The concept of sense of place, belonging and country have been subject to extensive academic discussion since the term "A sense of place" was theoretically formalised in the early 1970s by George Seddon. Our inspiration for using "a sense of place" approach for this project came from the Maitland project, details of which are available at:
http://www.hcr.cma.nsw.gov.au/sense_of_place.php3
The research in this field clearly identifies the need for "a sense of place" to be nurtured in our students, to cultivate concern, care and positive action for their local environment. This resource seeks to provide information on local issues, places, people and heritage to support teachers and students in working on environmental projects.
How do we feel about a place? What actions do we take to look after that place?
Activities that use a sense of place approach have the following features:
Involve extensive use of the senses - sight, taste, touch, smell, sounds
Build self-esteem, belonging, identity
Develop social community and love of locality
Promote understanding
Develop knowledge - spiritual and ecological
Encourage exploration and expression
Sharing of stories - scientific, indigenous
Indicators that sense of place is being developed include:
Enhanced student knowledge, expression of value and feeling for local environment, sharing of experiences, stories and activities.
Improved student engagement in learning about their local environment.
Examples of "Sense of Place" activities
Planning for improvements to school grounds using Learnscapes and School Environment Management Planning
Recording Oral history
Mapping local environments
Creative writing and drawing in local ecosystemss
Nature journalling
Field trips
Teachers may find the following articles useful in developing an understanding of "sense of place" projects.
Background Reading
Horwitz, Pierre (2006) Stories of Connection in Nyungar Boodja, AAEE National Conference Papers
Stories of Connection
Teaching and Place: A Mutual Relation, Genevieve Noone, Centre for Research on Education in Context, School of Education, University of New England
Teaching and Place: A mutual relation
Overlay Mapping - A methodology for place-based sustainability education
Overlay Mapping
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~janzb/place/placesense.htm
A sense of place: Ecological identity as a driver for catchment volunteering
Ecological Identity