Playing, Mapping, and Thinking Spatially: New Technologies for Geography Education

Geography is a school subject that is not always given the appropriate attention. There is lots of research and examples showing that students are not familiar with the term of "Geography" and the many different aspects it contains. Sometimes they may even face difficulty in distinguishing their own country. Furthermore, the rapid evolution of digital technologies can definitely be a strong asset for teachers in order to help them reshape how geography is taught, learned and experienced. That is what educators have to learn more about, get trained and used to. This research shows that this is a first but crucial step in order to change the way people think of “Geography” and how much important it finally is for developing geospatial knowledge in the modern era. At an empirical level, presenting Geography to 9–13-year-old students in a more digitalized way can make it more appealing and conceivable. In a globalized world Geography should be considered as crucial knowledge that young children should be exposed to and learn in the most enjoyable way.

Geography education, a discipline associated with the spatial, social, cultural and environmental diversity shaping the modern word, provides a particularly fertile ground for the development of inclusive pedagogical approaches. At the same time, technological advancement expands opportunities for differentiated didactic material and the support of multiple learning pathways, enhancing participation of students with diverse background, learning needs and abilities. However, the meaningful pedagogical integration of digital tools requires the integration of pedagogical, technological, and design expertise and often increases teachers’ cognitive and organisational workload, particularly in the planning of inclusive learning experiences. This study presents an integrated framework for designing inclusive teaching in Geography and Science education, based on two complimentary digital tools: (a) a digital toolkit that supports teachers in the structured selection of educational software aligned with pedagogical strategies, learning objectives, and student accessibility needs, incorporating a glossary of inclusion-related concepts and an AI-assistant navigation system for real time pedagogical decision support; and (b) an AI-driven lesson plan template that enables the generation of multiple instructional scenarios, differentiated learning pathways, and alternative forms of assessment. The development and evaluation of the framework follow a design-based research approach and are grounded in pilot implementations of instructional scenarios, enabling iterative refinement through systematic feedback. In addition, the framework is interpreted through the principles of Universal Design of Learning (UDL), with emphasis on multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement, as well as the reduction of barriers to participation in learning processes. Preliminary findings suggest that the proposed framework can reduce teachers’ instructional design workload, strengthen pedagogical differentiation, and support the development of more accessible and participatory learning environments. Overall, the study highlights the potential of combining structured digital tools with artificial intelligence to meaningfully contribute to the transformation of geography education towards a more inclusive, flexible and pedagogical grounded practice.

The growing permeation and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education are reshaping teaching practices and opening new possibilities for meaningful learning. AI has emerged as a powerful tool for both teachers and students alike. In Geography education, in particular, the development of spatial thinking is a focal objective, as it enables students to interpret maps, understand spatial relationships, and analyze geological and geographic phenomena. The current Greek curriculum for lower secondary Geography (Grades 7–8) emphasizes inquiry-based learning, the use of maps and geospatial tools, and the connection of geographic knowledge with real-world issues, including sustainability and environmental challenges. Within this context, this paper explores the pedagogical potential of AI as a supportive tool for enhancing spatial thinking in geography classrooms. It presents examples of AI-supported learning activities that combine traditional geographic resources, such as maps and spatial representations, with digital tools that facilitate questioning, exploration, and discussion. The proposed activities aim to support students in identifying spatial patterns, understanding relationships between natural and human systems, and promote more active engaging with geographic concepts. Through the integration of AI, students are encouraged to develop critical thinking and spatial reasoning skills while participating in learner-centered and interactive learning processes. Moreover, such approaches can support educational practices aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to quality education, environmental awareness, and sustainable development, by fostering students’ understanding of global challenges through spatial analysis. The paper highlights how the thoughtful use of AI can enrich geography education and align with contemporary curricular goals, while also addressing key pedagogical considerations, including the responsible and effective integration of emerging technologies in the classroom.

