sense of place

I’m currently writing a literature review for two Univeristy of Regina Education instructors, Dr. Carol Fulton and Dr. Marilyn Miller .  The review focuses on how schools build communities.  Within the literature, three overarching themes are emerging.  Though I’ll let the researchers share all the findings at a later date, I’m keenly interested in one finding, the idea that community development must directly focus on a sense of place.  Having a sense of place honours a community’s narratives and shows how those stories affect today’s landscape.

 Starting with a sense a place is much like starting with belonging which I believe is the foundation for all growth.  I want my students to have a global sense of place, yet at the same time, I want my students to have their own local and their own embodied sense of place.  How much of a sense of place is defined at a community level?  How much of a student’s sense of place is defined by others, and much is defined by the school?