About Us

Mission Statement

WHAT IS THE PENNSYLVANIA GEOGRAPHIC ALLIANCE ?

The Pennsylvania Geographic Alliance (PGA) is a group of university and K-12 educators interested in promoting geography education. The PGAwas founded in 1987 as a member of the national network of state geographic alliances inititated by the National Geographic Society. The first home of the PGA was at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, under the leadership of Dr. Ruth I. Shirey, Director. Dr. James Wetzler, Director of Social Studies for the Pennsylvania Department of Education was also Director for the Alliance for the first 15 years. In 2002 the PGA Office moved to Bloomsburg University , with Dr. Karen M. Trifonoff assuming the duties of coordinator. The PGA is in the process of restructuring, and now has six regional centers in order to better reach and serve the K-12 teachers of Pennsylvania.

PURPOSE OF THE PENNSYLVANIA GEOGRAPHIC ALLIANCE

The purpose of the PGA is to provide professional development opportunities in geography for K-12 teachers. The PGA offers a variety of teacher workshops and institutes, ranging from half-day workshops in the schools to extended one or two-week summer institutes at locations throughout the state. The PGA concentrates on providing up-to-date and innovative classroom materials and lesson plans for K-12 teachers.

The PGA fosters communication of its members by maintaining a list-serve that provides information on geography materials and programs, and a newsletter, which is published twice a year.

The PGA is in the process of updating its website as part of its communication objective. The completion date is targeted for March, 2004. It can be found on the website for the Pennsylvania Geographical Society: www.thepgs.org Click on “Pennsylvania Geographic Alliance”.

HOW TO JOIN THE PENNSYLVANIA GEOGRAPHIC ALLIANCE

If you are interested in joining the Alliance , please fill out an application form, or contact Karen Trifonoff. Our members include teachers of geography, history, and social studies, but does not exclude any subject. Geographic concepts have relevance to all fields of learning and can be integrated into any curriculum.