Place-Based Education in Geoscience: Theory, Research, Practice, and Assessment

ABSTRACT

Place-based education (PBE) is a situated, context-rich, transdisciplinary teaching and learning modality distinguished by its unequivocal relationship to place, which is any locality that people have imbued with meanings and personal attachments through actual or vicarious experiences. As an observational and historical science, geoscience is highly dependent on place, and place-based curricula and instructional methods apply to geoscience education. The sense of place operationalizes the human connection to place and functions as a definable and measurable learning outcome for PBE. Although PBE is rooted in historic and indigenous teaching philosophies, it has gained particular notice and traction in concert with more recent interest in environmental education, sustainability, and diversity in geoscience. This paper presents a current review of theory and research methods that have directly informed development of curriculum and instruction in, authentic assessment of, and implementation of PBE in geoscience sensu lato (Earth-system and environmental sciences); a survey of place-based teaching in geoscience currently or recently practiced across different grade levels and situated in different places, regions, and cultures; information about teaching and assessment methods for those who may be interested in adopting the place-based modality; and suggested future directions for research, practice, and assessment in PBE in geoscience.

Key words: :

• place-based geoscience education
• place
• sense of place
• multicultural geoscience education

Acknowledgments

S. Semken gratefully acknowledges the scholarly guidance of Dale Baker, Elizabeth Brandt, and Mike Piburn at Arizona State University (ASU); of Frank Morgan and many other generous colleagues from the Diné (Navajo) Nation and other Native nations; and of his students at ASU and Diné College over the past three decades. Semken also acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant numbers 0355224, 1034926, 1101100, and 1108044, and initial support from the U.S. Department of Energy. E. Ward acknowledges the influence of her Blackfeet colleagues Helen Augare, Melissa Little Plume-Weatherwax, and Calvin Weatherwax; as well as the faculty and students at Blackfeet Community College and cultural experts from the Blackfeet Nation for their collaboration on various place-based geoscience projects. Ward and Semken also thank Dr. Julie C. Libarkin for her guidance, contributions, and feedback to the early discussions of this review paper and the grant work that contributed to this paper. Ward also acknowledges support from the NSF under grant numbers 1034909 and 1034926. D. Moosavi thanks hundreds of his general education students for helping him to see the places important in their lives through their eyes, and guiding his path into place-based education. P. Chinn gratefully acknowledges Steven Businger, Floyd McCoy, M. Puakea Nogelmeier, Scott Rowland; graduate students Johanna Stone, Lindsey Spencer, Jason Ellinwood, Kelly Lance, and Sara DaSilva; and support from the NSF under grant number 1108569. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the U.S. Department of Energy.