WHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION AND WHY DOES IT …

1 WHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?GETTING SMART in partnership with eduInnovation & Teton Science SchoolsJOIN THE CONVERSATION@Getting_Smart | | @TetonScience | | #PlaceBasedEd Learning & The Power of place is a year-long PLACE-BASED EDUCATION project with a blog series, social media campaign, podcasts and publications to support implementation. For more information, see For all of the blogs in the series, see WHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION ? ..01 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PLACE-BASED EDUCATION ? ..04 WHAT DOES PLACE-BASED EDUCATION LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE? ..06 PLACE-BASED EDUCATION in Practice ..08 Experiential Learning ..08 Learner-Centered EDUCATION ..08 PLACE-BASED Schools ..08 Deeper Learning ..09 Service Learning ..09 Project- based Learning ..09 Social & Emotional Learning ..10 Work- based Learning ..10 Civic Learning ..11 Environment as Integrating Context ..11 Informal Learning ..11 Professional Learning.

2 12 New Learning Models ..12 Where Is PLACE-BASED Learning Possible? ..13 Urban Settings ..13 Rural Areas ..14 Museums & The Arts ..14 State & National Parks ..15 Early EDUCATION ..15 Colleges & Universities ..15 Community Spaces ..16 International Implementation ..16 Virtual Experiences ..16 WHY DOES PLACE-BASED EDUCATION MATTER? ..17 FOR MORE INFORMATION ..19 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..19 TABLE OF CONTENTSWe ve all experienced the power of place : those moments when we re immersed deeply in experiencing the world around us and what s happening there is real and meaningful. Learning in these moments is organic and visceral. There s much to learn from the places we inhabit from traveling across the globe to getting out into our own communities. Yet, formal learning experiences that leverage the power of place remain the exception and not the hope to change that. Over the years, we ve visited and learned from hundreds of schools. We ve seen innovations in teaching and learning that feel like a sneak peek into the future.

3 And while we do believe in the potential of technology to personalize learning, we ve discovered that technology is not a prerequisite for personalization. In fact, many of our favorite learning environments are innovating through analog means or effectively using limited but deliberate are some common characteristics we ve noticed about educators in these high-impact deeper learning models? They prioritize engagement and authenticity. They know how to leverage local assets including parks, public spaces, museums and businesses to power partnerships. They get out into the world for their students and for their own learning. And whether they know it or not, they re living, breathing examples of PLACE-BASED IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION ? This PLACE-BASED EDUCATION approach can serve as a framework to connect learning models, increase the power of our educational system and serve as the foundation for a thriving democracy. - Nate McClennen, PLACE-BASED EDUCATION : Communities as Learning EnvironmentsWHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

4 | 01We set out to learn more about PLACE-BASED EDUCATION and to share what we we launched our research effort into PLACE-BASED EDUCATION in July 2016, we began with acknowledgement of the field s current definition of PLACE-BASED learning. PLACE-BASED EDUCATION (PBE) is an approach to learning that takes advantage of geography to create authentic, meaningful and engaging personalized learning for students. More specifically, PLACE-BASED EDUCATION is defined by the Center for PLACE-BASED Learning and Community Engagement as an immersive learning experience that places students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, and uses these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum. Through our work in partnership with dozens of contributors to the campaign through guest blogs and social media, we arrived at a new definition of PLACE-BASED EDUCATION .

5 The new definition situates PLACE-BASED EDUCATION inside global conversations about innovative instructional approaches that enable student agency, boost access and opportunity, prioritize deeper learning and personalize learning to communities and the world around us. place based EDUCATION PBE PLACE-BASED EDUCATION is anytime, anywhere learning that leverages the power of place , and not just the power of technology, to personalize EDUCATION enables personalized learning by:Giving students voice and choice in determining what, how, when and where they learnTailoring learning to each student s strengths, needs and interestsEnsuring mastery of high academic standardsPromoting student agencyWHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? | 02 Scholar Gregory Smith traces the history of PLACE-BASED EDUCATION from its roots before formal EDUCATION through the progressive EDUCATION movement to natural and environmental EDUCATION , rural EDUCATION and critical pedagogy in The Past, Present and Future of PLACE-BASED Learning.

