Readings from Blackboard Vista

“Place-based education (PBE) immerses students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, using these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum. PBE emphasizes learning through participation in service projects for the local school and/or community.” Promise of Place

This little description that gives information on PBE is very interesting to me. I think that students learn best when they are hands on and engaged in experiences that connect to their lives. By having students become a part of the community they will learn in various ways. I never considered teaching all my lessons this way, but it seems like children would gain a lot from this experience. I like the idea that children will be studying all different subjects because many schools these days are only focusing on mathematics and reading.

“Education is in a crisis as America finds itself faced with unprecedented challenges in a global community of nations desperately struggling with massive social, economic, and cultural change. Education must find new ways of helping Americans learn and adapt in a multicultural, twenty-first century world.”  Cajete1994.

As we have been currently learning and discussing in our EDF class that American education need a reform. This is because of segregation and inequality in our nation’s school systems. We need to find new and better ways to help students achieve success in school, but yet we face so many challenges. How do we begin solving this problem?

“In tribal education, knowledge gained from first-hand experiences in the world is transmitted through ritual, ceremony, art, and appropriate technology. Knowledge gained through these vehicles is then used in everyday living. Education, in this context, becomes education for life’s sake.” Cajete1994.

I think it is so important for students to have hand-on experiences in the classroom. This strategy of teaching can be applied in all subject areas, mathematics, science, arts, music, language arts, and more. I think that most children learn best by actually doing and participating in the task. It helps them to remember better because they were a played a part in the specific experience.

“The ideals of this process were naturally founded on the continuous development of self-knowledge, on finding life through understanding and participating in creative process of living, on direct awareness of the natural environment, on knowledge of one’s role and responsibility to community, and on cultivating sensitivity to the spiritual essence of the world.” Cajete1994.

I think that it is important for students to know that they are part of a community, a classroom, school, and town community. It helps the students to understand what specific roles and jobs are in society. This can be mocked in a classroom by giving students jobs such as, line leader, paper collector, paper passer ect. Students can also learn by from the environment. But we are seeing this less because science lessons have been taken out of curriculums in many schools in order for more focus to be on reading and mathematics.

“The cultivation of all one’s senses through learning how to listen, observe, and experience holistically by creative exploration was highly valued.” Cajete1994.

I love this statement. It is important for children to learn things on their own instead of always having a teacher to guide them. By having students explore, observe, and listen it can create memorable experiences for the child. In a classroom it is good to encourage students to take risks because it helps them to develop and succeed in more complex ways. Creative exploration should be allowed in all classrooms, it is how students show their individuality among others. Students can learn from each other as well.

“The ideal purpose for American Indian education is to attain knowledge, seek truth, wisdom, completeness and life.” Cajete1994.

I really liked this quote. I think that over the years in America education has ran off the tracks.  This is all due to standardized testing, businessmen being a part of school boards, and much more that society forgets what is important in education. Children need to learn by having experiences and fun in the classroom. Results from testing shows that students do better when they learn in different ways. There needs to be meaning to what is being taught.