My most memorable academic experiences have been immersive and place-based education related. I remember every field trip, spelunking, global studies in Mexico, and tropical botany and coral reef ecology travel study in Hawaii. These experiences make me believe in the power behind a place-based education to not only teach content, but the various social and critical thinking competencies we want students to explore. These powerful trips and experiences allowed me to experience the world around me in a way that I never could confined to a four-walled classroom.

Place-Based Education is an opportunity for students to experience deeper learning because the prioritize student engagement and are authentic experiences. These experiences can be, but not limited to, local museums, parks, or even a school yards.

Research has shown that Place-Based Education encourage a personalized student learning experience by giving students a choice in their learning, it is tailored to the strengths, needs and interests of students, ensure mastery in academia, and promotes student agency.

As educators, it is our responsibility to act in our students best interest (Standard 1), and this can be best completed in various environments. Place-Based Education is about leveraging the power of place anytime, and anywhere.

The photos outlined below are either educational experiences I have been on and Professional Development opportunities I’ve experienced in Vanderhoof, for the KOH Learning Project.