International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education Vol. 20, No. 1, February 2011, 21–45 The impact of a geographic technologies professional development institute on Middle Eastern and North African teachers A¨ ıcha Benimmas a∗ , Joseph Kerski b and Patricia Sol´ ıs c a D´ epartement de l’enseignement au secondaire et ressources humaines, Universit´ e de Moncton, Moncton, New-Brunswick, Canada; b Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. – ESRI, Broomfield, Colorado, USA; c Association of American Geographers (My Community, Our Earth Secretariat), Washington, District of Columbia, USA Basic education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) seems to be characterized by lecture methods of instruction, a lack of interdisciplinary approaches and a discon- nection with local community problems. During 2008, a “My Community, Our Earth” (MyCOE) workshop was organized in the MENA region and involved teachers of geog- raphy, math and science. It aimed to promote and support the use of geographic methods and technologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Posi- tioning Systems (GPS), regarding sustainable development topics as a way to improve primary and secondary teaching and learning through an interdisciplinary approach and connection to local issues. These subjects were integrated to a perspective based on spatial thinking, spatial analysis, active learning and problem solving on a variety of regional and local issues. This article explores the impact that the MyCOE workshop may have on participants’ learning. Preworkshop and postworkshop questionnaires were administered, and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data shows that the respon- dents’ expertise was reinforced and that they learned to use geographic technologies. In addition, the MyCOE workshop resulted in the development of a more concrete vision among participants of what basic math and science education could be in Arab nations, by using geographic learning as a framework for integrated education. Keywords: geographic technologies; MyCOE; Middle East and North Africa; geogra- phy; interdisciplinary; teachers Introduction Because of their geographical location, their geopolitical situation between Europe and Asia and their history, the Middle Eastern and North African nations are concerned with problems related to politics, economics, the environment, social structure and citizenship. Basic education in the region mainly uses lecture methods of teaching because of a lack of interdisciplinary education and a rift between school and community. To update educa- tional methods in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), it is necessary to restructure the curriculum and to connect it to community citizenship because of geography and geographic technology. The “My Community, Our Earth” (MyCOE) program seeks to pro- mote learning in the field of sustainable development from the point of view of geography ∗ Corresponding author. Email: aicha.benimmas@umoncton.ca ISSN: 1038-2046 print / 1747-7611 online C  2011 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/10382046.2011.540101 http://www.informaworld.com