VISITING SPEAKER: How does environmental education influence sense of place

This study focuses on the residents of two Bedouin settlements (Um Betin and Alsaid), located on the banks of Hebron Stream. Hebron Stream is constantly contaminated with sewage runoff, and mounds of additional waste are dumped along its banks. Reclaiming Hebron Stream will require the cooperation of all the bodies and authorities located on its route, and allow local communities to get involved, and encourage active environmental citizenship.

The study presented here relies on a place-based learning dynamic that aims to promote environmental sustainability in the context of place and community. The purpose of this study is to identify the particular patterns and characteristics of learning in a natural, place-identity and nature attachment that includes social and cultural aspects. Our study follows groups of fifth and sixth graders (n=200), from the nearby Bedouin settlements as they go through a two-year place-based learning program at Hebron Stream and its surroundings. The program’s goals are to acquaint the students with the area surrounding Hebron Stream and it natural elements and to raise their awareness of its manmade environmental problems. Beyond this, the program also engages the students in active work and personal experience, aiming to promote creativity, encourage place identity and nature attachment, and hone observational skills.