THE ISSUES OF DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ GEOSPATIAL THINKING IN TEACHING HISTORY IN THE NEW UKRAINIAN SCHOOL

Abstract

The study of history cannot be productive without the formation of students’ geospatial thinking, which involves the orientation of students in the space where past events took place. The purpose of the publication is to define the concept of "students’ geospatial thinking" as a mandatory learning outcome in the civic and historical education field, as well as the ways of its formation in 5th-6th grade students using the potential of the textbook.

The article notes that modern society demonstrates a growing interest in the skills of obtaining and using geospatial data, which is reflected in the State Standard of Basic Secondary Education of 2020. At the same time, the authors state a theoretical dissonance, since the concept of "geospatial thinking" is not defined in methodological science, which leads to a limited understanding of this task by practicing teachers.

The article proposes a definition of geospatial thinking as a set of knowledge and skills in using spatial concepts, maps, and graphs to analyze events, phenomena, and processes of the past, as well as the ability of students to use them for the analysis and solution of contemporary problems. The authors emphasize the need to break stereotypes and standard approaches to the use of historical and outline maps in history lessons, as well as the students’ awareness of the concept of "historical space" and its differences from geographical space.

The conclusion is made about the need for special teaching aids, in particular history textbooks, the methodological apparatus and design of which are focused on the development of geospatial thinking, including a special set of cartographic materials and a system of cognitive tasks for them. The need for further theoretical research and the introduction of GIS technologies and the capabilities of satellite imagery internet maps into pedagogical practice is also emphasized.