What is Place-Based Education?

Explore place-based education (PBE) and place-based stewardship education (PBSE) pedagogy.

Place-Based Education (PBE)

David Sobel in his book, Place-based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities, defines place-based education as:

“… the process of using local community and the 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 stronger ties to their communities, enhances students’ appreciation for the natural world, and creates a heightened commitment to serving as acting, contributing citizens. ”

Place-Based Education:

An Introduction

This 4 min. video provides a brief overview of place-based education and features David Sobel, Author and Professor Emeritus of Antioch University New England and Rebecca Nielson, Consultant, Education Special and Program Advisor for SEMIS Coalition at Eastern Michigan University.

This clip features footage from Video 1 and Video 7 of the PBE Video Series. You can full the full series PBE Video Series or complete the PBE Video Series as a professional development offering. Click here to learn more.

Guiding Principles of Place-Based Stewardship Education (PBSE)

Educators, PBE leaders, and national experts informed development of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative's (GLSI) Guiding Principles for Exemplary Place-Based Stewardship Education; an effort that was supported by funding from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. PBE and PBSE is informed by the context, needs, and opportunities in each school and community. The Guiding Principles were designed to help educators imagine with PBE/PBSE could be and to provide a resource to assist in inform practice, growth, and development. Also developed as part of this effort are Case Studies that document PBE/PBSE efforts in a variety of grades and settings. These and many more resources are available on the GLSI's website.

The principles are organized into four sections:

Part I (Set the Focus) examines the connection of PBSE to the local context and to some core environmental concepts (Principles 1 and 2).
Part II (Develop the Foundation for Place-based Teaching and Learning) is focused on experiential teaching and learning strategies (Principles 3a–3e).
Part III (Deepen Impact) is focused on strategies to intensify and deepen the impacts of PBSE efforts, including school-community partnerships, multiple learning experiences of meaningful duration, and generating real benefits for the community and environment (Principles 4–6).
Part IV (Develop Skills for Participation in Democratic Practices) is focused on the strategies that help students develop as active participants in community life, including fostering student voice, modeling democratic practices, exploring various perspectives, clarifying personal values, and engaging in public discourse (Principles 7–10).