Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms & Communities
(Notes from book compiled by Joan Chadde)
By David Sobel
Reconceptualizing Environmental Education
Place-based education teaches about both the natural and built environment. The history, folk culture, social
problems, economics, and aesthetics of the community and its environment are all on the agenda. In fact, one of
the core objectives is to look at how landscape, community infrastructure, watersheds, and cultural traditions all
interact and shape each other. A revised definition of environmental education is ‘using a school’s surroundings
and community as a framework within which students can construct their own learning,’ guided by teachers and
administrators using proven educational practices.
Define the “local environment” broadly to encompass natural ecosystems and socio-cultural systems in
their community. Each school, by necessity, therefore designs its own program independently to take into
account their specific locale, resources, and student needs.
 Adapt curriculum to local conditions
 Become players in the community ecosystem
 Pedagogy of place
 Grounded rooted learner understand that his/her actions matter, that they affect the community beyond the
school
 “Student as resource to the community” – students are thought of as productive assets to the health of a
community (NCSR)
 Make education a preparation for citizenship, both locally and in wider contexts (NCSR)
 Rather than prepare students to solve problems of the future, prepare them to solve today’s problems; they
can make a difference here and now.
New class is being taught at Antioch New England called Environmental Education in the Public Schools whose
core objective is to have graduate students work with middle school teachers and students on using their
community as an Outdoor Learning Laboratory (OLL). Tasks/Projects to be accomplished are identified by
community organizations; teachers submit proposals to work on these projects. (NCSR does this in reverse, where
organizations submit proposals to students/teachers).
Place-based education is at the core of many school reform efforts.
Sample Programs nationwide:
 School on the River Program in La Crosse, WI – students are in a collaborative enterprise with their
teachers, community, government, and environment that will prepare them to become active participants.
New Directions
#1 – Sustainability – can sustain program without expensive/excessive resources
#2 – Progression in learning from here and now, close and familiar, to future and distant. There is a sensitive
period during elementary years when children are predisposed to bond with the natural world (Sobel, 1996)
#3 – From a mandated monoculture curriculum (same for all students no matter where you live) to curriculumspeciation as a school district goal. An education that teaches about the world around us, is superior to a
standardized, generic education.
Our challenge is to create an environment where:
 teachers teach with passion and heart,
 parents won’t tolerate boring textbooks as the vehicle of instruction and ask “why is my child is not
involved in real-world learning?”
 administrators encourage teachers to form partnerships with local units of government, businesses,
organizations to bring meaning and relevance to the curriculum.
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Measuring the Impact of Place-Based Education
Place-based education increases student achievement. The State Education and Environment Roundtable (SEER)
Report of 40 schools across the nation indicates that using the Environment as an Integrating Context (EIC) in
school curricula results in wide-ranging positive effects on student learning. EIC improves student achievement in
social studies, science, language arts, and math. Students learn to “do” science, rather than just learn about it.
Students develop problem-solving, critical-thinking and decision-making skills, have increased enthusiasm and
engagement in learning, as well as improved test scores. EIC-engaged students exhibit improved attendance,
behavior, attitude when compared to traditional students, as well as, enhanced citizenship. Place-based Education
Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC) is working on research to measure gains.
Does place-based education change student behavior?
Research by Lynette Zelezny (1999). “Educational interventions that improve environmental behaviors: a metaanalysis.” Journal of Environmental Education 31, No.1, found
a) education interventions that actively involve participants were more effective in improving
environmental behavior than those that did not.
b) Intervention effectiveness was greater with students < 18
c) In-depth school-based interventions were more likely to change environmental stewardship behavior than
single exposures.
d) Informal environmental education programs help to change students’ environmental attitudes and
knowledge and strengthen their intent to act in responsible ways...but long-term partnerships inspire
lasting stewardship behaviors.
Building a Three-Legged Stool = Academic Achievement + Social Capital + Environmental Quality (p. 40)
 Engage students in solving a real problem or meeting a real community need, gaining articulated skills
through scaffolded activities, to become creators, not just consumers, of knowledge,
Examples of Environmental Quality projects:
 Lake/stream/wetland water quality monitoring
 School recycling
 Schoolyard habitats
 Habitat restoration
 Natural areas interpretation
 Energy conservation/efficiency
 Green School practices – waste-free lunch, switching to reusable or biodegradable utensils, bio-diesel
busses, adopting alternative energy (wind, solar, biofuels), invasive species control, stormwater runoff &
rain gardens,
Getting Started
CO-SEED Program = Community-based School Environmental Education
CO-SEED is a partnership of school districts, an institution of higher learning, community organizations, and an
environmental learning center. There is no one model to follow, rather projects build upon ethnographic
particularities. The CO-SEED experience provides strategies, structural approaches, and regional examples. It
doesn’t cost much to get the ball rolling, and once it starts, it often gathers its own momentum and resources.
CO-SEED.Master Plan / Program Framework (p. 44)
Guidelines for evaluating good places to start (p. 49) – this is what GLFT did in evaluating our proposal
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Core Strategies for Creating Place-Based Schools (p. 53)
Begin projects where the soil is "fertile." The GLSI Planning Process helped us to identify "schools with fertile
soil" for PBE. David Sobel provides the following guidelines for beginning a PBE project at a school:
1. There are signs of a predisposition toward place-based education.
2. Administrative support is strong
3. A cadre of committed teachers exists
4. Environmental education center is ready and willing to provide assistance ---that’s the Western UP Center!
Sobel states, 'We implemented a contractual relationship with schools so they know what they are getting from us
and what we expect from them. We make a commitment to develop a long-term plan to help them sustain the
changes that occur in their school.' (Sound familiar?)