This research project focuses on the development of AcademIa of ARistarchus, a serious game that integrates Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and hybrid digital–board-game mechanics. The game is designed as an inquiry-based learning experience in which students actively explore scientific questions through gameplay. Through a narrative inspired by Aristarchus of Samos, students investigate planetary atmospheres and the greenhouse effect by comparing environmental conditions on Earth, Mars, and Venus. The gamified structure incorporates challenge-based tasks, narrative progression, immediate feedback, and collaborative problem-solving to enhance curiosity, engagement, and interdisciplinary thinking. A pilot implementation was conducted with twelve students, divided into a control group receiving traditional instruction and an experimental group using the AR/AI-supported game. Pre- and post-testing provided initial insights into the feasibility and pedagogical value of the gamified intervention. Preliminary findings indicate that students in the experimental group demonstrated higher motivation and stronger engagement in learning about atmospheric processes than those in the control group. The pilot also revealed positive attitudes toward integrating AR and AI into geography learning. By placing gamification at the center of the learning design, this pilot study contributes to current discussions on the emerging trend of integrating immersive technologies and game-based approaches in geography education. It demonstrates how game mechanics, combined with immersive technologies, can support meaningful, learner-centered learning, enhancing spatial reasoning and comparative analysis of planetary environments, in alignment with contemporary global challenges such as climate change and sustainability.

Geography education cannot escape what Hannah Arendt called thoughtlessness: self-reinforcing patterns and practices that offer comforting shortcuts and a shared sense of purpose yet often fail to address the very infrastructures—ideational and material—within which academic thinking takes place. Drawing on N. Katherine Hayles’ concept of cognitive assemblage, this paper asks how geography students might interrogate dominant infrastructures of thought and their ongoing transformation in the context of artificial intelligence and automated media. In particular, it examines pedagogical approaches that critically address the entanglement of educational technology and knowledge production with carbon-intensive processes that perpetuate colonial asymmetries through forms of resource extraction and labour exploitation. Engaging the field of speculative design, the paper then offers strategies for rendering tangible—and ultimately disrupting—the often-imperceptible mediations that structure thinking. Through the friction generated by experimental practices of making, speculative design can be deployed to unsettle unnoticed—and unsustainable—infrastructures that continue to shape the thinkable within and beyond geography.

Geography is a branch of inquiry that focuses on spatial information on Earth. This paper examines spatial thinking, awareness and use of maps among post-secondary institution students in Nigeria. The data used in the paper were from administration of two hundred and eleven questionnaires to post-secondary institution students. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The study shows among others that majority of the students have situations in their daily lives or specialty that require spatial thinking; the top three situations in which they require spatial thinking were walking, identification of places, and route planning. Majority of them were aware of maps, majority of them could read maps, majority of them have interest to learn more how to read maps. Policy implications of the findings towards enhancing capacity building in the development and use of digital earth and geospatial information technologies are discussed in the paper.

Spatial orientation is a fundamental cognitive ability, closely associated with everyday functioning and later academic achievement, particularly in STEM related domains. In early childhood education, the integration of educational robotics provides innovative opportunities to cultivate these skills through experiential, inquiry-based, and play-oriented learning environments. Bee-Bot, a child-friendly programmable robot, introduces young learners to fundamental concepts of directionality (e.g., left–right, forward–backward), sequencing, and problem-solving, while also supporting the development of early computational thinking. The present study investigates the role of embodied movement in enhancing spatial programming performance among kindergarten children. The sample consisted of 35 preschoolers who participated in structured Bee-Bot activities involving route planning and prediction of the robot’s final position. Two experimental conditions were implemented: (a) tasks preceded by bodily enactment of the route on a floor grid, and (b) tasks completed without prior motor engagement. The activities incorporated both visual representations of routes and scaffolded planning frameworks, enabling children to construct and test their own navigation sequences. The findings reveal that children who engaged in embodied route enactment achieved significantly higher programming accuracy, made fewer directional errors, and demonstrated greater competence in predicting outcomes. These results highlight the importance of sensorimotor experience as a cognitive scaffold, facilitating the internalisation of spatial concepts and supporting the transition from concrete action to abstract representation. Overall, the study underscores the pedagogical value of integrating embodied learning strategies within educational robotics. Such approaches can meaningfully enhance spatial reasoning and early programming skills, offering developmentally appropriate and effective practices for fostering cognitive growth in kindergarten education. Keywords: spatial orientation; embodied learning; educational robotics; Bee-Bot; early childhood education; spatial reasoning; programming skills

