14 PATHWAYS Sense ofPlace them to restricted have historically education systems adult couldeverwishfor, soar wellbeyondwhatany when students’imaginations classroom door. Inaperiodofyouth developed handbooksbutalsoatthe line inOntarioMinistryofEducation– focus. Thisdividehasnotonlydrawna segregated intosubjectsofnarrow-minded teacher-centred instruction andacurriculum has predominantly beenfocusedaround early 21centuries,traditionaleducation of thewholechild.Duringlate20and has received infosteringthedevelopment but insteadthelackofacknowledgementit the shortageofinformationorresources representation incurriculumisnotdueto role inourschoolsystems. Itsminimal education (OEE)playsaninsufficient all-time high,outdoorandenvironmental the needforenvironmental attentionisatan continue toaffect ourdaily lives. Although issues havebeenontheglobalforefront and Over thepastthree decades, environmental By P.J. Aucoin Education Discovering SenseofPlace: Application through each other. To thisIsuggestthedaysof wildlife, community, and,mostimportantly, understanding withnature, theenvironment, of individuals’developedrelationships and meanings; commongoalsrelate tothebasics of placecanhavemanyindividualized developmental stageoftheirlives.Sense of placeforstudentsduringthisimportant experiential educationandcreating asense need toacknowledgetheimportanceof members, principals,teachersandparents In achievingthis,theministry, schoolboard education tofinditswayback roots. modern world,there isa dire needfor to advancementsineverysectorofour As technologycontinuestocontribute opportunity forexperience. evenly dividedrows and enableddiminutive endless textbookwork,learningfor the purposeofregurgitation and standardized testing have longpassedtheir welcome. Itistime to forget about those fourwalls and jointhe classroom of the philosophy ofeducation: of Toronto, itisbasedonthefollowing through apartnershipwiththeUniversity Toronto, Ontario. A program implemented models istheChildStudyLaboratoryin students. Adopting thesetheoriesand to mostbenefitupcominggenerationsof in whichintegratededucationshouldgo we begintoacknowledgethedirection Kolb’s (1983)“experientiallearningcycle,” Through philosophiesandmodelssuchas an activepartofthelearningexperience. are removed from theirdesksandbecome world; aneducationsystemwhere students outlook oneducationwithintheWestern Education, outlinestheneedforarevised Dewey’s (1938)book,ExperienceBased wrote: American philosopherJohnDewey(1938) education. integration ofenvironmental andoutdoor with thetraditionalcurriculumthrough sense ofplace,andthepotentialinworking methodologies, theimportanceofcreating will discussanewdirection forteaching field, but,takingastepback,thisarticle would beidealforthosewhostudyinthe an OEEprogram inelementary curriculum future—the outdoors.The emergence of how toapply thatunderstandingto to askquestions,howunderstand, thoroughly, learninghowtolearn, felt. ..exploringsomething deeplyand intrinsic nourishmentcan make itself instead ofregurgitating it before its swallowing itwhole,digesting Savouring informationinsteadof experiences astheyoccur?(p.49) extract meaningfrom hisfuture and, aboveall,losestheabilityto desires toapplywhathehaslearned these thingsare relative; ifheloses worth while,ofthevaluestowhich soul: loseshisappreciation ofthings process theindividualloseshisown ability toread andwrite,ifinthe geography andhistory, towinthe amounts ofinformationabout What availisittowinprescribed and appreciation fortheoutdoors;tothis an understandingoftheusefulness, beauty, place withoursurroundings, developing were subconsciouslydevelopingasenseof Using theoutdoorsandenvironment, we of thesoldiersduring War of 1812. opposition created asimulatedexperience and strategizingtocapture theflagof student brought. Protecting ourdomain and create soupoutofwhateveritemseach lifestyles thatrequired ustoforageforfood troops, learningaboutweaponsandthe on theroles oftheBritishand American of theWar of1812,myclassmatesandItook Integrating theoutdoorsandare-enactment heritage conservationarea ofBackusMills. the smalltownofPortRowansits outdoor educationandsocialscience.In came withinanintegratedprogram of most memorableandbeneficialexperiences Growing upinSouthernOntario,oneofmy 1. SocialSciences integrated education. future generationswiththeoutdoorsthrough to fosterlearningandreunite current and curriculum usingtheoutdoorsasamedium to create senseofplacewithintraditional This sectiondiscussestheopportunities integration withregards totheoutdoors. cross-curricular integrationletalone extremely topic-specificandrarely discuss Subjects withincurriculumare often Education intoElementaryCurriculum Integration ofEnvironmentalandOutdoor understanding andknowledge. rather, emphasisonthedevelopmentof assessment