Place Based Learning is a rigorous pedagogical approach that takes students out into our local or global community to learn coursework material and/or L21 skills linked to a lesson or unit. Place Based learning is relevant and applicable and is always related to something in the real world. It fosters interpersonal and intrapersonal connections and understandings about roles in society and links to personal learning that will last a lifetime. By using Place Based Learning, students learn the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature and/or art of a particular place.
For teachers, Place-Based learning is a way for students to answer Big Ideas or Essential Questions that cannot be discovered within our classroom walls. It is used when students gain a deeper understanding by experiencing an off-campus site linked to their lesson or unit of study. Placed Based learning can also be used in our local or global community as a way for students to showcase or present what they learned or created. An example would be IB an science student prototyping how to create wind energy and then applying it to power a house, village or community. Other projects could include visiting a planetarium during an Astrology unit, supporting habitat restoration projects and working with communities to improve the quality of life.
Placed Based Learning Ideas and Support
Teachers: For ideas and support with incorporating Placed Based Learning into a lesson or unit, please contact the leadership team for guidance and support.
For general information and ideas about Place Based Learning, please click on the following links:
Out of the Building...and into the Classroom - Schools create several ways to incorporate Place Based Learning The Orion Society - A United States non-profit organization which created the term 'Place Based Learning.' It engages environmental and cultural issues through publications of educational materials.
