Place

Teaching and Learning through Place/Land

The first session of our series Connecting Mathematics, Community and Culture. In this session four teachers share stories of math and place/land to imagine mathematics education differently. Teacher stories include the power of place and mathematical inquiry grounded outside an urban school, within a rural community, and guided by teachings of cedar on the Pacific […]

Land-based Learning

Land is the ultimate Knowledge Keeper – The holder of all knowledge Once, not so long ago, Land was a revered teacher. We, the first peoples, understood that our very survival depended on our relationship with Land and that she would care for those who learned her lessons well. Over five hundred years of colonization, […]

Supportive Routines in Place-Conscious Learning

Place based education is “concerned with methods, while a place conscious pedagogy is a philosophical and political orientation within the field of education” (Fraser, 2016). There are core routines that can support a place conscious pedagogy in practice, however a place-conscious pedagogy is mostly an orientation towards teaching and learning in place.  Drawing connections between […]

Place-conscious learning

What is place-conscious learning? Place is really any environment or context in which people interact to “learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity” (BC Ministry of Education, 2021). The marriage of critical learning with place-based education produces a place-conscious pedagogy that incorporates the life experiences of both teachers and students […]

Supportive core routines for place-based learning

Many place-based educators rely on core routines to support their teaching practice.  Core routines are deliberate and intentional habits that build a community of learners in a shared space of learning. Core routines are important for establishing safety protocols and provide a sense of structure, particularly when introducing resources or materials that will be used with learners […]

What does it mean to be a place-based educator?

Within formal systems of schooling, place-based education can mean different things to different educators. Place-based practices are difficult to replicate because they are specific to the relationships, environments and contexts in which they are enacted. However, in all iterations, pedagogies of place involve holding space for direct observation, hands on investigations, and meaningful experimentations of […]

Place-based learning in BC

In practice, educators who enact a pedagogy of place situate the local environment, and more-than-human-world, as important teachers in curricular learning. Place-based learning is not a singular lesson, but rather a reflective practice that prioritizes meaningful connections between learners and the more-then-human world over rigid adherence to a prescribed curriculum (Smith, 2007). The Kooteney / […]

Place-based learning

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 and other subjects across the curriculum. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this approach to education increases academic achievement, helps students develop strong ties to their community, enhances students’ appreciation […]