Place-Based Education

An Educational Approach Inside Local Place

Abstract

Sense of place is rooted in people. Several studies show that attachment to a place is connected with the development of identity through spatial, material, and emotional dimensions. It fosters identification and the development of one’s social and cognitive skills. In an educational sense, cultivating a sense of place means inviting the individual to gather many authentic experiences that strengthen ties. This study discusses the place-based education (PBE) approach at the epistemological level, in the context of the learning-teaching relationship. PBE can help to understand culture, the environment and space by creating a multidisciplinary approach.  Moreover, PBE can build a new assumption of being a collective resource. Starting from some studies and evidence that support a positive partnership between the individual and the place, some PBE experiences are analyzed to develop deep learning with children and students.