Place-based education and indigenous knowledges in Canadian teacher education programs

Place-based education (PBE) was introduced in the 1990s as a way for educators and students to embrace the connection to local ecological and social issues. PBE invites teachers to examine social justice issues alongside traditional environmental emphases, and is defined by its use of integrated, interdisciplinary, experiential and inquiry-based modes of teaching and learning. Research has shown that PBE results in improved student outcomes and helps equip students with the skills to combat both environmental and social justice issues, as well as potentially address Indigenous issues. However, very little research has been done to examine PBE within teacher education programs. Therefore, this study sought to better understand how Canadian teacher educators understand and enact PBE through teacher education programs and contribute to a richer animation of PBE.

In the summer of 2017, eight Canadian teacher educators were recruited for the study based on previous experience teaching PBE. Each participant had previously completed a survey, which was analyzed in another study. The eight participants agreed to small-group follow-up interviews via video conferencing. The interviews were semi-structured, and responses were measured and analyzed to reveal overlap of key categories, which included: the participants' pathways to PBE; terminologies for PBE; purposes for PBE; pedagogical practices used in PBE; and societal structures that affected faculty ability to incorporate PBE into their teacher education programs. Researchers also paid special attention to the integration of Indigenous knowledges of place and its connections to PBE.

Researchers found both commonalities and significant differences across each category. Six of the eight participants came to PBE through environmental education (EE), while all participants take their students on place-based fieldtrips to natural and built environments to enhance student learning. The participants varied in their connection to the term “PBE,” and half used a variety of other terms alongside PBE. When discussing the purpose of PBE, they all commented on the importance of getting students out of the classroom. Participants answers showed that place was fundamental to their teaching. Their pedagogical practices highlighted experience and inquiry as important facets of PBE for faculty when teaching because they helped provoke creative ways of learning and provided opportunities for critical learning. Participants also noted how structures such as standardized testing, support from colleagues or administration, funding, competition for time, curriculum mandates, provincial teacher certification requirements, and neoliberalism affected their ability to incorporate PBE. Finally, most participants referred to the importance of Indigenous knowledges, but varied in the degree to which it was integrated into their courses.

The study had limitations. Only eight teacher educators participated, providing a limited sample of the diverse pathways and viewpoints that could exist in the field of PBE. In addition, all participants were based in Canadian higher education institutions, limiting the generalizability of the results.

The researchers have several clear recommendations. Creating change in educational structures is one such starting point. They recommend that teacher educators create advanced qualification certificates in PBE and work collaboratively with provincial curriculum writers to further integrate PBE and Indigenous knowledges. Exploring and linking Indigenous education, PBE, and EE can help us understand how to live sustainably and promote resilience to climate change through addressing both environmental and social justice issues.