Place-based education

The best teaching occurs when the emphasis is less on imparting knowledge and more on joining the child on a journey of discovery. 

                                                –David Sobel

Place-based education is the process of using the local community and environment as a starting point to teach concepts in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science & other subjects across the curriculum. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this approach to education increased academic achievement, helps students develop stronger ties to their community, enhances students’ appreciation for the natural world, & creates a heightened commitment to serving as active, contributing citizens. David Sobel, director of the Center for Place-based Education at Antioch University New England, is one of the founders of the place-based movement. He writes of the process, “If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it.”

Jerome Bruner, a social psychologist concerned with motivating and educating students, developed the theory of a spiral curriculum. A spiral curriculum teaches a subject at successively higher grade levels in an increasingly abstract manner. Bruner argues that any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development. If teachers begin teaching the foundations of these subjects in an appropriate manner consistent with the pupils’ intellectual levels, students can learn important basics at any stage of mental development. Then, by applying the principles of the spiral curriculum, they can steadily proceed to more complex forms of the subject.

Sobel argues that one major problem associated with environmental education is premature abstraction. We teach too abstractly, too early. Ecophobia is a fear of ecological problems & the natural world. As with any phobic reaction, the afflicted person feels unspecific anxiety and wants to flee from the situation. The problem, Sobel argues, will diminish with a more child-centered approach to environmental education. He writes, “My fear is that our environmentally correct curriculum will end up distancing children from, rather than connecting them with, the natural world. The natural world is being abused and they just don’t want to have to deal with it.”

Place-based education is largely prescriptive, designed to combat ecophobia. The theory understands the community and nature as a place for learning and relies on the uniqueness of a place – its art, culture, environment, history – to help students develop their “sense of place,” or community identity. It encourages hands-on, project-based outcomes that have real world application and honor the developmental stages.

I’m more interested in figuring out how to cultivate relationships between children and trees in their own backyards as a precursor to their working to save rain forests as they get older, when they can actually do something about it. Talking to trees and hiding in trees precedes saving trees. 

                                                                                 –David Sobel

Learn more:

Beyond Ecophobia

An essay by David Sobel, Beyond Ecophobia is reproduced in part on this page.

Healthy Kids, Healthy Forests

An example of a place-based educational program in Montana. You will also find information about "park prescriptions" linked to this page. (A park prescription is a partnership between healthcare and park professionals focused on increasing physical activity in the outdoors as a way to promote health.)

Where Nature Meets Story

Stories about animals, plants, and wild places can be a big part of helping kids connect to nature. This page on the Children & Nature Network site guides educators and parents to enrich their experiences in the natural world with literature.

Compiled by Erin E. Anderson

Honoring the Developmental Stages

When introducing and exploring the complex ideas surrounding environmental controversy, it is essential to consider the wants and needs of our audience. As with any topic discussed in a museum, there are different ways to approach the subject with different visitors. In his book Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education, David Sobel argues that, due to their unique developmental needs, special attention must be paid to the way children are introduced to concepts in nature.

Sobel focuses on three stages of development: early childhood (4-7), elementary years (8-11) and early adolescence (12-15). According to Sobel, “environmental education should have a different tenor and style during each of these stages.” The different styles he espouses are based on a child’s continually expanding concept of the world and his or her place in it.

In the early childhood stage, when the world is small and close to home, empathy with nature is the ultimate goal. Programs and lessons should focus on familiar plants and animals and encourage make-believe play. By embodying something that exists in nature, children in this first stage will naturally care more deeply about that something, and once that initial connection is forged, the stage will be set for teaching more concrete concepts.

The elementary years are marked by curiosity and exploration. During this stage, children should be encouraged to bond with nature, to make it their own. Hands-on interactions with the environment will foster these bonds. Activities such as caring for the animals they once emulated, discovering where paths lead and planting trees or flowers are appropriate at this stage.

Successful programming during the elementary years will inspire social action during early adolescence. In this final stage, solutions to environmental problems can be explored as children feel a strong inclination toward saving the environment that they cared for and bonded with when they were younger.

As educators, we can honor these developmental stages by focusing our lessons on the appropriate goals for the appropriate age groups. Trying to press children too far out of these comfortable zones can lead to ecophobia or disinterest in nature. Children who have successfully connected with their environment during all three stages will be primed to care about environmental issues as they grow older.

"Take A Child Outside Week is a program designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world. By arming parents, teachers and other caregivers with resources on outdoor activities, our goal is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration."  http://www.takeachildoutside.org/

Modeling Infections Enthusiasm

The natural world does not judge. It exists. One route to self-esteem, particularly for shy or undervalued children, lies in the out-of-doors.          

