The World Holistically

I wanted to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to National Geography Awareness Week.

Geography is something I've enjoyed studying since 2nd grade.  Certainly knowing names and locations of places is one part, but it's also having a broader understanding of the world.

Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the National Geography Bee competition, sponsored by the National Geographic Society each year for students in grades 4-8.  The final round is hosted in Washington, DC, each May, and this year was the 2nd time Soledad O'Brien hosted the event, who succeeded Alex Trebek.

The one part of this year's competition that impressed me was the question about where to build a snow resort.  While there was an obvious best pick of the three choices, this question gave the participants an opportunity to think critically about the various factors in articulating why they choose a particular location.

The participants certainly know their geography, as evidenced by the one person, who, after being told his response was incorrect, immediately raised his hand to object--the first time I can recall having seen something like this happen.  The judges then looked into his objection, and ultimately agreed with him, giving him credit for a correct answer.

Having participated in this competition myself at the lower levels--which includes attaining a place at the Illinois state level back in 2005--I can say that it gives young people a great opportunity to express a holistic understanding of the world that helps us engage fully in it.

Try out some National Geography Bee questions for yourself:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/quiz/today/