Get outside and teachto teacher confidence and self-efficacy are wherefaculty can help. Dean is working with districts to makerecommendations to educators in the use of placebased education and how to integrate outdoor learningwith the state’s academic standards.Dean’s visit with Stinehart’s class didn’t just boil downto grabbing some art supplies and trekking into thewoods; their lesson on animal camouflage, for example,took planning and coordination between the two toensure it would be fun and informative while conformingto state science standards.Steph Dean listens in as Kevin Stinehart wraps up alesson on animal camoflauge.Through teaching, research and partnerships, Collegeof Education faculty rethink students’ surroundings andenvision a new kind of classroom.Assistant Professor Steph Dean is one of many facultymembers in the College who are incorporating moreplace-based education in their teaching and bringingthese best practices to districts and schools interestedin taking advantage of the benefits of teaching in aforest. Or on the water. Or at a museum. Or anywherethat a lesson can be elevated through a student’ssurroundings.“The physical benefits are obvious, from more vitaminD to even fighting the current wave of short sightednesscaused by so many screens,” Dean said, “but the social,emotional and cognitive benefits make learning moremeaningful and memorable. The learning is more likelyto ‘stick.’”Dean has partnered with Central Academy of the Arts’Kevin Stinehart, a fourth-grade teacher, to delivermore place-based education to his students. Stinehartroutinely teaches lessons outside and has been anadvocate for play and play-based education during histime working in the School District of Pickens County.Dean said a big hurdle to place-based education isfinding ways to incorporate it. She said that concernsabout safety and weather, especially in areas ofthe country where rain is constant, are certainlyfactors that are harder to control, but issues related13 | College of EducationDean introduced the lesson and set up the phenomena,while Stinehart gave instructions that he knew wouldregister with the students he had gotten to know sowell over the course of a year. Both engaged with thestudents during the “animal hunt,” but Stinehart closedout the lesson, drawing conclusions that connected tothe learning.“Place-based education is valuable because if wewant students to take care of the world, they reallyneed to have a connection with where they are. Ifthey understand what’s here they will care aboutit, and then they can expand that care to oceans orother countries and continents around the world.”Kevin StinehartFourth-grade teacher, Central Academy of the ArtsDean is currently working with other faculty on botha scoping review of research related to place-basededucation and on a project that investigates ruraloutdoor science education. Dean and other College ofEducation faculty are interested in exploring ways thateducators engage in place-based pedagogies to teachall subjects in the natural environment. Fortunatelyfor Clemson faculty, their workplace is not lacking fornature or spaces in which to teach outdoors.“Clemson is really well situated to engage in placebased education given our location in the Upstate andthe incredible ecosystems, geography and culture wehave here,” Dean said. “The College of Education isincreasingly working toward partnering with schoolsto support teachers in their efforts to get outside andteach.”
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