WESTFIELD – Westfield State University will host author, professor, and community and place-based education expert David Sobel tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Scanlon Banquet Hall. The event is part of the university’s Guest Lecture Series.
Sobel is a prolific author and pioneer in the field of community and place-based education (PBE). PBE immerses students in what is local—the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a particular place, using these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum. PBE also emphasizes learning through participation in service projects for the school and local community resulting in a learning experience literally rooted in students’ own schoolyard, neighborhood, town, or community.
Sobel is a professor at Antioch University New England in Keene, NH where he also serves as program director of the Antioch New England Institute, a consulting and community outreach department that promotes a vibrant and sustainable environment, economy, and society by encouraging informed civic engagement. He is the co-founder of the Harrisville Children’s Center and serves on the editorial board of the Holistic Education Review. He has written numerous education-focused books including “Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Years” and “Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education.” Sobel earned his B.A. in English at Williams College and his M.Ed. at Antioch University New England.
This is Sobel’s second visit to Westfield State as part of the university’s Westfield Engages civic engagement initiative. Event coordinator and English professor Vanessa Diana has incorporated place-based education into her first year English Composition course, which pares with a physical geography course, allowing students to use nearby Stanley Park as a site of learning.
“In this class students not only write about their environment, but they also participate in service activities benefiting the park such as a recent working session in we removed invasive plants removal,” Diana said. “Sobel has also inspired me to develop a ‘Mayor’s Symposium’ Honors seminar, in which students are responding to a request from Mayor Dan Knapik to envision downtown Westfield as a place where students want to spend time, visit businesses, and be a place they’ll fall in love with enough to stay after graduation.”
Diana said she hopes audience members, particularly those studying or working in the education field, are inspired by Sobel’s lecture.
“We hope to encourage development of place-based classes and projects in our community, from preschool to college-level,” Diana said.
In addition to the lecture, Sobel will host a Brown-Bag lunch from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and a workshop from 4:15-6:30 p.m (participants must register with Marsha Olsen). All events are free and open to the public. For more information about the lecture or to register for the workshop, contact Marsha Olsen at [email protected].
The event is sponsored by The Westfield State University Honors Program and the Westfield State University Departments of Geography and Regional Planning, Education, and English. The Guest Lecture Series is supported by funding from the Academic Affairs budget to enhance student learning and service to the larger community. An advisory committee with representation by the faculty and librarians, staff, and students review proposals and recommend selection of proposals for the year. For more information on upcoming speakers in the Guest Lecture Series, please visit http://www.westfield.ma.edu/guest-lecture-series.