This study evaluates the effectiveness of an educational computer game on terraced landscapes, as perceived by 7th-grade students. It focuses on student responses following the implementation of a serious game specifically designed for secondary education. The research adopts an empirical approach, informed by a review of the literature on digital game-based learning. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered after students engaged with the game. The sample consisted of 58 7th-grade students from the Greek island of Leros in the Dodecanese; therefore, the findings should be considered indicative rather than broadly generalisable. The results suggest that the serious game developed for this study was positively received by the participating students. Furthermore, most students demonstrated improved knowledge, as well as enhanced attitudes and perceptions regarding terraced landscapes. These findings indicate that well-designed, user-friendly, and engaging digital educational tools can contribute meaningfully to learning outcomes when effectively integrated into teaching practice. The study also highlights the importance of active student participation in fostering awareness and supporting the transition toward a more sustainable future. In this context, the integration of innovative digital game-based learning approaches into school curricula—particularly within geographical and environmental education—is strongly recommended. To enhance the generalisability of future research, it is suggested that larger and more diverse samples be employed, including students from both island and mainland regions of Greece. Such expansion would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the educational potential of serious games in sustainability education.

Over the past decades, outdoor spaces—often characterized by fluidity, ephemerality, and everyday practices—have functioned as critical sites for the production, exchange, and negotiation of knowledge beyond formal institutional frameworks. However, outdoor play has progressively been displaced from the street and confined within enclosed and regulated environments. This shift has contributed to forms of topographical disorientation, diminished engagement with urban life, increased spatial segregation, and fragmentation in governance structures. Grounded in the concept of educational commons, and informed by "school streets" urban strategy, the notion of the “city for children” fundamentally reconfigures the understanding of public space as a site of learning. Rather than conceiving education as a process confined within school boundaries and administered exclusively by professionals, this perspective positions the urban landscape itself as a shared and collective resource for learning. This paper presents a workshop conducted in March 2026 at the Faculty of Architecture of the Poznań University of Technology in Poland, which focused on exploring urban voids as potential educational spaces. The workshop was structured in three phases: an introductory exercise designed to familiarize participants with the concept of educational commons; a series of exploratory walks centered on selected schools as reference points; and a mapping exercise employing collective, analogue collage techniques mixed with satellite cartography and digital media. Through situated practices, participants collected sensory, social, and spatial data that informed the collage-making exercise. Such fieldwork cultivates attentiveness to lived experience, fostering an embodied understanding of place that extends beyond passive observation to active participation. When translated into collage maps, these experiences have been rearticulated as visual compositions that synthesize empirical observation with interpretive insight. In this context, collage mapping emerges as a critical methodological tool for documenting and interpreting dynamic urban environments, revealing the pedagogical dimensions embedded in everyday life.

Green, digital, and spatial competences are increasingly recognized as essential components of contemporary education, reflecting the growing importance of sustainability, technological literacy, and spatial awareness across multiple disciplines and professional sectors. Numerous school subjects contribute to the acquisition and integration of these competences, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary and innovative educational approaches. In this context, GEO-Academy, an Erasmus+ Teacher Academy project, has aimed to develop a blended competence-based framework for teaching sustainable development through the use of innovative geospatial technologies and modern pedagogical methodologies. The project has sought to deliver a comprehensive training framework supporting both pre- and in-service teachers in their professional development, with the broader objective of fostering holistic sustainability education for future European citizens. At the core of GEO-Academy lies the integration of advanced geospatial tools and concepts, including Geographic Information Systems, Cartography and Spatial Thinking, Remote Sensing and Earth Observation, Map Storytelling, and Coding for Urban Sustainability, enabling educators to incorporate sustainability-related topics into their daily teaching practices in a meaningful, interdisciplinary, and practice-oriented manner. The project’s principal outcomes are grounded in the development of specialized training courses (E-modules) addressing the aforementioned thematic areas, alongside the establishment of the GEOBSERVE Platform as the GEO-Academy central hub. The platform hosts GEO-Hubs (National Communities), educational tools and training and teaching resources implemented at local, national, and international levels in seven European countries. These outcomes are expected to contribute to the development of an expanding network of teachers and teacher trainers at the institutional level (GEO-Labs), empowered through access to innovative teaching tools and methodologies.

