Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026): Regular Issue (In Progress)
Geographic Insights in Brief

GeoTAITO: A Framework for Students’ Geomedia Skills and Learning Progression

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Panu Lammi
Department of Geosciences and Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Finland
Virpi Hirvensalo
Department of Geosciences and Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Finland
Tua Nylén
Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Turku, Finland
Laura Hynynen
Department of Geosciences and Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Finland
Anne Pellikka
Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Oulu, Finland
Petteri Muukkonen
Department of Geosciences and Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Finland
Conceptual model showing GeoTAITO geomedia skill areas and three proficiency levels across school stages. The figure illustrates conceptual deepening from elementary to advanced skill proficiency, with Bloom’s taxonomy used only as a heuristic reference.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.48088/ejg.p.lam.17.1.260.266
Categories

Published 2026-08-03

Keywords

  • Critical geomedia literacy,
  • Curriculum interpretation,
  • Geography education,
  • Geomedia,
  • Geomedia skills,
  • Geomedia skill framework
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Lammi, Panu, Virpi Hirvensalo, Tua Nylén, Laura Hynynen, Anne Pellikka, and Petteri Muukkonen. 2026. “GeoTAITO: A Framework for Students’ Geomedia Skills and Learning Progression”. European Journal of Geography 17 (1):260-66. https://doi.org/10.48088/ejg.p.lam.17.1.260.266.

Copyright (c) 2026 Panu Lammi, Virpi Hirvensalo, Tua Nylén, Laura Hynynen, Anne Pellikka, Petteri Muukkonen

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Received 2026-05-03
Accepted 2026-08-01
Published 2026-08-03

Abstract

Young people encounter geographically framed information through maps, GIS, geospatial data, images, statistics, and location-based services while navigating misinformation. GeoTAITO (Geo + Finnish taito, ‘skill’ or ‘know-how’) is a conceptual framework that structures ten geomedia skill areas and three proficiency levels across primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. It focuses on geomedia skills as one dimension of broader geomedia competence, alongside critical geomedia literacy. Based on conceptual synthesis and teacher-informed empirical refinement, the model supports curriculum interpretation, instructional planning, and assessment while highlighting students’ higher-order analytical and critical geomedia skills.

Highlights:

  • GeoTAITO model clarifies what geomedia skills mean at different school levels
  • GeoTAITO specifies 10 geomedia skill areas and three proficiency levels
  • The model includes analysis, evaluation, and participation as core higher-order geomedia skills

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Secondary Publication Statement: This Short Communication is a secondary publication of a model originally reported in Finnish. It is presented in accordance with recognised international guidance on secondary and translated publication (including the ICMJE Recommendations on Overlapping Publications; COPE guidance on translations), to make the model accessible to an international readership that does not read Finnish. The primary publication is: Lammi, P., Hirvensalo, V., Nylén, T., Hynynen, L., Pellikka, A., & Muukkonen, P. (2026). GeoTAITO-malli: Nuorten geomediataidot ja osaamisen tasot. Ainedidaktiikka, 10(2), 81–112. https://doi.org/10.23988/800ejp61. This communication faithfully reflects the data and interpretations of the primary publication and reports no new primary data.

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