Place-based education (PBE), sometimes referred to as place-based learning (PBL), experiential education, community-based education, or less commonly, service learning, seeks to help communities by engaging students and educational staff in solving community problems.
Place-based teaching differs from conventional text- and classroom-based teaching in that it understands the local community of students as one of the primary learning resources: it derives learning opportunities from local community settings, which help students connect abstract concepts from the classroom and textbooks with practical challenges encountered in their own localities. Therefore, place-based education encourages learning rooted in the local – the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and arts of a particular place. The site-specific training is often interdisciplinary. It aligns with several popular pedagogies, including thematic, hands-on, or project-based learning. The place-based curriculum begins with issues or issues from the local community.
In the present context, the focus is on PBE applying digitalised tools (e.g., videos or drones for on-site investigations).
Literature e.g.,
Sharples, M., de Roock , R., Ferguson, R., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Looi, C-K, McAndrew, P., Rienties, B., Weller, M., Wong, L. H. (2016). Innovating Pedagogy 2016: Open University Innovation Report 5. Milton Keynes: The Open University;
Herodotou, C., Sharples, M., Gaved, M., Kukuluska-Hulme, A., Rienties, B., Scanlon, E. & Whitelock, D., 2019, Innovative pedagogies of the future: an evidence-based selection. Frontiers in Education, 4, Article 113;
H.T. Zimmerman & S.M. Land (2014) Facilitating Place-Based Learning in Outdoor Informal Environments with Mobile Computers. TechTrends, 58(1), pp. 77-83.
A discussion of how the exploration and understanding of a place can be the backbone of higher education teaching and learning, whether delivered online or in-person, 2 September 2021;