–Stephen Trimble

Richard Louv, in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, argues that when children and adults lose contact with the natural world, they experience Nature-Deficit Disorder. He links a growing body of evidence to the rise in childhood obesity, attention disorders, and depression. Louv argues that direct exposure to nature is essential for a child’s physical and emotional health and development. He writes, “The health of children and the health of the Earth are inseparable.”

Parents, guardians, and other adult family members are the first line of defense, but informal educators and classroom teachers are important role models for helping children find their place in the natural environment. Louv argues that adults can give children “the gift of enthusiasm” for time outdoors.

This can often be hard for educators who don’t have much experience with the “real outdoors” – camping, hiking, fishing and the like. Many suffer from the belief that something isn’t worth doing with visitors unless it’s done right. If getting kids out into nature is seen as an exercise in perfection, then it’s no more than another chore on the list. The search for perfection defeats the joy of being outside. Louv writes, “It’s a good thing to learn more about nature in order to share this knowledge with children; it’s even better if the adult and child learn about nature together. And it’s a lot more fun.”

            What will stick with program participants is not your vast knowledge about a subject; what will stick is your infectious enthusiasm. Rachel Carson, known as the mother of the modern environmental movement, wrote, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” There’s no such thing as a grown-up person, and it’s not too late to discover the awe of a child!

            Additionally, spending time with a parent or positive adult is an excellent way to combat boredom in children. Encourage young visitors to disengage from electronics long enough to stimulate their imaginations. Employ animal allies and exploration of the world around you as your helpers towards getting kids excited about the natural environment. John Burroughs wrote, “Knowledge without love will not stick. But if love comes first, knowledge is sure to follow.” If visitors (adults and children alike) sense your genuine enthusiasm for getting outside, they’ll want to emulate that interest and join in the fun!

Nature education is a contradiction of terms, because formal education is where you’re supposed to be, and nature is where you go when you’re truant. 

                                                                –Franklin Burroughs

Learn more:

Connect With Nature: Eartheasy Blog

Eartheasy Blog: Connecting with nature close to home

Eartheasy encourages, inspires and informs people about the benefits of a simpler, less material lifestyle, and the importance of protecting our natural environment as the source of our well-being. It provides a wide range of information about sustainable living from the authors' first-hand experiences.

On Connecting with Nature: An Interview with Mike Cohen

Eco-psychologist Mike Cohen is an outdoor educator, counselor, author, and traditional folk singer, musician and dancer. He utilizes his background in science, education, and counseling as well as his musical expertise "to catalyze responsible, enjoyable relationships with nature in people and places." He has one several awards including the Distinguished World Citizen Award from the University of Global Education.

Compiled by Erin E. Anderson

Learn the Facts and Hear the Other Side

As Museum educators, we are in a unique position to engage audiences in meaningful discussions about controversial topics. Whether you are a history museum interpreting issues of race, an art museum creating conversations about censorship in modern art, or a science museum or zoo discussing evolution, the collections of a museum can create an interesting context for relevant conversations. However, the last thing a museum wants to do is alienate their audience by having those conversations, and subsequently create a contentious dialogue.

It is only natural that a zoo, aquarium, natural history museum, or science museum, whose mission is largely based on protecting the environment of this planet in order to preserve biodiversity, will at some point have to advocate for topics that could be considered controversial by an audience. It is our hope that we will better equip museum educators to handle these controversial topics successfully to create meaningful conversations.

The first step in successfully interpreting environmentally controversial topics is to gather all of the facts and then create a conversation about ALL sides of an issue. Without being held accountable for verifiable facts, a museum will quickly lose their credibility with an audience. It is important for the museum to use accurate language and use sources considered to be an authority in the field.

In The Relevant Museum: A Reflection on Sustainability, Emlyn Koster states that “given that museums exist to be places for reflection and inspiration, the field is not justified in using this descriptor unless it is comfortable with and capable of tackling contemporary and consequential subject matter. Relevancy entails a comfort with controversy that, in turn, involves fostering an atmosphere where difficult questions can be broached and a variety of opinions expressed. Preferably, relevant museum experiences go beyond fostering an intellectual appreciation of their subject matter to stimulating new behaviors in their visitors.” This underlines the need for museums to create a dialogue about controversial topics where the audience can hear all sides of an issue. At the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Phlean R. Fretz describes a way in which they are doing just that.  The Science Café offers community members the chance to engage with an expert coached by ECHO to “offer 20 minutes of background followed by audience discussion around candle-lit tables. The evening concludes with a lively discussion that positions the audience in the information driver seat.” At the Science Café “we advocate not for a particular point of view, but for being an active and engaged citizen of the community.”

The divisive nature of controversial topics begs for careful consideration by museums when interpreting these topics. In our succeeding posts, we will explore additional ways for a museum to successfully navigate environment controversy.

Source-  Fretz, Phlean. “Environmental Advocacy in Free Choice Institutions.” NEMA News Winter 2011: 6-7, 16.