Place Based Education... where do I fit in?

Place based education seems to be the buzzword these days in education, a welcome change amongst the standards based curriculum that seems to generalize the world rather than capitalize on the uniqueness of every child and place. I, for one, love learning about other places and provide space for other cultures, people, ideas, and places in my classroom. However, I also cannot imagine focusing only on places outside of our city and state when Juneau has so much to offer. Within the "walls" of my classroom are spaces for both. Since my goal is to provide an environment where students can become global citizens, than I must provide opportunities for them to build the connections between "here" and "there," "us" and "them," "this" and "that." In order to do this, I start with what inspires my students, expanding on their interests and empowering them with the knowledge of their place (not confined to physical) in our world. By bridging their curiosity to other topics, my students see the world more holistically.

To clarify what I am getting at, consider the following examples:

• A teacher could bridge a child's interest in scorpions to the insects in our area and how they hunt and protect themselves.
• A class noticing how the leaves are changing colors could be led to exploring techniques artists use to capture the changes, touching on both local and world-renowned artists.
• Student interest in oil spills could lead to the Exxon Valdez, Gulf of Mexico, and the Princess Kathleen spills.
  
• A parent with a fresh octopus provides a great opportunity to look at the specimen as well as the ways people eat it around the world, listen to the experiences the children have had with an octopus, and learn about the local octopus population.
  

I realize the examples I have given are mini-units rather than larger units, but I enjoy injecting my class with shorter units because there are amazing things happening all the time in the world and locally. It is not always something I can plan weeks or months ahead of time, and it doesn't have to be to be meaningful. A downtown fire, visiting icebreaker, avalanche, and sprouting fiddleheads are opportunities teachers should not overlook. These opportunities have the potential to spark the class' interest and become a larger unit of study.

An Idea

When thinking of how to connect my students to our place, downtown Juneau, I realized we do many things already, although on a much smaller scale then a full project. For a larger project, it would be exciting to ask my students to think critically about Juneau in the past, present, and future.

Question: Why is Juneau here? Will Juneau be here in 100 years and if so, what could it look like?

In my classroom, I would provide students with historical photos of downtown Juneau that they would then analyze for the historical purpose of the place (such as what is the significance of the House of Wickersham? What does the House of Wickersham tell you about Juneau in 1898?) Students would then compare the photos to the place’s present situation and analyze any changes for insight into how Juneau has changed. Through photos, trips to the photos’ locations, and supplemental readings, students will be able to build an understanding of the historical influences on Juneau. From there, a look at what sustains Juneau now and the reasons why would provide students information on the Juneau of 2010. Finally, with the information students have assembled thus far, students will answer the question, “will we be here in 100 years and what will it look like?”

Opportunities:

• Start with a geographic map of Southeast Alaska, particularly the Juneau area. Give students details about the area such as available resources, issues, and realities of the areas around Juneau. E.g. The Gastineau Channel was very windy while Auke Bay provided shelter in the harder months. Montana Creek had a rich salmon stock. Gold deposits were located on either side of Gastineau Channel. The Mendenhall Glacier extended past the current visitors center. Have students decide where the most viable area to live was and justify their choice. Then, compare their choice(s) to the history of the Juneau area with the Auke and Taku Tlingit tribes. As that exploration ends, introduce historical events such as the settlement and exploration of non-Native groups in the area. Again, analyze the choices of Juneau’s ancestors as the class moves into history that is more recent.
• Have students choose an industry to chronicle the history of, then assembling the histories to see a collective account of Juneau.
• Build a timeline to visually depict the history kids assemble.
• Invite parents and community members into the classroom (or, visit them) to interview about the history of their business, job, and/or industry as well as their predictions for the future. Could the USFS still be in Juneau and why? Would it be more important or less important? Would there still be schools? What if the population decreased/increased?
• Have students work independently or in pods, forming their future Juneau that they will present to the class, school, families, and community members. Presentation should include at least a visual depiction of what Juneau could look like (as in a map) and accompanying justifications for their future Juneau.
• Collectively or independently, write a history of Juneau for other kids. Share this with other schools!
  

Resources

• Alaska Digitial Archives-http://vilda.alaska.edu/
• House of Wickersham- http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/wickrshm.htm
• Capital City Museum- http://www.juneau.org/parksrec/museum/index.php
• Alaska State Museum- http://www.museums.state.ak.us/
• Hands-on Loan Program- http://www.museums.state.ak.us/sheldon_jackson/sjhandson.html
• St. Nicolas Russian Orthodox Church- http://www.stnicholasjuneau.org/history.html
• National Register of Historical Places in Juneau- http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/AK/Juneau/state.html
• Historic Downtown Juneau Guide (pdf)- http://www.juneau.org/parkrec/museum/documents/web09JDCMGUIDE.pdf

Conversation Starters

One of the resources I mentioned before was the Alaska Digital Archives. Using their database of media, I found a plethora of photographs and videos referencing Juneau. I've highlighted some of them that could be used to help students notice changes, specifically photographs of places within walking distance of my school.

Auk Villege (1888)
http://vilda.alaska.edu/u?/cdmg21,5645

Where do you think this photograph was taken?
Why do you think that?
What is different about the photograph and the same site today?
What does the photograph tell you about Auk Village?




Exterior view of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Juneau and three adjacent buildings (collection from 1880's-1970's)
http://vilda.alaska.edu/u?/cdmg21,5178

Is this a recent photograph?
What is different?
What buildings are still around?
Does this photograph tell you how people lived? Can you tell if there were more or less people in Juneau?


Memorial Presbyterian Church Ball Park, July 4th Gold Creek- Juneau Douglas Bridge (1939-1959)
http://vilda.alaska.edu/u?/cdmg21,8605

Where do you think this picture was taken?
What is different today? What is missing?
What can you tell about how many people lived in Juneau?
Who do you think those people are?


Juneau Alaska circa 1913
http://vilda.alaska.edu/u?/cdmg21,6419

Where do you think this photo was taken and how?
Less than 50 years before, downtown Juneau was primarily used as a summer camp for the Tlingit tribes. Do you think it was still used as such?
Why do you think the miners settled downtown?
Do you think it was an easy place to live? Why?




Juneau and governor's mansion from above
http://vilda.alaska.edu/u?/cdmg21,6420

What are the differences between the 1913 picture and this one?
Can you tell which one is older? How?
What differences are there and why are there differences?