Place-based education and community-based learning are not new concepts; there are many ways community-based learning enhances understanding of, and connection to, a community and can encourage students to become concerned and contributing citizens (Loveland, 2002). Using students’ own communities as the context for educational experiences is a way for them to connect their world to the larger world and place real value on their education.
Local history projects can take on many different forms including presentations, documentaries, historic preservation projects, collection and recording projects, and the digitization of traditional historical knowledge into electronic formats. One of the best ways to learn about the usefulness of the past, according to eminent history scholar John Lee, is through the study of local history.
Research has shown better student achievement, revitalized teaching, increased interest in citizenship and improved quality of life as reasons to implement community-connected education programs (Loveland, 2002).
You must be logged in to post a comment.