Giant Maps as Pedagogical Tools for Teaching Geography and Mathematics

Giant maps offer a potentially useful pedagogical tool for teaching mathematics and map skills. In this pilot study, giant maps were distributed to elementary schools in Colorado and New Hampshire and teachers were provided with guided activities designed to integrate mathematics and geography skills. In an assessment of student skills, it was found that there were improvements in map-use skills and that students improved in some skills more than others. Additionally, there were differences in gender; girls improved more in their scores for some skills and less than boys in others. The teaching benefits of giant maps merit additional investigation.