Dynamic Place Based Learning

In the essay, “A Literature of Place”, by Barry Lopez examines that nature shapes our identity and morality. Lopez claims that if you’re intimate with a place, a place with whose history you are familiar with. Lopez supports the issue by describing the relationship you can bond with a place. Having conversations with it listening for the sound of the wind or search for the smell of the water; the place knows you’re there. It can feel you. Lopez believes you will not be forgotten by the place. Also that writing more about what is outside world instead of one-self, and also about how nature impacts people in many different ways. Lopez finds comfort being able to turn to nature or science facts to prove points or explain

When exploring water and gardens, it is important to apply the EYLF to children’s learning and development. Outcome two, children are connected with and contribute to their world allows children to develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities, respond to diversity with respect, be aware of fairness, and show respect for the environment (DEEWR, 2009). By developing these outcomes children begin to broaden their understanding of the world they live in. This can be explored by providing children with opportunities to explore the environment through gardening or water play and promote positive responses

This week’s article by MacQuarrie, Nugent and Warden (2015) looks at nature-based learning across several countries. It highlights key aspects and concerns of nature-based learning voiced by the participants of the study. When reading this article I took the stance that relationships are an important element when learning with nature and with others (MacQuarrie et al., 2015). I took this stance, as I believe that relationships within early learning are the key foundation to building a supportive and engaging learning environment that includes children, families, communities and educators.

The goals of education are controversial and not many people can agree on what they are. A commonly shared opinion of the “purpose of education is to prepare students for the “real world” to “succeed””. Children are constantly being prepared for the workforce and what will

A driving objective for a teacher is to affect students to advance their expertise in education by finding them the correct course. The teacher should promote positive motivation and inspiration by adhering to legislation and codes of practice which will increase every student’s focus in developing and bridging gaps to display eagerness towards a healthy broad mindset, creative thinking and brighter approach. A mentor should coordinate assessments which will reinforce the ability to perceive individuals’ abilities and knowledge progressions and moreover support them further to boost their learning capacity to acquire a well-established national standards skill set.

By embracing the Reggio Emilia Philosophy our school links the natural environment to learning experiences as reflection, inspiration, awe and remembrance of God’s creation. The children are exposed to and encouraged to be critical

On Tuesday, October Eleven, the eighth grade class left St. Charles Borromeo School to go to Westminster Woods, in Occidental, by bus.We stayed there for a tiring four days and three nights. The purpose of this fieldtrip was for us to become closer to each other and bond as a class. Westminster Woods offers opportunities for growth, connection, reflection and discovery. They also offer three types of programs dedicated to environmental science, character development, and a program that is a combination of both. Almost everyone in the class, including myself, have been excited for this field trip since the beginning of the year. We all hoped to improve ourselves individually and as a group.

It is the duty of the educator to prepare students to live lives of quality and purpose. Intellectually, a life of quality involves being reasonable, adept, and thoughtful, and enables people to be good citizens of their community. Skills that will prepare students to live such a life include the ability to reason carefully, to think agilely, and to reflect deeply. These skills are attained best when students evaluate how others express their thinking and precisely what thinking is expressed. The students themselves attempt to express substantive ideas in clear and convincing ways. The teacher is foremost a model of that which is taught, which obligates the teacher to live that life of quality and purpose. As a model, the teacher is therefore able to act as a guide for others, serving occasionally as a source of knowledge but mostly as one who points the way for fellow explorers.

Withgott, Jay, and Laposata, Matthew. 2012. Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Stories (4th edition). Benjamin Cummings. Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle,

Introduction The purpose of science education is not a straightforward concept, as it is ever evolving and dynamic to meet the needs of society’s expectations and values at that point in time (Ferrari, 2010). Science education should be nurturing, engaging and challenging in the 21st century classroom, catering for all students. We as teachers should encourage out students to explore the world, by providing motivation, engagement and education about the wonder and potential of science, we need to move the focus of our teaching away from the fact finding, memorising and formula driven practical that capture what school has become to our students today (Ferrari, 2010). Science provides a practical way of answering questions about our everyday lives, whether that is biological, physical or technological world around us ("The Australian Curriculum v7.2 Science: Rationale," n.d.).

