Please introduce yourself by telling us:
- who you are
- what you do for work
- your opinion on why today’s students need place-based learning and/or civic engagement as a part of their curriculum (if you are not sure of what those terms mean, look at page 5 in the text)
Post your response by using the Reply box below.
THVIP Book Study Blog 
Hi All, my name is Diana Lennon, I am a high school teacher in NYC (biology and Environmental Science) and I think this is my 3rd book group with THVI! It seems I have already been playing around with place based learning without realizing it, using the park next to my school during double periods for students to explore the trees and birds of the city and just be aware of natural places in the city that they otherwise overlook. Civic engagement is a big part of our students’s lives as they tackle action projects in their Participation in Government course. I also utilize the idea of civic engagement in the environmental science course. I think it is important that students understand how they can be a meaningful part of their community as well as to protect it and engage with all community members. I do not think we can educate students adequately to become socially responsible, critical thinking citizens unless we help provide them with tools to understand the cultural, historical context of their world and teach them to incorporate their artistic expression and creativity in seeing and understanding the beauty of the world around them.
Welcome, Diana!
It is nice to have you join us again. I love that as a teacher in NYC, you still make sure your students get outside to experience nature.
Hi, I’m Ken Karnas from Sussex-Wantage, NJ. Work? Forty-two years as an elementary and middle school teacher was just enough! However, in my retirement I have maintained my position as our town’s Clean Communities Program Coordinator. There are so many reasons (historical, cultural, environmental…) why I feel PBL is important but I’d like to focus here on one that is especially important to me: getting kids outside the confines of the classroom and into nature.In the course of my readings, I have come across the following passages that point to the importance of children spending time in the outdoors and the importance of nature in our lives:
There is a growing body of evidence that direct exposure to nature is essential for physical and emotional health.
Exposure to nature may reduce symptoms of ADHD, improve children’s cognitive abilities and resistance to negative stresses and depression.
Many researchers believe loss of natural habitat and disconnectedness from nature has enormous implications for human health and child development.
Quality of exposure to nature affects our health at an almost cellular level.
Children need nature for the healthy development of their senses, for learning, and creativity.
Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health.
Life’s stressful events appear not to cause as much psychological stress in children who live close to nature compared with children who are removed from the natural world.
Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard; the Lakota knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too. (Luther Standing Bear (1868-1939)
It has always amazed me how many of my students (and fellow teachers) had never visited our local state parks and historical sites. And even more amazing to me was listening to a teacher instruct a lesson on haiku inside a classroom when just a few steps away were the clouds, sun, birds, insects, trees–the haiku subjects that were waiting to be experienced firsthand. I’m definitely on board with PBL!
Welcome, Ken,
I am impressed that you worked as an educator for 42 years! Amazing!
Looking forward to hearing more from you as we go through the book.
Susannah
@kenkarnas – YES YES and YES! I never realized within my own self how nature had a calming effect on me until several years ago. With the age of technology so many students never experience nature. Thank goodness educators are beginning to see the life long gift we can give to our students that will not only help them to become better citizens but also healthier individuals.
Hi, I’m Martha Schultz from Millerton (about 45 min from Poughkeepsie, NY). I just completed 35 years (how did that happen!) as a special education teacher with Dutchess County BOCES.
For the past 8 years I have been working with high school age students with multiple disabilities. These are students with moderate to severe physical, academic and social challenges. I have been doing book studies with THV for a few years now (I’ve lost count on how many).
For the students I serve place based learning is critical. To begin with, it is no easy feat to take my students on “field trips” that are far from their community. There is extensive cost involved for wheelchair accessible transportation, and there are many ADL needs that must be addressed on any “long” trip. Not to say that I have not done it, but I have tried to take advantage of appropriate community based opportunities whenever possible. I think it all began when I took students outside for walks around the school grounds. I realized (based on their comments) that it was a perfect way to introduce them to nature and all its wonder. Some of my students at that time really never spent much time outside due to complications with their disability. From there we expanded our study by taking advantage of the Appalachian trail that was close by. We also went into the local town and looked at the resources that were available. My students are hands on learners so actually going into a Post Office or Bakery provides the real world learning that they need. This also provides them with an understanding of their community and the chance to contribute to the conversation about protecting their local environment and developing an opinion about what they want in their community.
Hi! My name is Rachel Ornstein and I am the Director of Administration at the Putnam History Museum, a local history museum in the Hudson Valley. My responsibilities at PHM include managing publicity and social media, fundraising campaigns and event planning, creating and implementing educational programs, and volunteer recruitment and management. I am also currently competing my Master’s in Public Administration, with a focus on nonprofit management.
I believe that both place-based learning and civic engagement should be apart of student’s curriculum for several reasons. Through my position at PHM, I’ve seen how place-based learning allows students to understand the historical and cultural significance of the communities in which they live, and how civic engagement teaches student’s about responsibility and the importance of being involved in their community. I have experienced this first hand through managing our volunteer program, and coordinating and hosting field trips to the museum and the West Point Foundry Preserve, which is located right next door. We utilize as many local resources as possible to teach students the importance of understanding and respecting our local history and community.
Rachel,
Welcome! I have got to get down to the Foundry, it sounds so interesting!
I look forward to hearing your perspective as we read the text.