Paul Bocko, PhD, recently presented at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) conference in Portland, Oregon, sharing research on how schools can make place-based education a reality.
His session, “Imagining New Realities: Promising Practices of Place-based Education Coordinators,” was co-hosted with colleagues and focused on helping K–12 administrators, teachers, instructional coaches, and nonprofit organizations bring innovative educational approaches into schools.
The presentation drew on cooperative inquiry research conducted with 16 educators from 12 states and Washington, DC. The research explored how place-based education can gain traction in schools, with particular attention to the collaboration needed between teachers and administrators to turn promising educational practices into everyday learning experiences.
Bocko also attended presentations by two other members of the Antioch Education community. Adjunct faculty member Amanda McMickle, PhD, Vice President of Education at the San Antonio Zoo, presented “Imagine If Implementation Matched Intention: Scaling Nature-Based Learning in Public Schools.” Antioch Education student Danny Woolums shared an inventive perspective in “Place-based Education through Municipal Sewer Infrastructure,” demonstrating how even unexpected elements of local communities can become opportunities for learning.
Together, these presentations highlighted the Antioch Education community’s commitment to connecting learning with place, community, and real-world experiences.
