offer for students, teacher, and parents / guardians / care-givers. Details can be worked out in consultation. Please contact us.
- Sacred Geographies – fostering the connection between the heart and the environment; stressing the importance of this for environmental conservation; this workshop uses a largely (but not exclusively) Hindu perspective with which a multi-cultural approach can be easily devised to take into view the different meanings in different religions by teachers — the workshop offers the methodology using Hindu perspective as merely an example. Participants are encouraged to discuss and understand the sacred geographies of different belief systems.
- Understanding the Geography of soil loss – human processes that aggravate natural processes that eventually result in loss of agricultural land; Geography provides a framework in which to understand the processes (and some solutions) that lead to the loss of croplands
- How does HIV spread? — a Geography study of the spread of HIV using a simple chemistry exercise; interdisciplinary nature of public health; human roles; cultural patterns; sensitization, and more… ideal for teachers, +2 and undergraduate-level students.
- From here to there: Just follow my map — Maps are the central tools of Geographic communication. We all operate all the time using maps of many different kinds. Teaching map skills can be very useful to develop spatial awareness, creativity, and communication skills. This workshop will look at examples of types of maps, how maps and their different uses are connected, mental maps, and the communication of spatial information. This will be a field activity with pairs of participants drawing maps and critiquing the group’s maps.
- Case study approach to learning Geography — Print, Internet, and broadcast media offer many case studies with which Geography can be taught in interesting ways; show students (and adults!) how Geography is at work in the world, how Geography can be used to understand issues. Explore how to select case studies to fit Geography themes and topics and how to frame guiding questions, discussions, and analyses of these.
- Walk-about Geography — Teaching and encouraging children to ask simple Geography questions about their local environment and researching them (it is often as simple as asking 3 or 4 people who know!); what is research, why do we do it… these skills will apply to anything students wish to explore.
- Project work in Geography — More in-depth and advanced than “walk-about Geography”, this workshop goes into greater depth about the important facets of research in Geography including: hypotheses, methods, data techniques, reporting, etc. It explores practical ways of teaching and encouraging students to explore topics of interest to THEM.
- Locating ourselves – Every single point on Earth has a unique address. But we also use many imprecise and often whimsical addresses to locate things on Earth. Beginning with latitudes and longitudes, to playing hopscotch, to giving verbal directions… we use Geographic tools every day. You will never see “address” the same way again if you look at how fascinating the Geography of addresses is.
- Where on Earth? — Singly or in atlases, maps are the most important communication tools of Geography. They help us understand our world and our location in it with all the other things… and people… with whom we share the world. What are maps? What do they tell us? How do they help us organize information about the world? How do we use maps? What are the elements in a map? Are all maps the same?
- The dance of the peacock — Monsoons are vital to life in the Indian sub-continent as a whole. The geographies of the monsoons and our lived geographies are inseparable. Instead of teaching our children inane rhymes like “rain, rain, go away!”, we should be teaching them how beautiful … and deadly … our monsoon rains are. This workshop integrates geographies of the monsoons with many academic subjects and with life itself: mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, art, folklore, food, music, language, poetry, etc.
Other points:
- Ideal group size & composition:
- Teachers: 20-25, with at least 7-8 of them being Geography/Social Studies teachers.
- Students: 20-25; from the same standard and syllabus.
- Parents / guardians / care-givers: 20-25 (total; may include one or both parents/guardians/caregivers)
- Most appropriate grade levels: middle school and above
- Syllabus: any, but best if each workshop is for a specified syllabus (State, ICSE, IGCSE, CBSE, IB, etc.)
- Location: School with 1 large room for workshop (with blinds to make it dark enough for projection) and 1 or 2 rooms with desks and chairs for break-away groups. If necessary, TIIGS can arrange an location.
- Language: English
- Methods: Multi-media, multi-approach (lecture, discussion, role play, field-work, performance, etc. as appropriate)
- Costing: To be discussed