Climate change is increasingly amplifying the frequency, intensity, and spatial distribution of natural hazards across Europe, with floods, storms, and wildfires posing significant risks to ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities. These evolving threats highlight the urgent need for effective educational approaches that not only communicate scientific knowledge but also develop risk awareness, preparedness, and resilience among students. The CRISEPAC Erasmus+ project addresses this need by developing innovative pedagogical strategies and tools focused on climate change–induced natural hazards. The project is structured around three main objectives: (1) designing and implementing training and support programs for educators on natural hazards and risk prevention; (2) developing interdisciplinary and innovative educational resources that integrate environmental, geographical, and digital competencies; and (3) enhancing understanding of local climate-related risks while promoting active community involvement in prevention and adaptation measures. A key outcome of the project is the creation of three interactive Storymaps that present representative case studies of climate change impacts, floods and storms, and wildfires across the European Union. These Storymaps function as multimedia, geospatial learning tools that combine maps, scientific data, narrative elements, and visual content. By linking climate processes with real-world hazard events and their local impacts, they make complex information accessible, engaging, and relevant to learners. The Storymaps support place-based and inquiry-driven learning by enabling students to explore spatial patterns, analyze cause–effect relationships, and reflect on vulnerability and risk at multiple scales. Furthermore, they integrate scientific knowledge with local perspectives, encouraging learners to consider context-specific solutions for risk reduction and climate adaptation. Freely accessible and adaptable, these resources empower educators to incorporate local hazard contexts into their teaching. The CRISEPAC approach demonstrates the potential of Storymaps as powerful tools for advancing education on climate change–induced natural hazards and fostering a more informed, prepared, and resilient society.

Floods have increased in both frequency and severity due to the combined effects of rapid urbanisation and climate change. Despite this escalating risk, public awareness and readiness continue to be disproportionately low, especially among younger populations. Addressing this gap necessitates a shift from traditional, passive educational approaches to more engaging, immersive, interactive and experiential forms in learning to capable of fostering deeper understanding and sustained behavioural change. This paper presents a game-based pedagogical tool developed within the CRISEPAC project (see: www.crisepac.eu), aimed at enhancing flood risk awareness and strengthening resilience at the household level. The suggested tool places students in an interactive virtual environment in which they challenged to protect a house under a range of simulated flood scenarios. To enable users to investigate the spatial determinants of flood risk, the gameplay integrates important geographic aspects such as topography variability, water flow dynamics, and built environment features. Through iterative decision-making processes, players assess the effectiveness of various mitigation measures, such as structural adaptations and land-use practices, while observing their outcomes in real time. In addition to its instructional design, the study outlines a comprehensive evaluation framework to assess the pedagogical effectiveness of the tool following its implementation. This framework includes pre- and post-game knowledge assessments, analysis of user engagement, interaction patterns and qualitative feedback from both teachers and students. By integrating game-based learning principles with flood risk education, this study contributes a scalable and innovative approach to enhancing flood risk literacy. Ultimately, the tool aims to support the development of a proactive risk perception informed decision-making, and resilience-oriented behaviours among young learners, while also providing valuable insights for teacher training and curriculum development.

This paper explores an innovative approach to teaching climate change in secondary geography through the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), satellite imagery, and game-based learning. As climate change increasingly impacts both global systems and local environments, geography education plays a crucial role in helping students understand spatial patterns and processes. However, traditional teaching methods often struggle to make these complex dynamics tangible and engaging. This study addresses that gap by presenting a classroom-based learning design centered on the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. The proposed teaching model combines real-world geospatial data with an interactive “City Climate Challenge” scenario, in which students assume the roles of urban planners. Using GIS tools and satellite imagery, learners investigate temperature variations, identify urban heat hotspots, and analyze land-use patterns such as vegetation cover and built surfaces. Through collaborative inquiry, students explore the causes of urban heating and evaluate the impact of materials like asphalt and concrete, as well as the cooling potential of green infrastructure. Students then design and propose evidence-based solutions, including urban forests, green roofs, reflective surfaces, and sustainable mobility strategies. The activity culminates in presentations where teams defend their proposals, simulating real-world decision-making processes. This approach fosters not only climate literacy and spatial thinking, but also critical skills such as data interpretation, collaboration, and problem-solving. The paper also discusses key challenges, including unequal access to digital tools, the need for teacher training in GIS, and the importance of developing students’ data literacy. Despite these challenges, the integration of GIS, satellite imagery, and game-based learning offers a powerful framework for engaging students in meaningful, inquiry-based climate education. The findings suggest that such approaches can effectively bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application, preparing students to better understand and respond to contemporary environmental challenges.