Pedagogy of Place

Pedagogy of Place focuses on the embodiment of purposefully created space resulting from the creation and enactment of its participants’ cultural and social conditions. It is also about education, the purposeful creation of spaces that comprise learning environments, and the aesthetic dimensions of the created space called school. The essays present the concept of space—the place where learning happens and where the lives of student and teacher can thrive or wither—a place rich in human potential. In an attempt to address the diversity of what we define as space, Pedagogy of Place addresses issues around place and identity in three distinct strands: as social, as aesthetic, and as political and historical. As a collection, these essays are attempts to open conversations with persons interested in what counts as curriculum, teaching, and learning within the spaces and places that release human potential and nurture the human spirit.

David M. Callejo Pérez is Assistant Professor of Curriculum Studies and Foundations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research focuses on the role of identity and literature formation. Callejo Pérez is the author of Southern Hospitality (Peter Lang, 2001). Stephen M. Fain teaches courses in curriculum history and theory at Florida International University, where he is also Fellow in the Honors College. His interests include school improvement and curriculum development. Fain is co-editor of The Freirean Legacy (Peter Lang, 2002). Judith J. Slater is Professor of Education at Florida International University, where she teaches courses in curriculum theory, evaluation, and organizational culture. Slater is the author of Anatomy of Collaboration and Acts of Alignment (Peter Lang, 2000), as well as other books and articles.