Teaching About Place: Learning From The Land

by Hal Crimmel (Editor), Laird Christensen, Hal Crimmel-Eds (Editor)

The sixteen essays in this anthology describe the practice of teaching about place, with the goal of inspiring educators as well as other readers to discover the value of close investigation of their own places. The contributors discuss places from the desert river canyons of the American West, to the bayous of Texas, to wildlife refuges on the Atlantic Coast, to New England’s forests and river, and back to the wildland-urban interface in suburban Southern California.
These essays reveal broader lessons about the possibilities and limitations that come with teaching about place and inhabiting our own places outside the classroom. Contributors Ann Zwinger, Bradley John Monsma, SueEllen Campbell, Terrell Dixon, and John Elder.

Genres: Nonfiction

266 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2008

Reviews

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an eco-educator, I enjoyed this book very much! Each essay on teaching “place“ was interesting and well written. Some of them were fascinating! Others gave pedagogical pointers and experience with students in the field. I was especially interested in the western bioregion pieces. I appreciate that the publisher is UNR, not far from me in Las Vegas. The biographies of the authors were also interesting, seeing their journeys to the point of writing their contribution. I love the collaborative nature of this work. While it’s a bit dated, 20 years old, I still found it relevant. It left me with a long to-read list, and glad to see I’ve read many of the cited texts. I highly recommend this collection of essays.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays in this book come from professors at universities across the U.S., and they range from giving advice/sharing stories about what worked in their classrooms to more personal meditations on teaching, place, and the academic vocation. Beautifully designed, with each chapter only about 10-15 pages, this book was easy to read and is useful to anyone looking to incorporate more place-based pedagogy into their teaching.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this interesting collection of essays written by teachers from all over who attempt to instill their students with a greater understanding of the world around them. If you are interested in the natural world or alternative educational methods (ideally both), then this book would probably speak to you, too.