Title: SA: Maps and Spatial Thinking Skills in the AP Human Geography Classroom | AP Central
Headings: Maps and Spatial Thinking Skills in the Classroom
Maps and Spatial Thinking Skills in the Classroom
On this page
“Geography is the art of the mappable.”
“The map speaks across the barriers of language.”
Increased Interest in Maps
Three contexts for spatial thinking
Developing Geographic Skills
10 suggestions for developing skills as a geographer
Thinking in Space
Thinking About Space
Thinking with Space
References

Content: An important part of the AP ® Human Geography course involves using maps to learn significant content, to “think through maps,” as Liben explains it. ( Liben 2001, 76). However, human geography students must be critical consumers of maps and other spatial representations. “ Maps cannot be seen as separate from the contexts in which they are produced and used” (Morgan and Lambert 2004, 109). Just as texts are written by individuals with varying points of view and can be read and interpreted in different ways, maps are not pure representations of reality but rather social productions subject to critical analysis. When examining a map, the careful consumer should consider the conditions under which it was produced, whether it may be portraying a particular point of view, and what messages it may be conveying about power and perspective. It is important to develop a healthy, critical awareness and skepticism about maps as well as other graphics and images. As the French philosopher Henri Lefebvre (1901-1991) explained, maps and images both represent and reproduce space. Take, for example, the well-known 2004 election map showing red (Republican) and blue (Democratic) states. The map has taken on iconic status and reinforces the erroneous view that President George W. Bush’s victory was a landslide.