It is the author’s view that in education, the nature of curriculum is continuously changing and as educators we have not yet found a 'successful curriculum '. Ross (2000) suggests that a reform of the curriculum needs to be undertaken and that as educators we need to continuously evaluate and critically challenge our curriculum frameworks for the growing changes in society. He continues his metaphor and uses the imagery of a garden to highlight what gardens are used for by society. Ross (2000) suggests that gardens can be used for a number of different purposes; whether it be to provide food, as a means of exercise, for leisure reasons or simply as a means of relaxation. He also asks the question “who are gardens for?” and what is their purpose (Ross, 2000, p.2). Ross (2000) uses this metaphor to argue the importance that when developing a curriculum, educators first need to consider what the purpose of the curriculum is and who is the

Our education should be aimed at educating people who love the world they lie in and who are ready to become peacemakers and healers of the world (Orr 55). A sustainable society “consists” of citizens, workers, specialists, technicians, etc, who are ready to work in order to build and support such society. One of the ways to provide such education is to “get outdoor”. The skills and abilities develop in real world and not in artificial situations in class. In this regard, we may refer to the Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”. One should “touch” the real world problems and get personal experience from it. Shadows in the cave are the retrospectives of the real knowledge. To acquire the knowledge, we should leave the “cave”. We can learn theory separated from practice and this will not have any result. Instead, we should understand that every individual is a part of the natural world, thus, education should be based on ecological literacy as “health of our planet” is one of the most urgent questions of the modern social community.

Grigg and Lewis (2016, p. 19) define learning outside the classroom as “children learning about people, their heritage and the natural environment, largely through play and first-hand experiences, in a wide range of contexts beyond the classroom.” Learning outside the classroom enables teachers to bring the curricula alive by integrating the school grounds and the local landscape into their teaching (Beames et al., 2012). It is important that children are given more opportunities to explore the natural world as there is no doubt that there are many benefits to outdoor learning. Furthermore, according to the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto:

Students are considered to be scientists in the inquiry process. Children will view themselves as scientists as they learn. They look forward to science, demonstrate a desire to learn more, seek collaboration with their classmates, they are confident in doing science, and willing to take risks. Students are readily engaged in exploring science. They have curiosity, ponder observations, move around to get the materials they need, and have the opportunity to try out their ideas. Students are able to communicate using various amounts of methods. They express their ideas in journals, reporting, or drawing. They listen, speak, and write about science. They communicate their level of understanding of concepts and ideas. The students propose explanations and solutions based off their data. They use investigations to satisfy their own questions. They sort out information that is needed and important. They become willing to revise explanations and gain new knowledge. They raise questions, use questions to lead them to investigations, and students begin to enjoy using questions to ponder ideas. Students begin to observe rather than look. They see details, detect sequences, and notice change, similarities, and differences. The students begin to make

When I joined Trent University for Graduate School under the Sustainability Studies program in September 2017, it surprisingly became a whole new place, new people and exciting in program instructors different from the other universities attended while looking for a career in development studies, environment and peace studies, sustainable natural resource management and community development studies. The Colloquium Course among the other courses in the program, is one to which I have built new ideas and approaches to some of the questions not answered during my career trait. There have been events in the course that I personally attended and enjoyed, The Trent Market Garden educational event on Civic Agriculture, The Windy Pine retreat and the in-class power point presentation on Indigenous Peoples, Canada and the Possibility of Reconciliation by David Newhouse. This course is relevant to understanding the whole idea behind community development, involvement and participation towards sustainable practices. These ideas are explained in details and their relevance to society are explained by different guest speakers within the classroom, workshops and symposiums.