isnotastandardized testbut, student-based learningwhere themeansto effect ofcross-curriculum integrationand majority, itisnecessarytoacknowledgethe continue tobethetestinggroup forthe elementary schools. As schoolslikethis should beimplementedintraditional many, suchasDeweyandKolb,suggest portrays thewhole-childapproach that The ChildStudyLaboratory’sphilosophy F1) other areas ofstudy. (Mitchell,2003,p. Sense ofPlace 15 PATHWAYS 16 Sense ofPlace PATHWAYS discussion, the Arts andLanguagesubjects journaling, reflection, observationand developmental understandings.Through allows forstudentstocreate expressive and Integrating the Arts andLanguagewithOEE 2. Arts andLanguage I believeisextremely beneficialatallages. student-centred approach tolearning,which connections totheirmaterial,creating a place allowsthemtheopportunitytomake imaginations andcreate theirownsenseof find suitable.Enablingstudentstousetheir they havelearnedinwhicheverway them toopentheirmindsanddivulgewhat in students’learning,which,turn,allows environmental issuestobecomeinvolved allows forgeographical,historicaland adventure-based activities intheoutdoors Using re-enactments, role-playing or outdoors. trip asthestartingpointtomylovefor of theWar of1812,andoftenthinkthat school days,Icanstillrecall themajorevents remember verylittlefrom myelementary this memorablefieldtrip,and,although I survival. Almost tenyearshavepassedsince to beasoliderrelying on theoutdoorsfor learners inunderstandingwhatitwaslike Through role-playing wealsobecameactive day thisremains ingrained inmymemory. allow studentstouse words, poemsandsongs to artisticallyrepresent been extremely well to incorporateOEEintohas What couldbeseenasadifficultsubject 3. ScienceandTechnology of art. connections withtheenvironment asaform drawings, dancesorplays,tomake self-expression, whetheritbepaintings, own perceived senseofplaceand,through integration allowsstudentstocapture their while developingliterarydevices.OEE outdoors andreflect ontheirexperiences to achievesenseofplacewithinthe This explorationprocess leadsstudents development andOEEintegratedprocess: (2002) where theyexplain thelanguage this isinacasestudybyBennionandOlsen their experiencesinnature. An exampleof 244) the completecomposingprocess. (p. as pre-writing experienceteachesthem writing teacherproduces abetterwork, mental growth. Closecontactwiththe of values,aswellemotionaland realm ofself-exploration, consideration exercise andrush ofadrenaline, tothe the experiencebeyondmere physical discussed whathappened.Thismoved We thenread from thejournalsand amphitheater andwrote in journals. narrows, westoppedunder anatural rock trailandwadingthrough water After comingdownasteepslick- TGfU allows new avenuesfordevelopmental aside from sport-basedPhysicalEducation, Games forUnderstanding (TGfU).Stepping child-centred approach labelled Teaching changes havecomeinthe form ofanew change overthepastfive years. Major planning, butithasundergone immense outdoors asasettingforlessonsandprogram This subjecthasforalongtimeusedthe 4. HealthandPhysicalEducation(HPE) awareness. begin todevelopincreased environmental and proper discussion,studentscanslowly but, usingdevelopmentalteachingmodels students rangingfrom theagesof6to11, These topicsmayseemsomewhatheavyfor future (OntarioMinistryofEducation,p.36). maintain healthylivingstandards forthe everyday livesinorder topreserve and concerning issuessurrounding thestudents’ further discussesthepracticalapplication place andenvironmental integration.It explains theimportanceofsense T Education (2007)states: environment. TheOntario Ministryof environmental justiceinprotecting our will faceonadailybasiswithregards to technology exposesissuesthatstudents understanding. Thisportionofscienceand creating senseofplacewithin students’ design butexpresses the importance of environmental sectioninto theircurriculum The ministryhasnotonlyadoptedan for ScienceandTechnology (2007). Ontario MinistryofEducationCurriculum developed andintegratedinthecurrent his curricularhandbookthoroughly thinking. (p.35) the environment, and/ortosystems to theimpactofhumanactivityon related tostudents’senseofplace, examining criticalinquiryquestions environmental literacyisthrough One effective waytoapproach to observe,explore, andinvestigate. into theworldbeyondschool, students outoftheclassroom and teachers haveopportunitiestotake Throughout thegradesand strands, gives reference totheongoinglearning that Kolb’s (1983)“experiential learningcycle” with thecaseforstudent-centred education. lessons taught.This,ofcourse, doesnotfit achieving anoverallunderstanding of obtained theideaofan“end product” in on therefrigerator, parents seem tohave Whether itisagradeorpieceofartwork terms ofthemarksstudentsbringhome. grade, leadingparents totrackprogress in that assessmentshouldresult inaformal has developedthenotionwithinoursociety challenges. Current teacher-based learning student-based learningdonotcomewithout The integrationofOEEandtheuse Future Outlook also OntarioMinistryofEducation,2010.) outdoors provides intheirdailylives.