Gruenewald, D. (2003). Foundations of Place: A Multidisciplinary Framework for Place-Conscious Education. American Educational Research Journal, 40, 619-654.
David Gruenewald is an assistant professor of education at Washington State University in the Department of Teaching and Learning. He teaches Social Foundations of Education and School Community Collaboration.
This article begins with a philosophical discussion of place and introduces the concept of place-conscious (or place-based) education. The author discusses five dimensions of place: the perceptual, sociological, ideological, political, and the ecological, and how each contributes to the idea that place affects all parts of life and society. This pedagogical nature of place should not be ignored by educational institutions. The author then addresses three educational traditions that have shaped the field of place-based education: natural history, cultural journalism, and action research. The article analyzes how place-conscious education is, and is not, a part of the current education reform movement and how educators and administrators can be held accountable to a sincere discussion and implementation of place-based education. This article moves beyond definitions and examples to establish a theoretical argument of place-based education. It also includes a lengthy and fairly comprehensive bibliography