Grade Rationale

EFDT 315
Chris Clarke
 Outcome 1
Articulate why and how place matters in education
Article Teaching #1
These are my key points from my first
article teaching on place-based
learning. In this article I have learned
why and how place matters in
education. From the article I believe
that I have comprehensive grasp on
why place should be incorporated into
education. After reading this article I
could organize my ideas and thoughts
to present a summary to my peers on
what I had learned. I also has a good
capacity for logical thinking and how it
connected to our class.
 Article Teaching #1

These are my evaluations from my peers that I taught my article to. I met all criteria except for one
improvement by one of my peers on summarizing key points. I may have went into a little too much detail
that was not sufficient points in my article which dragged the article out. Overall this article has given me a
comprehensive grasp on why and how place matters.
 Gruenwald’s Article
After reading and participating in a class discussion on Gruenwald’s article I have a comprehensive grasp on why and how place
matters in education. The article and my peers have taught me that place is important as it:
• • form better connections • needed so education of citizens would have a direct bearing on the places people inhabit ex: taking students outdoors to teach
them to be environmentalists • can perpetuate experiential learning, contextual learning, problem-based learning, constructivism, outdoor ed, indigenous
ed, environmental and ecological ed, bioregional ed, democratic ed, multi-cultural ed, community-based ed • emphasizes ecological and rural contexts •
being aware of where you are and who you are learning in relation with • so that citizens have direct understanding and connection to their outside
resources and incorporate it into teaching • recognizing that where you are situated affects the context of learning and your understanding of education •
recognize certain attributes such as experiential and holistic learning • Getting the students out of the classroom and into different contexts that are more
relatable to society. Real life experience. "Place based education aims to empower people to act on their own situationally." • Taking your environment
into account, one of the CCCs is to create socially aware students. By creating a relationship with nature, citizens will learn to repair the world. This will
help students to be a functioning part of society. It's better to involve them in seeing how the world works than just telling them how it works. • Teaching
students to want to serve in other places is an important part of teaching (food banks, SPCA, etc.) • Students need to find a place that they can identify as
their own. Architecturally interesting buildings, nature, new place can provide this for students. • Bridge the disconnect between our reliance on nature
and our knowledge of nature. Take your students somewhere to increase engagement. • If you take students to a place, learn from the place and go along
with indigenous practice and give back to the land. Ex: pick garbage first before you do an activity, serve the place you are at, give back to where ever you
are. • Place Based Learning's practices and purposes can be connected to experiential learning, contextual learning, problem-based learning,
constructivism, outdoor education, indigenous education, environmental and ecological education, bioregional education, democratic education,
multicultural education, community-based education, critical pedagogy itself, as well as other approaches that are concerned with context and the value of
learning from and nurturing specific places, communities, or regions. The primary value of place base education lies in the way that it serves to strengthen
children's (and adult's) connections to others to the regions in which they live. • To establish a link between environment, culture and education. To
strengthen the relationship between a citizen and their community. • Teaching is not just about using a place for the eco-system but to understand the
connections and relationships that can be formed with that environment. Each person's understanding of their environment is personal and unlike anyone
else.

