Educator Tips: Teaching at Multiple Scales

What is scale?

The word ​scale​ has several overlapping meanings. While cartographers use a technical
definition of scale related to maps, geographers and others often use the term relating to topics.
In either case, scale refers to the scope of an idea or area under consideration. In Geo-Inquiry,
students often examine an issue at a local scale, but consider its implications regionally,
nationally, and even globally.

Interconnections among local, regional, and global scales

Geographic inquiry is effective for understanding and solving complex problems because it
allows us to work among different geographic scales. Many problems are interconnected across
scales. Topics such as climate change, species extinction, food insecurity, water quality, war,
crime, disaster mitigation, and natural resource management can all be examined on scales
from local to global.

Scale in relation to maps

Sometimes we say a map has a large or small scale. That refers to how large of an area is
shown and the degree of detail visible. Let’s look at map scale through the lens of a street map.

Large scale maps

 1
Scale refers to the size of an area we’re considering. If we use a map with a scale of 1:60 (or 60
), we’re looking at a ​small​ area in ​great​ detail. This is a 1:60 scale map of a school. If we use a
map like this to look at an issue, we’re narrowing our focus. We would ​not​ use a map like this to
explore regional or global questions like: “Who has been affected by the wildfires in Northern
California this year?” or “What obstacles do monarch butterflies face as they migrate?”

Data generated by Jim Bentley atop Esri basemap within Esri Story Map

We would use a map like this to explore local issues like: “Where can we access water at our
school?” or “What’s the best route we could create for a 5K fun run at our school?”

Small scale maps

1
Here’s a 1:1,053 scale (or 1,053 ) map. This scale is smaller than the previous map.
If we use a map with a smaller scale, we’re looking at a ​larger​ area in ​less​ detail. We would n
​ ot
use a map like this to explore local issues like: “Where should amenities be placed in the next
park to be built?” or “Where’s the best place to add new, portable classrooms to our school
campus?”
 Data generated by Jim Bentley atop Esri basemap within Esri Story Map

We would use a map like this to explore regional issues like: “Where should the next school be
located in our community?” or “Where do we see crimes occurring most often in our city?”

Scale in relation to topics

Sometimes we say an issue can be looked at in varying scales, referring either to the scope of
an issue or the scope of our investigation.

Scale in terms of scope

Climate change is a global topic that affects the entire planet (​large scale)​ . Scientists speculate
that the loss of ice caps in the Arctic is causing the West Coast of the U.S. to warm and dry
while plunging the East Coast of the U.S. into frigid winters.1 This shows how the effects of
climate change are widespread (​large scale​).

We can also look at climate change on a local or regional level (​smaller scales​) in order to do
something about it. On the local scale, an innovative company in Sacramento, California,
operates a biodigester, converting food waste into natural gas that can power automobiles and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On a regional scale, the state of California passed a historic
law to require businesses to recycle their organic waste in order to reduce their greenhouse gas

1
Samenow, Jason. “Thanks to climate change, the weather roasting California and freezing the East may
thrive.” ​Washington Post, 6 December 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/12/06/thanks-to-climate-change-th
e-weather-pattern-burning-up-california-and-freezing-the-east-may-thrive/?utm_term=.100967354b29
emissions.2 ​ Sometimes it helps to look at a global issue on a smaller scale so we can identify
local solutions and accurately measure their impact.

Sometimes a solution for a small scale problem might be replicated successfully and become a
widespread solution. Sometimes, this is referred to as “scaling” a solution, or taking a solution
“to scale.” Each year in the United States, around 1 million wildlife vehicle collisions (WVC)
occur.3 ​To address this issue, communities throughout the country have engineered
animal-friendly overcrossings. The idea has now spread around the planet. Officials in Canada
cite an 80 percent reduction in WVC incidents along the Trans-Canada Highway as it passes
through Banff National Park.4

Sometimes a solution for a small scale problem might fail to go to scale due to factors that are
not easily replicable at a larger scale or in different situations.

Scale in context

When you see the term ​scale​ used, you’ll have to decide the context to determine the meaning.
A large scale map shows a small area in great detail. A small scale map shows a large area with
fewer details. A topic may be broad scale, affecting a large area, or a problem might be small
scale with minimal impact on people or a place.

Teaching at Multiple Scales

Just as the scale of a map can “zoom in” and “zoom out,” teachers and students can look at an
issue on multiple scales. At a local scale, a community that is prone to wildfires may take
concrete steps to reduce the occurrence, severity, and spread of wildfires. On a global scale, a
different set of factors might need to be studied and a different set of actions may need to be
considered to limit the occurrences and impact of wildfires. Students should understand how
local phenomena fit into local, regional, and global patterns. Similarly, students should be able
to see how global issues impact their local communities.

2
http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/recycle/commercial/organics/
3
Defenders of Wildlife. “Watch Out for Wildlife Facts.”
https://defenders.org/publications/collision_facts_and_figures.pdf
4
Clevenger, AP, and M Barrueto (eds.). 2014. Trans-Canada Highway Wildlife and Monitoring Research,
Final Report. Part B: Research. Prepared for Parks Canada Agency, Radium Hot Springs, British
Columbia.
https://arc-solutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Banff-TCH-Wildlife-Monitoring-Research-Final-Repo
rt-2014_withappendices1.pdf
Credits:

Writers

Alex Oberle, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Northern Iowa
National Geographic Society Fellow, 2017-2018

Jim Bentley
Teacher, Elk Grove Unified School District
National Geographic Society Fellow, 2017-2018

Editor

Dan Byerly
National Geographic Society

Copy Editor

Jeannie Evers