6 place - (and community-) based EDUCATION is nothing its focus on the incorporation of local knowledge, skills and issues into the curriculum, involves an effort to restore learning experiences that were once the basis of children s acculturation and In this way, communities could ensure their own sustainability as generations passed on their expertise to young people drawn to continue this Children growing up in pre-19th century America or Europe experienced much the same thing learning the skills and crafts required of adulthood from their parents, other family members or people they Much of this was lost as schools came to dominate the lives of young people with the passage of compulsory school attendance laws. Smith s history lesson ends with a promising look at the future of PLACE-BASED EDUCATION and its resurgence. The growing national interest in project- based learning coupled with the recognition that situating these projects in students home communities can deepen their meaning and impact suggests that interest in PLACE-BASED EDUCATION could continue to expand in coming decades.

7 As a means to engender among students a sense of affiliation with their home communities and regions, develop problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate with others, cultivate a sense of responsibility for the natural environment and the people it supports, and instill a recognition of their own capacity to be positive change-makers and leaders, PLACE-BASED EDUCATION is proving to be an effective antidote to apathy and The environmental and social challenges likely to arise in coming decades will require many people with the kinds of attributes associated with the experience of PLACE-BASED EDUCATION . THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF PLACE-BASED LEARNINGG regory SmithTo truly understand the power of place , Carri Schneider shared the voices of students, teachers and leaders in this podcast recorded during her trip to Teton Science Schools. Ready to experience PLACE-BASED Learning? Close your eyes and listen to this audio field trip to Smart Podcast.

8 S2:E16 Experiencing PLACE-BASED EDUCATION at Teton Science Schools. November 28, 2016. IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? | 03 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PLACE-BASED EDUCATION ?As ecosystems of learning emerge, PLACE-BASED EDUCATION sits squarely in the middle of formal and informal EDUCATION partners, serving as the philosophical connector to all potential learning experiences. PLACE-BASED EDUCATION can take many forms ranging from informal to formal learning, from out-of-school individual/family experiences to teacher-led or school-sponsored activities and from one lesson/project/unit/course to a school fully-designed around a PLACE-BASED EDUCATION mission. PLACE-BASED EDUCATION is a learning strategy that educators can implement in urban, rural and suburban areas. The opportunities are truly endless. -Tom Vander Ark, Genius Loci: PLACE-BASED EDUCATION & Why It MattersWHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

9 | 04 GOALS OF place based EDUCATIONI ncrease student and teacher engagementBoost academic outcomesImpact communitiesPlace- based EDUCATION is an approach that connects learning and communities with the primary goals of increasing student engagement, boosting academic outcomes, impacting communities and promoting understanding of the world around us. In addition to these goals, there are many additional benefits to PLACE-BASED learning experiences. These benefits can impact students, teachers, families, communities and OF place based EDUCATIONL earning is grounded in local communities and learning experience is student-centered and personalized. Learning is relevant and can be challenged to see the world through ecological, political, economic and social can have more agency and autonomy boosting motivation and learning can be a can be can be can meet deeper learning can gain better appreciation and understanding of the world around can be IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

10 | 05 WHAT DOES PLACE-BASED EDUCATION LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE? Next-gen learning is a phrase used to describe the next generation of EDUCATION in which the current system oriented around adults is replaced with a system oriented around the needs of Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) was founded in 2010 based on the belief that the experience of students in our schools needs to be more about learning and less about teaching. We all know from learning science and our own experience how powerful experiential, purpose-driven, and authentic learning can be, and yet our schools are not organized around what we know about good learning. NGLC defines next-gen learning from a learner s perspective. A student may describe it in this way. Learning Personalized to the ways I learn best Flexible so that I can try different ways to learn Interactive and engaging so that I participate in the learning Relevant to the life I d like to lead Organized around my own progress against goals I understandAs we approach the era of next-gen learning and the possibility of PLACE-BASED learning at the center, it is important to consider that PLACE-BASED EDUCATION can be implemented along a continuum.