Place-Based Education–In Cities Too
When first conceived, PBE focused on getting kids outside into nature, but now urban programs are succeeding in places at diverse as Oakland, Louisville, Boston, Portland and New York. In Detroit the Boggs School uses PBE to engage elementary students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences. These community activities supply the material for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and other subjects.
Read MoreBring Nature Into Class; Bring the Class Into Nature
Get ideas for making this happen by going to the Children and Nature Network site. It was set up by Richard Louv, the man who coined the term ‘nature deficit disorder.” In his ground-breaking book, The Last Child in the Woods, Louv affirms for parents and teachers the importance of time in nature for the growing child. You can find talks and other books he has written on his site.
Read MoreCan Dogs Help?
The Project School in Bloomington, Indiana, has found that for children undergoing stress or having trouble settling into school work, the presence of one or two dogs in the building can have remarkable impact. The school’s two even-tempered rescue dogs move freely within the building and seem to have a knack for finding the child who needs a friendly presence at any given time.
Read MoreAmazing Mentorship Program for Special Needs
This video shows a program in New York that uses high school and college students to mentor to younger ones with learning challenges. With a lot of hands-on activities and an emphasis on arts, it has gotten remarkable results. Eye to Eye is national program dedicated to "unlocking the greatness in the 1 in 5 who learn differently."
Read MoreIs “Academic Rigor” Appropriate for Early Childhood?
Early education was very successfully based in play and community development for decades, and the very best pre-K classrooms set the stage helping children try on roles, practice sharing, respect, empathy, kindness, personal responsibility, and civility in the classroom community. What will happen if with universal preschool we get a junior version of No Child Left Behind?
Read MoreGetting the Most from Project-Learning
We offer the following recommendations from Adria Steinberg for making project-based learning an effective strategy. However, we do this without endorsing the standards movement, which has taken much of the joy and flexibility out of teaching and learning.
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