Place-Based Learning

Though it can seem daunting, getting students outdoors for even 30 minutes offers many benefits, during the pandemic and beyond. This checklist can help get you started.

As elementary students turn squares of paper into animals they’re studying, the age-old Japanese art form makes lessons more memorable.

There are plenty of logistics to consider, but educators say outdoor classes keep kids and teachers safer—and provide much-needed fresh air.

A mini-golf course, a canoe trip down the local river, a discussion about environmental justice. Here’s how schools are teaching students about environmental science.

Going outside helps students focus, and activities for classes from social studies to math can incorporate the natural world.

An outdoor education program builds community and culture, raises expectations and standards, increases connection between students, and develops positive associations around school and the outdoors.

When we are faced with challenges, our brains are activated to learn new things—so long as a foundation of safety, belonging, and trust is there as well.

A veteran teacher and author discusses how to bring fieldwork into your project-based learning curriculum.

When teachers collaborate on projects across subjects, they can drive engagement in all of their classes.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, an award-winning school has been the catalyst for a district turnaround after a 20-year decline.

Connecting learning to students’ surroundings—the buildings, the landscape—covers content goals and builds community pride.

See how students investigate real issues in their communities—and check out an e-book on how to adopt this type of program.

When students step out of the classroom and explore the concepts they’ve learned about, they deepen their understanding of science, themselves, and the world.

Taking kids outside—whatever environment your school is in—provides a new path to engagement in learning.

Two Canadian experiential leadership programs usher students into the great outdoors to pique their academic curiosity while enhancing their physical and mental health.