When I first started reading these articles, I didn’t really understand what the difference was between critical pedagogy and place-based education. I found that the article by David A. Greuenewald was a little hard to read; it seems as though it was directed towards those who were already familiar with the concepts discussed in the article. One aspect of the article I really enjoyed was the discussion on spatialized critical social theory in regard to pedagogy of place. I’ve read about spatialized critical social theory in other aspects (such as the LA race riots of the 90’s), but not in education.

Reading “Learning in Your Own Backyard: Place-Based Education for Museums” helped me understand that place-based education was a lot more simple than Mr. Greuenewald made it seem. Seeing the Tenement Museum as an example of a place-based educational center really helped. Because it is an institution I frequent often, I could better understand what a model of place-based education was. Simply put, it is a type of pedagogy that utilizes the environment it is located in to better teach subjects that are related to it. The Tenement Museum does a fantastic job teaching not only about tenements and NYC history, but the community it is located in.

When I think about my own experiences with place-based education, the first thing that comes to mind is the Hudson River Estuary Program. In elementary school, my class went on a trip to the program base (located right downtown on the Hudson!) to learn about the Hudson River estuary as an ecosystem and about the local wildlife that depended on this unique location. We got to touch some of the fish that were native to the estuary, learn how to clean the water in the Hudson, and experienced the daily activities of a volunteer in the program. I think place-based education is extremely helpful in piquing interest in the general public and informing people about an environment or topic they wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Being able to go and learn about the physical environment you are in is extremely interesting because hands-on experiences help people to recall what they are learning. By incorporating physical movement and stimulation of the senses, more of the actual information is taken in and retained which I believe is important.