Place-Based Programming

Place-based education is a pedagogical (teacher practice) approach in which curricular outcomes are taught cross-curricularly within the context of learners' built and natural environments and the systems within those environments. This creates relevance to scaffold learning to, building upon student’s lived experiences, while connecting the learner to their community by promoting awareness and ability. “Valuable knowledge for most children is knowledge that is directly related to their own social reality, knowledge that will allow them to engage in activities that are of service to and valued by those they love and respect” (Smith, 2002,p. 586).

Finding a problem in the field and then working with students and community partners to solve, or improve the issue is a powerful way to connect learning with student context.

If you would like a fuller understanding of PBE, please feel free to read this paper: PBE Literature Review

In recurring, repeatable, peer-reviewed, research, PBE has been shown to:

• Increase student engagement & attendance rates
• Increase learning by increasing relevance
• Improve attention, lowered stress, & improved mood and feelings of wellness
• Decrease behavior problems, office referrals, & suspensions
• Create quantifiable improvements in standardized testing, specifically in social studies & science
• Increase student connectedness to communities over a lifetime (increased student community engagement and activism)
• Promote a healthy, active lifestyle
• Expose students to potential new interests & new places (possible career connections in students’ own community)
• Create lasting, good memories & strengthens relationships between students and their teachers as well as among their peers.
• Develop self-concept and connection to place 

Place-Based Supervisors are here to help build capacity around place-based pedagogy and help develop/facilitate programming in the following three areas:

Place-Based Community Projects

• Student-led social enterprise (micro-businesses)
• Land camps
• Community improvement projects
• Stewardship initiatives
• Student-led school recycling programs
• Schoolyard naturalization
• Gardens in schools
• Water quality monitoring
• Toxins reduction related to school operations or the operations of other local entities
• Energy conservation
• Invasives species control
• Community project/engagement nights
• Student-led curricular exhibits
• Community art nights including but not limited to art fundraisers

Pursuits Programming at PEAKS Campus (or alternate site)

• Wilderness First Aid (equivalent to standard first aid and CPR level C)
• Avalanche Safety Training (ASTI)
• Ski Instructor Certification (CSIA I)
• Alberta Hunter Education Certification
• Archery
• Canoeing
• Hiking
• Navigation
• Plant identification
• Indigenous/Traditional games
• Cross-country skiing
• Snowshoeing 
• Outdoor wellness activities
• Team-building challenges

Experiential Curriculum-Based Programming

Field science including but not limited to astronomy, geology, geography, botany, hydrology, chemistry, etc.  (PEAKS mobile science lab is under development; completion date TBA.)

• Nature-focused fine arts
• Writers workshops
• Wetland field studies (invertebrate surveys)
• Reclamation and habitat restoration projects
• Snow Studies
• Forestry studies