Place Based Art Education

-PBE is the process of using the local community and environment as a starting point to teach concepts in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this approach to education increases academic achievement, helps students develop stronger ties to the community, enhances students appreciation for the natural world, and creates a heightened commitment to serving as active, contributing citizens (Sobel, 2004, p.4). -Influenced by thirty years of environmental and progressive education -PBE and its relation to art education gained interest beginning in late 1980s -In 1998, The Orion Society published Stories in the land: A Place-based Environmental Education Anthology -David Sobel is a leading researcher, author, and contributor to PBE -PBAE is an innovative approach to ecological and environmental education, one that balances the traditional roots of these disciplines (found in the cognitive, positivist approaches of science education) with the more creative, affective, and sensory approaches of art education (Inwood, 2008, p. 30).
Sobel, D. (2004). Place-based education: Connecting classrooms and communities . Great Barrington, MA: The Orion Society. Inwood, H. J. (2008). At the crossroads: Situating place-based art education. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 13(1), 29-41.