(See recognizing thebeneficialopportunities unorganized andorganized playasatoolin relationship withtheoutdoorsusingboth place. Studentscanunmindfullycreate a goal ofOEEingivingstudentsasense DPA hastheabilitytoapplyoverall or justsimplyplayinggamesintheoutdoors, Whether thistakestheformofanature walk be implementedoutsideofaschoolsetting. wider rangeofphysicalactivitiesthatcan and adventure totheoutdoors,providing a take studentsoutofacooped-upclassroom importance andopportunityDPA hasto (OPHEA, 2009)article,theydiscussthe Practical StrategiesforBeing Active Outside” classroom activities.Intheir“Take itOutside! point out,DPA isbynomeanslimitedto Health Educators Associations (OPHEA) elementary schools. As OntarioPhysical policy ofDailyPhysical Activity (DPA) in Ontario MinistryofEducation’s(2005) HPE integrationistheintroduction tothe The secondopportunityforOEEand and outdooreducationforstudents. valuable avenuesincreating asenseofplace awareness lessonsprovide extremely nature adventures orenvironmental modified orienteering,scavengerhunts, Elementary HPEprograms basedaround new lessonplansandcourseprogramming. adopt thenewcurriculumtryandcreate learning asteacherswhoare required to

Sense ofPlace 17 PATHWAYS 18 PATHWAYS Sense ofPlace and appreciate thatwhichisallaround us. of oureducationsystemsin order topreserve environmental thinkersshouldbeavitalgoal it, anddevelopingfuture generationsinto nature wehavetofirstlearnhowlove are endlessandexciting.Inorder to“save” of thebenefitstheyprovide, thepossibilities education, but,withincreased understanding integration ofoutdoorandenvironmental to student-centred educationreform and A lotofworkisyettobedonewithregards could everachieve. obtain experiencethatnotextbookortest confinement oftheirdesksorclassrooms to awareness, andremoves studentsfrom the skills andknowledge,environmental developing socialrelationships, transferable Experiential learningbecomesatoolin these connectionsbacktotheirdailylives. students tomakeconnectionsandapply a broad contextofsubjectareas, allowing environmental andplace-basedthinkingover place withineducationalsettingsencourages them. Providing achancetoobtainsenseof relationships withtheenvironment around for studentstomakeconnectionsandgain driven eventbutanoverallopportunity concept ofsenseplaceisnotasingularly this environment initsnaturalforms.The in raisedawareness andactiontopreserve the environment thatwillhopefullyresult allows studentstodevelopanattachment the doorforgreater understandingbutalso environmental educationnotonlyopens Curriculum thatintegratesoutdoorand and understandingone’ssurroundings. instead aboutbuildingrelationships about asinglelesson,orexperience,but education. Senseofplaceisnotspecifically of experiential-integratedoutdoor This quotationencapsulatestheobjectives “In youthwelearn,inageunderstand.” Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach oncestated, to berealized. students inorder forlongitudinal successes understood intheschoolsandhomesof across contexthastobeacknowledged and to learnandberevisited in order toapply developmental process that requires time to fullygrasp.Theideaofanincreased may takeweeksormonthsforstudents and internationaldevelopment. interests inenvironmental awareness/education strong tiesinallareas ofeducationwithspecial of studystemfrom physicaleducation,hehas Education program. Althoughhisprimaryareas graduate of Brock University’s Bachelor of Physical P.J. Aucoinisacurrent studentandsoon-to-be Ontario PhysicalandHealthEducation ———. (2010).TheOntariocurriculumgrades ———. (2007).TheOntariocurriculumgrades Ontario MinistryofEducation.(2005).Daily Mitchell, A. (2003).Itmakesmainstream Kolb, D.(1983).Problem management: Dewey, J.(1938).Experienceandeducation Bennion, J.,&Olsen,B.(2002).Wilderness References being-active-outside ta ke-it-outside-practical-strategies- http://www.ophea.net/article/dpa/ Retrieved November1,2010,from Practical strategiesforbeingoutside. Association. (2009). Printer forOntario. (revised). Ottawa,ON:Queen’s 1 to8:Healthandphysicaleducation Ontario. Ottawa, ON:Queen’sPrinterfor 1 to8:Scienceandtechnology Ontario. 3. Ottawa,ON:Queen’sPrinterfor physical activityinschools:Grades1to Globe andMail education looklikefastfood.The 5). SanFrancisco:JosseyBass. Srivastva, Learning from experience. InSuresh New York, NY: Touchstone. 239–246. Journal ofExperientialEducation to enhanceoutdoorexperience. writing: Usingpersonalnarrative The executive mind , p.F1. Take itoutside! (revised). (Chapter , 25(1), .