More than 200 professor of Social and Natural Sciences attend workshop in leadup to 23rd Geography Week

As part of the preparatory events for the 23rd annual Geography Week, the auditorium of the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) hosted more than 200 social and natural sciences teachers, who received information on the significance of the slogan for this year’s event: “Let’s Explore! The Power of the Island’s Geography.”

The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Funglode
support the annual conference from Plan LEA, among other institutions.

The lecture, entitled “Let’s Explore! The Power of the Island’s Biodiversity,” was delivered by biologist and Grupo Jaragua subdirector Yvonne Arias, in a meeting that brought together 215 teachers from Regions 15, 10, and 04 of the Dominican Republic Ministry of Education (MINERD).

Rosario Vásquez, director of Listín
Diario’s Plan LEA, the event organizer, put together the workshop-conference aimed at teachers, principals of public and private schools, and regional technicians from MINERD and held on Tuesday, January 19.

The participants received technical and academic support in order to adequately address, recreate, and help students assimilate the presented content.

Geography Week is to be held from March 14 to 18. This year’s
general objective is to develop spatial awareness through maps and the use of technology as a geographic information system in the context of environmental sciences and the Millenium Goals.

Vásquez offered the welcome address during this meeting, in which GFDD’s Omar Shamir also participated with a few words of motivation to the teachers on why it’s necessary to raise awareness in the classroom on environmental and geographical issues.

About Geography Week
Geography Week is an educational project that seeks to raise awareness and educate all Dominicans on conservation and rational use of natural resources through its program Prensa Escuela Plan LEA, which alongside the Dominican Geography Alliance responds to a call from the National Geographic Society to join hundreds of periodicals in the Americas in promoting the study of geography and natural resources.

This
event offers an opportunity for schools, families, and communities to participate in educational, cultural, and entertaining events organized by schools under the direction of Plan LEA.

The subject to be covered in schools during the year 2016 is “Let’s Explore! The Power of the Island’s Geography,” with the aim of developing spatial thinking via maps as a valuable skill, such that teachers, students, and civil society can learn
about the island’s geography and the use of technology as geographic information system in the context of the environmental sciences and the Millenium Development Goals.

Prior to Geography Week, various social and natural sciences professionals from MINERD, public and private school principals, and teachers, parents, and friends of the schools come together for training in a conference-workshop on the selected theme, in order to get motivated to vigorously
promote the event in their educational regions. The aim is to offer the appropriate technical and academic support so that the content of the units can be discussed, recreated, and assimilated by students in an adequate manner.