Place Reflection

How and in what ways have you experienced both a curriculum of place and of placelessness?
How and in what ways is teaching and learning for a curriculum of place different from teaching
and learning for a curriculum of placelessness?














Claire Rauser
EDU 211 F09
Christine Martineau
September 19, 2014
Dr. Dwayne Donald spoke eloquently and poignantly on the aspect of place regarding aboriginal
culture and history, as well as in the context of education and individual learning experience. Dr.
Donald intimated that there is an important part of curriculum that is missing from our schools;
this part revolves around who we are, where we are from, and the intrinsic value of individual
story as an important form of knowledge. Cynthia Chambers and Narcisse Blood (2009) mention
in their article the importance of historic sites and how the only record of the tragic events that
took place there are in the stories that have been passed down the generations.
Teaching and learning for a curriculum of place is different than the teaching and learning
for a curriculum of placelessness in several ways. First, teaching and learning in regards to place
implies that the students are being instructed in a hands on, interactive manner. Dr. Donald
suggested that these students are taught using stories, not merely standardized curriculum, and
outside the classroom experiences. With the place approach, students can travel to actual historic
sites to learn and not just from power points in a classroom which can at times be a stale
environment. A teacher who teaches with the curriculum of place will offer anecdotal accounts of
history as it applies to the learner and will have some leverage with the curriculum.
Second, teaching and learning with a curriculum of placelessness was discussed by Dr.
Donald and reflects a quote he provided in lecture (by Robert M. Hutchins): education should
be everywhere the same. This concept refers to teaching the same thing to every student, no
matter their background. Dr. Donald went on to discuss that a placeless curriculum embodies the
ideas that learning takes place predominantly inside the classroom setting, and while this is not
wrong, there is a richer learning opportunity to be found when implementing place. Further, as
Dr. Donald mentioned in his article, teaching with placelessness also leaves out an admiration
and respect for the land.
My educational experiences surrounding place and placelessness differ. In terms of
instruction of place, my experiences were limited, although I am sure my teachers did the best
they could do with the funding they had. I can recall going on a field trip to Edmonton and one to
the local museum. One of my teachers put in a very good effort to offer a curriculum of place to
his students; he brought in a holocaust survivor who spoke of her experiences in Auschwitz.
Since my ancestry traces back to Germany, this is a good example of how I was taught using
place and story as a learning form. Hearing a part of history from a first a firsthand account, not
just from a teachers perspective was richer and held more meaning. In terms of placelessness, it
is quite a brief account because most of my learning took place inside classrooms and was
standardized. A curriculum of place would be advantageous to the students learning experiences
were it implemented more.