Place-based education

Educational philosophy

Place based education, sometimes called pedagogy of place, place based learning, experiential education, community based education, environmental education or more rarely, service learning, is an educational philosophy. The term was coined in the early 1990s by Laurie Lane Zucker of The Orion Society and Dr. John Elder of Middlebury College. Orion's early work in the area of place based education was funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Although educators have used its principles for some time, the approach was developed initially by The Orion Society, a Massachusetts based nonprofit organization, as well as Professor David Sobel, Project Director at Antioch University New England. Place based education seeks to help communities through employing students and school staff in solving community problems. Place based education differs from conventional text and classroom based education in that it understands students' local community as one of the primary resources for learning. Thus, place based education promotes learning that is rooted in what is local—the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a particular place—that is, in students' own "place" or immediate schoolyard, neighborhood, town or community. According to this pedagogy, grade school students often lose what place based educators call their "sense of place" through focusing too quickly or exclusively on national or global issues. This is not to say that international and domestic issues are peripheral to place based education, but that students should first have a grounding in the history, culture and ecology of their surrounding environment before moving on to broader subjects. Place based education is often interdisciplinary. It aligns with several popular pedagogies, including thematic, hands on, or project based learning. Place based curriculum begins with topics or issues from the local community.

A thematic approach can be combined with place based learning using tourism as a theme. Students research current and historical tourism sites in their community. They analyze how sites are advertised and examine how the impressions of visitors are influenced or how stereotypes of a place are created. The impact of tourism on the environment can be examined. With this approach, learning becomes interdisciplinary, combining social studies, media literacy, language arts, and the sciences. A final project could be creating new promotional materials or volunteering to preserve historical or environmental sites. Examining local food using an interdisciplinary, place based approach can create a new awareness of the unique historical and current tradition in one's community. Students can explore their own unique food traditions, local agriculture and its impact on employment or the environment, or local food deserts. Projects might include the creation of community cookbooks, events showcasing the local food traditions, school gardens, or service projects for local food banks. Think Global School combines place based learning with project based learning as part of its Changemaker Curriculum. Students live and learn in four countries per year, engaging in projects that incorporate social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors relevant to the places they visit. The projects include conversations with locals, expert guest speakers, and other members of the community. The Cottonwood School of Civics and Science in Portland, Oregon is a place based school that through service, integrated curriculum and experiential learning, provides opportunities for students to actively build relationships locally. Examples include on going restoration efforts in near by natural areas, creating exhibits for local cultural museums, and researching and proposing policy based solutions to community problems. Students embarking upon a unit about the Vietnam War might interview veterans of that war, collecting their stories for a radio spot, newspaper article or educational brochure. In this case, the use of local people to support students' learning would not only lead to greater comprehension of the Vietnam War, but also to understanding more about the history of their community and the people in it. Juniper Hill School for Place Based Education in Alna, Maine uses place based education to connect children to themselves, to each other, and to their communities through studying both natural and human environments. All activities Juniper Hill's students engage in at the school are integrated into the local landscape and community. Bowen Island Community School on Bowen Island, British Columbia, lends itself to in depth environmental learning experiences by joining students and members of the community together to foster real life learning experiences, on and off the school grounds. For example, while studying government, a grade 4/5 class visited the local municipality and got to ask questions. While studying earth materials, a geologist from the community came to the school, and lead students on a beach walk to look at different rock types. Saseenos Elementary and Sangster School, both in Sooke, British Columbia, have introduced "Nature Kindergarten" programs. The pedagogies in these schools are rooted around a deep connection to place, specifically the old growth forest and beach that surround the school. Each morning, rain or shine, the kindergarten students are led out into the forest by two instructors. Their task is to explore, to observe, and to connect, with the environment around them. It is hoped that the students will develop a lifelong connection to nature, which will lead them in turn to become responsible and passionate stewards of the land. A strong focus on the history of Indigenous people on the land is also incorporated into the program. These nature kindergartens are modelled on the Scandinavian nature schools. This would be considered land based education with a heavy focus on Indigenous content and perspective aligned with environmentally sustainable practices. Land based education is different from place based education because the latter does not focus on Indigenous content or perspectives.