This book offers an innovative framework and set of pedagogical pathways for deepening college student learning through critical engagement with place. Though the "what" and "how" of teaching and learning rightly take center stage in research of best practices, this book argues that the "where" of education deserves…

This paper explores two concepts. Firstly, it explores how child-led photography was effectively used by as a research methodology with young children, aged three and four. Twenty children at two Australian preschools were given the opportunity to express how they experienced place at their early childhood educational. Each child was given a…

Most practitioners and scholars agree that critical and reflective early childhood and elementary teachers are foundational for children's holistic growth and development. Yet current policies focused on elevating testing and performativity are contributing to student and teacher anxiety and alienation. This book offers a counternarrative to…

Education has been progressing at a rapid pace ever since educators have been able to harness the power of mobile technology. Open-access learning techniques provide more students with the opportunity to engage in educational opportunities that may have been previously restricted. "Empowering Learners with Mobile Open-Access Learning…

The chapters in this book reflect the work of science and mathematics educators who have worked for many years at the international level. As members of the International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education, their work provides readers with issues, models, practices, and research results that have applicability and…

This booklet, designed to accompany a videotape, gives teachers and students advice on how to participate in their community and productively build upon it. Teachers who are affiliated with the REACH (Rural Education Alliance for Collaborative Humanities) advise other teachers to design their own program based on the specific community's needs.…

This guide addresses community-based art learning experiences in both theory and practice. After making a convincing case for community-based art curricula, a wide range of instructional strategies are outlined. Suggested lessons represent visual odysseys beyond the classroom. These focus on the school yard, the city block, a five minute walk, a…

Rural Trust schools and communities embrace an education that values what is unique to a particular place in an effort to promote mutual school and community well-being. This local focus engages students academically, pairing real world relevance with intellectual rigor. It also develops skills that promote citizenship, such as decision making,…

Research reports from multiple studies in dozens of states have shown there are advantages to learning in small schools. To take advantage of the assets of rural schools and small-town survival, new state policy directions will be necessary in finance, facilities, teacher pay, preparation, and professional and curriculum development. (Contains 10…

This document adapts the U.S. national standards for social studies for use in schools serving American Indian students. Compatible with the national standards, this supplement is broken into material for early grades, middle grades, and high school and is organized around the same 10 thematic strands: culture; time, continuity, and change;…

This anthology collects stories from various classrooms and collaborations supported by the Orion Society. Orion's Stories in the Land fellowships are 1-year teacher stipends that promote effective place-based education: interdisciplinary studies of the local natural and cultural history using extensive field experiences and diverse "human…

This handbook addresses the provision of an equitable basic education in rural areas, particularly in developing countries, by means of small schools located close to the pupils' homes. It is based on beliefs that small schools can be good schools; the appropriate place for a small school and its teachers is within the community; and small schools…

This science curriculum was written to inspire rural Alaskans, primarily Alaska Natives, to find science in their local environment. The author lived a subsistence lifestyle in the Alaskan bush for over 30 years and claims that understanding science has often kept him from being stuck out in the woods. Section 1, Skills, Tools, and Craftsmanship,…

This document describes a curriculum model that aims to help students gain a sense of stewardship toward their community and an appreciation for their heritage. At the Sense of Place Symposium, Iowa teachers and administrators worked together to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum framework that would connect students to their communities. The…

Recommends a broad application of experiential learning and community service projects as a means of reinvigorating social studies and making them relevant. Describes a number of projects from service learning to local history that illustrate this approach. Discusses this approach in terms of benefits, real life application, and assessment. (MJP)