These are the summary notes that my peers and I have come up with on why place-based pedagogy matters and what it does for
our students. I believe these summary notes indicate that I have a comprehensive grasp on the subject matter, I can make critical
evaluations on the article, and have the ability to organize, analyze, synthesize, integrate ideas and thoughts fluently.
 Outcome 2
Find and use best place for learning
Pick a Place Assignment
This is my checklist done by a
peer, teacher (you) and
myself. The teacher (you) gave
me a few E’s which rarely
happens, as you stated, so I’m
going to take that as a huge
compliment! There is one DN
in which I should have added
a pinned picture of the
location on a map, which I
plan to update before the end
of the term. Also an I in which
I should add in a few
curriculum outcomes as I just
broadly stated how it could
connect to the curriculum.
The rest of the checklist I
believe I have met all criteria.
 Pick a Place Assignment
This assignment has allowed me to explore different places to go
around the City of Saskatoon for educational purposes. From exploring
on my own by completing this assignment, as well as exploring the
places my peers have chosen, I have numerous ideas of where I could
go in the city to utilize the place for educational purposes of a class.
Through this assignment I have also learned what to look for when
trying to pick a place to visit. This indicates that I have comprehensive
grasp on the subject matter and can give a critical evaluation of a place
and how it can be utilized for educational purposes. I have logically
thought about how this place could be used to educate students and
what they could learn from it.
 Outcome 3
Integrate understanding of place into teaching materials, within the
context of Saskatchewan Ministry of Education curriculum
Pick a Place Assignment
This assignment has allowed me to
critically evaluate the place in
accordance to the Saskatchewan
Ministry of Education Curriculum. I
broadly stated how the place could
relate to the curriculum as I believe
through my research that this place
could be utilized for any age group in
the Arts Education Curriculum. This
assignment has taught my to think
logically and creatively on how places
could relate to the curriculum and
what activities students can partake in
to meet outcomes. I believe through
this assignment I have gained a
comprehensive grasp on how places
outside of school can be utilized in the
context of the Saskatchewan Ministry
of Education.
 University-Based Activity Assignment
This assignment allowed me, along with students, to explore the
university for ideas of how we could relate places to the Saskatchewan
Ministry of Education Curriculum. We went to the Geology and Biology
Dinosaur museum. Students told me what they thought they could do
in this place that would interest them as well as be educational. We
came up with ideas like a rock, fossils and minerals unit and a plants
and animals unit. From this assignment I have learned what students
are interested in and what they think they can learn from certain
places. I can now critically evaluate a place to find ways to relate it to
the curriculum. I am now aware of wherever I go on my own and
constantly thinking about how I can relate places to the curriculum
outcomes.
 Outcome 4
Demonstrate a broad understanding of the “dimensions of place”
(social, ecological, and global) and of place based pedagogy as it is
related to lifelong learners and engaged citizens in diverse contexts,
including a specific focus on First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Peoples
 Gruenwald’s Article

I think that the class discussion on Gruenwald’s article helped me to understand and achieve this outcome. I believe
I have a comprehensive grasp on how place based pedagogy can lead to engaged citizens along with lifelong
learners. It has also taught me to think logically and creatively about how all dimensions of place can work to
educate students to become engaged citizens in our society and continue to learn from their surroundings.
Article Teaching #1

The article by Gregory Smith on place-based learning and

the specific examples he uses has taught me how the
pedagogy of place with regards to all dimensions can
relate to lifelong leaners and engage citizens in diverse
contexts. The examples smith uses in the article stem
from diverse communities and different ways to promote
place within these contexts. I believe that I have a
comprehensive grasp on this outcome but learn more
about specific focuses on First Nation, Metis, and Inuit as
I feel I am not confident in that area.
 Outcome 5
Demonstrate an understanding of practices, methodologies, and
assessment strategies in relation to integrated dimensions (holistic,
experimental, and inquiry based) of place-based learning
School-Based Activity
 School-Based Activity
This assignment has helped me achieve this outcome by doing an inquiry-based project
myself. From this project I have learned what is involved in an inquiry-based project and how I can
implement it within a classroom. Indicated in the checklist I have a couple I’s as I am missing a few
details as to which math concept I am referring to, as I only indicated which physical education
concept I was trying to demonstrate. I would revise this lesson plan to include the math concepts I
would be targeting. Also I needed to let the students do most of the activity instead of me leading it
for them. I felt as I progressed through the grades this got better and I took less control over the
students. Through this assignment I feel like I have a comprehensive grasp on this outcome and
could logically and creatively implement an inquiry based project into a classroom.
 From writing in my journal and
Grilling the Teachers reflecting on what I had learned
from the teachers after grilling
them, I found Brad had given
some great ideas on practices
and methodologies for projects
in his class. His ideas for
combining subjects into one
inquiry based project allows a
teacher to cover multiple
outcomes but also allows
students more content to work
with and incorporate into their
projects. After talking to Brad, I
believe I understand the amount
of creativity and logic that goes
into creating a inquiry based
project to implement into a
classroom.
 Grade
After providing the following evidence I believe I am at the lower end
of the excellent level. I have a comprehensive grasp of the outcomes
through the assignments that we have done throughout class. I can
make critical evaluations of the outcomes based on the evidence I have
provided. I have provided evidence that supports that I have a good
capacity for original, creative, and logical thinking of the five outcomes.

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