Geography teacher's passion for places earns her teacher of the year honors
Posted: 1/9/04
by Aaron Tinklenberg
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Jessica Winkelaar says she has always had a good sense of direction. That she found her way to a career as a geography teacher, then, should be no surprise.
"I've always been passionate about geography, ever since I was a student in seventh grade,î she said. To prove it, she can show you the maps she drew in the class.
That passion comes through in waves as Winkelaar talks about her job teaching students at Farmington Middle School West, and helped her become District 192's teacher of the year for 2004.
In a field filled with facts (Did you know the capital of Burkino Faso is Ouagadougou?), Winkelaar recognizes much of her job revolves around showing how interesting geography can be. It starts, she says, by getting away from generally useless tidbits of information like the one above.
"We begin by talking about what is geography,î she explained. "It's not just memorizing places and capitals, but it's asking why are things the way they are. Yes, you need some basic knowledge, but you also have to think about what that information means.î
In her ninth year as a social studies instructor, Winkelaar began teaching geography full-time last year. While she was excited to start implementing some of her ideas for making the subject fun, attending a three-week institute at Macalester College last summer gave her almost too many ideas to handle.
For starters, students in her classes next semester will follow a trans-arctic expedition being led by Will Steger. Winkelaar met a member of the expedition as a result of attending the institute. Now, by checking a Web site every week, students will learn about the cultures encountered by Steger's group during its trip, the area's climate and habitat, and how global warming is affecting the arctic.
"This curriculum has all the aspects that can get middle school students excited,î Winkelaar explained. "There are animals involved, nature and it's an adventure.î
Under Winkelaar's direction, students have already been undertaking their own adventures by geo-caching, an exploring game that involves locating hidden "treasuresî by using a global positioning system. The game helps students understand latitude and longitude, teaches them to use geographic tools, and of course, it's always fun to find treasure.
Many of her lessons are a bit unconventional, Winkelaar says, admitting that she doesn't use the class text book too often. Instead, students reach for Junior Scholastic magazines, log on to the Internet and read newspapers to find their subject matter.
It's an approach that resonates with her students.
"She's pretty fantastic. She'll do anything she can to help you understand something,î said Caroline Olstad, one of Winkelaar's students. "She's gone so many places that when she's teaching about a faraway country, she isn't just reading off a book. She brings in pictures and makes it more fun.î
More important than teaching any particular set of facts, Winkelaar notes, is teaching skills that students will use in life.
"I want them to be able to ask questions and find the answers,î she said, "to be able to recognize good information and to know if a source is reliable.î
As she finds opportunities, Winkelaar also asks her students to think critically about that information. In two cases this semester, students have studied a geographic issue, like rain forest destruction, and debated from the viewpoints of different interest groups involved. The results can be better than people might expect, with eighth-graders developing strong arguments and becoming passionate about their positions.
While Winkelaar's excitement about geography undoubtedly rubs off on her students, she says the reverse is also true.
"Working with students, with their energy and excitement, that's the best part of teaching,î she explained. "I learn things every day because they ask such good questions.î
Aaron Tinklenberg is at farmington.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.
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