Place-based education from three perspectives

Abstract

This article examines the perception of the Czech place-based education program School for Sustainable Development from the perspectives of the participating students, teachers, and representatives of the local municipalities. The study is based on an analysis of paired or group interviews with 47 students, 7 teachers, and 6 representatives. The findings show that while the teachers perceived the process of the students’ involvement in planning and conducting a community-based project as highly participative, the students’ opportunities to shape the process through making their own decisions were rather limited and the teachers kept control over important parts of the process to themselves. While the cooperation of the schools with their respective municipalities was appreciated by most of the respondents, several barriers have been identified. Participation in the project has likely increased the teachers’ self-effectiveness, developed the students’ interpersonal competence, and improved the atmosphere at the schools involved.

Abbreviations: PBE: place-based education; ENEC: European Network for Environmental Citizenship; STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; SSD: The School for Sustainable Development.     

The GLOBE Program: Long-term memories of program-relevant experience

The study analyzes the meaning attributed to the GLOBE program by its former participants. The data were collected by conducting interviews with 19 adult respondents who left the program at least five years ago. The respondents interpreted the program as a strong community shaped by routine as well as extraordinary program activities and by their relationships. The respondents linked their GLOBE experience with the feeling of being part of something meaningful. The program provided them with a special privilege to experience something different from their non-participating peers. Their participation in the program influenced the respondents' future life and in some cases their professional career. The study discusses the implications in respect to environmental education practice.