Core Strategy #1: Put an environmental educator (LSSI Project Advisor!) in every school
The role of the environmental educator/LSSI Project Advisor (Joan, Ann, Kathy) is to act as:
 Science and local history expert, providing classroom teachers with the technical information and access
to primary source materials on local history, and the demonstration of scientific data collection, water
quality monitoring, etc.
 An outreach coordinator, providing assistance in contacting community resource people and identifying
appropriate location for field trips, study sites, and community-based projects.
 A communicator, providing written documentation of project activities for school and community
publications.
 A standards consultant and curriculum coordinator, providing specialized knowledge of the state
curriculum frameworks and environmental education resources, and working with teachers to figure out
the best ways to use the school grounds and community to teach their existing curriculum.
Core Strategy #2: Form a team to provide vision and guidance
The team should consist of 2-3 teachers, an administrator, the environmental educator/LSSI Project Advisor, a
higher education facilitator, 2-3 community members, a school staff person, and 1-2 middle/high school students,
to be the movers and shakers at the school. The team designs in-service teacher PD, helps to organize Community
Vision to Action forums, communicates with community (via school newsletter, presentations at school board
meetings, etc.) and administers mini-grant program).
Use a simple grant application form which evaluates educational effectiveness and potential for communitybuilding by asking teachers:
1) What will the outcomes of this project be for students, teacher, and the community?
2) How will your project result in a change that will help the local environment?
Core Strategy #3: Build Connections through Community Vision to Action Forums
Plan a 1- ½ day meeting (Friday evening through Saturday afternoon) for a broad cross-section of community
members (100-200). Action committees are formed to address the 3-5 most salient issues. The SEED team takes
the lead in planning the forum which takes about 6 months to organize. Goal is to initiate community project qnd
then look for ways to connect action committees with school curriculum. The theme is to: Enhance the synergy
between active learning and smart growth. Community forums build bridges between school improvement,
community vitality, and environmental quality (feed two or three birds simultaneously!).
Why not replace dissections in HS science class which creates toxic wastes that cost the school and community to
properly dispose of, when students could engage in re-vegetating eroding stream banks, cultivating a rain garden
to control storm water, or hosting a Great Lakes/Place-Based Science Night for younger students?
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Core Strategy #4: Tread Lightly When You Carry a Green Stick
Weave nature, cultural history, literature; balance environmental quality and economic vitality. “Environmental”
education can raise the red flag for some…. (pl 59-61). At the same time, do not limit to only science curriculum.
Look for curriculum integration, schoolyard enhancement, collaboration with local businesses, school
sustainability issues (waste generation, energy use, health, etc.). Students can research ways to make the school
more sustainable and help implement changes.
Core Strategy #5: Nurture Continuous Improvement Through On-going Professional Development
 ‘Customer needs 4-5 exposures before they’ll “buy” it.’
 Try to piggyback onto existing structures/requirements
 In-service workshops
 Grade-level team meetings
 Closely focus PD on particular grade levels and a specific topic for quick curriculum development
 ID ways to meet curriculum standards using local resources
 Go to the teachers….don’t expect them to come to us.
 Summer teacher institutes
 NOTE: residential training programs intimidate teachers who aren’t early adopters; instead offer multiday, but not overnight programs, closer to home or the urban areas where many teach.
 Turn teachers into workshop leaders; teachers like to listen to other teachers. The single most effective
instrument for professional development was having teachers visit each other’s classrooms. When a
teacher sees that another can do something, they are more willing to try it themselves.
 Provide opportunities for teachers to live and breathe the ecology of the local environment….revitalize
and inspire.
 Develop grant-writing skills in lead teachers and administrators.
 Look for ways where teachers can enjoy the synergy of running with another teacher who can buoy their
spirit and share their load.
Core Strategy #6: Nurture Community Exchange
 One way to encourage the flow of information is to have teachers sit on community boards and
commissions.
 Schools host curriculum exhibition events.
 Family math & science nights with a particular theme
 Use town committees or local experts as “juries” of student work.
 Community-Sharing Day – all regular classes are cancelled and local artists, historians, scientists come to
the school to lead one-hour, ½ day, full-day sessions. At end of day, thank community volunteers with
‘high tea.”
PBE and EE are also effective with differently-abled students who learn better with activity-based,
concrete, and practical lessons.
Enhancing emotional connections with the land is another component of developing a sense of place.
Grant Opportunities
 Stories in the Land Fellowship ($1000) from Orion Society www.orionlin.org
 Green School grant program

Water Quality Monitoring Due Feb. 8, 2008 http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135--182967--,00.html
 USFS Kids in the Woods
Due Feb. 15, 2008
Partner with U.S. National Forest.
 UPEC $500 grants due March 1, 2008
References for more information on place-based education:
State Education and Environment Roundtable = SEER
Environment as an Integrating Concept = EIC-based learning
The Rural School & Community Trust
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