First Year Seminar: Place Based Education: October 2016

PLACE BASED EDUCATION FYS: WHAT IS THIS?

Fostering sense of place further explained:

Where will your favorite places in the Salem be when you leave Salem State with degree in hand? What experiences will shape your time here at Salem State University? Who will become your lifelong friends? During this class we will explore what developing a sense of place means and what contributes to feeling a sense of belonging? Through experiencing Salem through this lens, we aim to foster your initial sense of place and belonging in the Salem town and Salem State communities. To this end, we will explore the people, places and processes that shape Salem and Salem State. We will explore the social and ecological issues that the people of Salem face. Research suggests that when people have a greater sense of place in a community, they are more empowered to get involved locally. Through local civic engagement comes an even greater sense of purpose and empowerment, circling back to an even greater sense of belonging. Required assignments will require town of Salem trips. Throughout the semester we will take several field trips into town to various places significant to Salem.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Sense of PLace in Madison, WI

I went to the NAAEE conference to present about sense of place! This is the environmental education conference of North America. The annual conference was in MAdison this year. Each year it changes. Last year was San Diego, and the year before was Ottawa.

Day 1 we went to the nearby prairie reserve at the University of Madison. We did a walk about in groups. It was wonderful.

This is State Street downtown

State Street, with the capital behind!

View from where the conference was- Madison is the capital

This is the Aldo Leopold reserve. He is the founder of conservation education and wrote "Sand County Almanac."

Me teaching.

Wherever I go, I like to try and dig my roots in a little. I want to get a feel for each place. First, with conferences, there is a gypsy type thing, where I see the same people every year only ONE TIME a year at these events. We meet up in whatever random city or place.

I always also meet new people. I typically love to find a buddy to pal around with, which makes the conferences feel more homey and manageable.

I always go on field trips with colleagues. These are times where we learn about the place and also each other. It is a wonderful time to network.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

PLace and Space: Our library

Environmental Psychology is an entire field of study examining how space and place impact our psyche.
Place based education considers the topic of sense of place.
Sense of place is based on the concept of PLACE.

Place is such a subjective term, but one thing we know is that people, over the course of their lifetime create a genetic place code, meaning, they identify some places as comfortable and others as not comfortable.
For example, when I look to a town to move to, I need specific things. I need a food coop. I need a yoga studio. I need some coffee shops. I need a place to hike nearby.

These are places I find comfortable.
I also have places in buildings that are comfortable. I like wood, light, and airy room.
The library matches me aesthetically.