




Place is a core concept in geography. Geographers argue that place is a social construction (Lambert & Morgan, 2010), a product of social relations that span the globe (Massey, 1994, 2005). For Cresswell (2008), place gives us the ability to read and influence our understanding of various social and cultural issues. Therefore, place matters not only because it helps us frame our understanding of the world in a certain way but also because it challenges us to think about the ways we relate with each other and produce places in the process.  Given the centrality of place in geography, it is therefore important to pay attention to the ways place is (or can be) taught in classrooms not only for its own sake but more importantly, for the ways it can shape our student’s involvement in society. Lambert and Morgan (2010), for example, attend to the challenges of teaching place and suggest the evaluation of the geographical imagination that informs teaching in classrooms. Similarly, Bishop (2004) highlights the significance of place-based education and shares how local oral heritage interviews or fieldtrips to a protected wetland have taught her students a sense of community and place stewardship.


An Inspiring Quote


~ John Dewey, How We Think

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