Link Geography Instruction to Military Bases Overseas

[erpowers]

This post is in response to one of the posts about Obama wanting to increase the school year. In that post someone pointed out that American students did poorly on geography tests. I think geography instruction should be linked to the military bases America has overseas. Teacher should get the students to find the 1000 bases overseas and write reports on the countries in which America has bases. The reports could include the history of the country, the currency used in the country, the political makeup of the country, and the stated government reason for American military bases being in the country. In addition, students could be required to state who was president at the time troops were stationed in those countries. With the report students would have to include a picture of where that country is located on the world map. Each student would not have to write about all of the countries. They could be given different countries to write about. I think the same thing, minus the currency issue, could be done for American states.

This is not meant as an effort to be either pro or anti-military. It just seem to me to be an interesting way to teach American kids about geography. I think the biggest problem would be that Republican would claim it was a liberal way to make students dislike American military policy. It seems to me that students would learn more and retain more if they had to write reports about those countries.

[Democracyinkind]

1. Thing is, "they" wouldn't want the kids to know.

otherwise, pedagogically, not a bad idea. Although imperial denial wouldn't be possible after that generation grows up.

[TwilightGardener]

2. That's a good idea.