Dedicated to the Teaching of Geography in the State of Illinois

Earn PD Hours or Graduate Credit with Population Education this Summer!

Population Education is excited to announce that registration is open for our Summer 2021 online professional development course for science and social studies educators of grades 6-12! You will be able to network and collaborate with other educators on teaching strategies this fall as you gain deeper knowledge on important, nuanced topics. Discover student-centered learning strategies that use contemporary issues and real-world data to examine the social and environmental impacts of human population and engage in meaningful dialogue with educators across the world. The course is asynchronous, which means teachers can work at their own leisure and pace while still abiding by the pre-set submission deadlines. There are weekly discussion boards, journals, and a final project, all built to provide participants with meaningful feedback and materials to use within their own educational setting.

• The 4-week fall semester runs from July 6 - August 6, 2021. 
• Choose to earn three (3) graduate education (ED) or science education (SCED) credits from Adams State University and/ or 45 professional development clock hours (4.5 CEUs) for completing the full four weeks.
• The cost is $80.00 for CEUs only or $245.00 for CEUs plus graduate credit.
• The class will be capped at 30 participants, so don’t wait to sign up!

For more information and to register, visit PopED's website!

Explore GeoCivics

Electoral redistricting is a nonpartisan topic that keeps communication lively and cuts across geographic areas and political perspectives.  Explore resources from GeoCivics https://geocivics.uccs.edu/ including online redistricting puzzles, tools for mapping your community, and explanations of redistricting criteria.  For an overview, check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4k3fjW2dxg.

Resources for Illinois: https://geocivics.uccs.edu/stateresources/illinois

Questions?  Don’t hesitate to contact Rebecca Theobald at geocivics50@gmail.com.  Please share, as the more you and your communities engage with redistricting, the more voices will be represented.

What will the congressional delegation look like in Illinois and other states?

Following the 2020 Census, some states will gain additional seats in the United States House of Representatives, while others will see a decrease. Are you prepared to ask questions of the people responsible for drawing the new congressional district map? You will want to understand the history of migration in your state, essential elements of the apportionment and redistricting process, and geospatial technology tools that will inform that process. Resources designed to inform students and community members about these topics for all states are available through the GeoCivics website hosted at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

Explore resources for each state (https://www.uccs.edu/geocivics/stateresources) and think about using GeoCivics materials as a lesson plan or to frame a community discussion. Click the link below to sign up for more information, or to be kept informed as the GeoCivics project moves us toward being ready for new electoral districts.

http://bit.ly/GeoCiv50