(1) Review the progression of sense of place at NOLS. (2) Reflect on a diversity of ... transfer to a variety of other content and life context areas. (Breunig, Murtell ... Dude, this stuff is too âtouchy-feelyâ and really isn't my styleâ¦. â¡ Others?
INSPIRING SENSE OF PLACE AT NOLS
By Garrett Hutson and John Gookin
The purpose of this workshop is to… (1) Review the progression of sense of place at NOLS (2) Reflect on a diversity of personal connections to wilderness (3) Share and discuss favorite ways of teaching sense of place to NOLS students (i.e., activities, course types) (4) Further discussion points? *Framed within the structure of the new EEN *Co-create a new “sense of place” Rendezvous folder/newsletter article
Definitions for us to start with….
Sense of place is the emotional, cognitive, and functional meaning attached to a setting by a person or group.
Sense of place is the ongoing relationship that forms between a person and place.
Guiding themes to this workshop
Pedagogically, sense of place can be an ongoing conversation that we have with our students. There is a range of pathways we can use to encourage our students discover their own sense of place.
Chasing place stories…..
How do you define a sense of place for yourself?
Describe some of the ways that you experience a sense of place during NOLS courses? Come up with a few examples and describe them on your yellow sticky notes. Now, describe a time when you felt your strongest connection to a place during a NOLS course. Briefly describe that experience on a pink sticky note.
Why is sense of place important?
Place sentiments and transference are connected Research has shown: -Increased emotional environmental connection = a higher likelihood of engagement with environmental issues (Hinds & Sparks, 2008). -Place identity and sensitivity may stimulate responsible day-to-day environmental behaviors (Sia, Hungerford, & Tomera, 1985/1986; Vaske & Kobrin, 2001).
-Experiential place-based learning is memorable and easy for students to transfer to a variety of other content and life context areas (Breunig, Murtell, & Russell, under review).
Progression of sense of place at NOLS
“Environmental studies at NOLS are positive, fun , and relevant. It is based on both practical needs and developing a sense of place” (Gookin, 2002, p. 4). “Environmental ethics means helping students foster a sense of place…” (Johnson, 2002, p. 5).
Sense of place involves three components: 1. Being comfortable and at home in an environment 2. An awareness and understanding of life processes in that environment 3. Being mentally present in a place and not being absorbed by distractions (MacLean, 2002, p. 17)
“Being here now: Teaching a sense of place”
Progression of sense of place at NOLS
“Sense of place is a special bond a person feels to a particular place. This bond is created without intention because our senses are constantly downloading impressions of our environment. The result is that we are inescapably impacted by the ongoing relationship between our five senses and our surroundings.
**At the same time, we are endowing areas with significance based on our affiliation with them, a process that results in the creation of places” (Shostak, 2007, p. 1). Places are, in part, constructed through our responses to them and our experiences with them.
Progression of sense of place at NOLS
Students will develop a sense of place by experiencing wilderness and exploring their relationships with their surroundings” (NOLS, 2011, p. 1). “We can support students in developing a sense of place by running good NOLS courses that inspire their own personal connections with the natural world. This in turns feeds their personal values and ethics” (NOLS, 2011, p. 1).
Pathways we can use to inspire sense of place (Low & Altman, 1992)
Emotions “How do you feel in this place?” Scale “How does the size of this place affect you?”
Temporal Aspects “How does your sense of time affect you in this place?”
Sense of Place Practice “What activities help you feel connected to this place?”
Cognition “What do you think/know about this place?” Social Actors/ Relationships “What are people/you like in this place?”
How do your students experience a sense of place?
Describe some of the ways that you have witnessed your students experience/express a sense of place during NOLS courses? Come up with a few examples and describe those on your sticky notes.
Sense of place as an ongoing conversation…
Sense of place can: -Be brought into daily conversations, lines of questioning, formal classes, and debriefs – make it an environmental studies imperative (MacLean, 2002). -Deeply involve the senses, a location’s natural and cultural history, as well as personalized meaning. -Be inspired by creating a safe space for students to give voice to their own types of person-place expression.
*Students should be encouraged to connect their place-based thoughts and feelings formed at NOLS to their home places (i.e., local parks, other wilderness areas, cities, etc.)
Teaching sense of place with structured classes/activities
What are some of the ways that we can teach and facilitate a sense of place directly and indirectly during NOLS courses?
Think-Pair-Share
Other points of discussion
Barriers to sense of place at NOLS. What are they? How do we overcome them? Should we push our students toward particular sense of place perspectives? Dude, this stuff is too “touchy-feely” and really isn’t my style…. Others?
Sometimes, someone else’s words provide the best closing remarks…. The catalyst that converts any physical location into a place is a process of experiencing deeply. A place is a piece of the whole environment that has been claimed by feelings. Viewed simply as a life support system, the Earth is an environment. Viewed as a resource that sustains our humanity, the Earth is a collection of places. We never speak, for example, of an environment we’ve known; it is always places we have known and recall. We are homesick for places, we are reminded of places, it is the sounds and smells and sites of places which haunt us …and against which we often measure our present. (Gussow, 1983, p. 45).
Acknowledgements
John Gookin Eli Shostak Scott Robertson Jamie O’Donnell Rob MacLean
References Breunig, M., Murtell, J., & Russell, C. (under review). Students’ experiences with/in integrated environmental studies programs in Ontario. Paper submitted to the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. Gookin, J. (2002). Defining environmental education. In J. Gookin, & D. Wells (Eds.), NOLS Environmental Educator Notebook (p. 4). Lander, WY: The National Outdoor Leadership School. Gussow, A. (1983). A sense of place. In S. Van Matre, & B. Weiler (Eds.), The earth speaks (p. 45). Greenville, WV: Institute for Earth Education. Low, S. M., & Altman, I. (1992). Place attachment: A conceptual inquiry. In I. Altman, & S. M. Low (Eds.), Place attachment (pp. 1–12). New York: Plenum Press. MacLean, R. (2002). Being here now: Teaching a sense of place. In J. Gookin, & D. Wells (Eds.), NOLS Environmental Educator Notebook (pp. 17-19). Lander, WY: The National Outdoor Leadership School. NOLS (2011). Environmental studies at NOLS. Retrieved from http://rendezvous.nols.edu//content/section/53/794/ Shostak, E. (2007, February). A field guide to sensing places. National Outdoor Leadership School Staff Newsletter. Lander, WY: National Outdoor Leadership School. Sia, A., Hungerford, H., & Tomera, A. (1985/1986). Selected predictors of responsible environmental behavior: An analysis. Journal of Environmental Education, 17(2), 31-40. Vaske, J. J., & Kobrin, K. C. (2001). Place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior. Journal of Environmental Education, 32(4), 16–21.
