Module 4 – Place-based Education in the Global Age: Local Diversity

Through literature survey for my research project I found this book; Place-based Education in the Global Age: Local Diversity (by Smith and Gruenwald, 2008) as an important and timely collection of work that explains how Indigenous people should reintegrate their own knowledge systems into the school curriculum as a basis for connecting what students learn in school with life out of school. This process has sought to restore a traditional sense of place while at the same time broadening and deepening the educational experience for all students.

The book frames place-based pedagogy not just as an alternative teaching methodology or novel approach to environmental education but as part of a broader social movement  which aims toward reclaiming the significance of the local in the global age. Meanwhile, it links development of ecological awareness and stewardship to concerns about equity and cultural diversity. Several examples of place-based education in action that discuss the connections between learners and their wider communities are also demonstrated in this book.