Foreword by: Mona Munroe-Younis
Publication Date: January 26, 2024
Pages: 192
Series: Research and Practice in Social Studies Series
This book uses the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, as a touchstone for the importance and value of including place-based education in the social studies curriculum. Whitlock scrutinizes this local environmental issue to not only drive critical inquiry in the classroom, but also to show how the curriculum can propel valuable social change in the community. Each part of this book highlights critical place inquiry and place-based education with an overall inquiry question: How can schools respond to a community’s needs? How can schooling be reimagined to center “place”? How can teacher preparation be place-based? What did we learn from the Flint crisis and where do we go from here? Individual chapters investigate the inquiry question by examining Flint and the Flint water crisis more specifically, as well as the lessons we can learn from Flint educators. Social studies teachers (pre-K–16) can use these experiences to inform their own approach to understanding their own places.
Book Features:
Annie McMahon Whitlock is an associate professor of history and social studies at Grand Valley State University, and a former middle school social studies teacher. She previously worked as an education professor at the University of Michigan-Flint.
“Using Flint as a fruitful case, Whitlock shows how place-based education is a powerful tool for teaching and learning with the youngest of students in early childhood education as well as post-graduate pre-service teachers.”
—Teachers College Record
“Place-Based Social Studies Education: Learning From Flint, Michigan is a practical and accessible, yet complexly insightful read. Whether you are a social studies teacher, teacher educator, place-based/community-based instructor, history buff, social justice champion, or Flintstone, this book is for you.”
—From the Foreword by Mona Munroe-Younis, executive director, Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint
“In her love letter to Flint’s people, communities, and history, Dr. Whitlock shares the complexities and possibilities of reimagining schooling through place-based education. She provides an approachable roadmap for social studies educators aiming to design and implement place-based learning experiences alongside all educational stakeholders.”
—Kaitlin E. Popielarz, community-based educator, scholar, and organizer
“In a first-of-its-kind reader for place-based education, Dr. Whitlock leads readers through a different, powerful approach to social studies and teacher education. Teacher educators will find the text a solid resource for social studies methods, with explanations and applications that compel us to reimagine what classroom instruction can look like with a justice-focused, place-based framework.”
—Lisa Brown Buchanan, associate professor of education, Elon University
“Annie Whitlock weaves together the story of Flint, Michigan, its schools, and her own lived experiences to highlight the power of place-based education. Through stories of classrooms, teachers, programs, and students, she explores the opportunities and challenges that come with trying to educate students for and in the realities of the messy, complicated, challenging, and beautiful world, in Flint and beyond. This is essential reading for anyone who cares about meaningful, justice-based education and learning, from policymakers to teachers to teacher educators.”
—Elizabeth Kenyon, associate professor of social studies education, Kent State University
Contents
Foreword xiii
Preface xv
Introduction: How Did We Get Here? 1
When Did the Water Crisis Start? 3
Piecing It Together 5
When Everyone Learned About Flint 7
Dealing With It 9
Social Studies and Critical Place-Based Education 10
Are We Finished Yet? 11
Part I: How Can Schools Respond to a Community’s Needs?
1. A History of Innovative Education in Flint 15
Manley and Mott: The Brains and the Bank 16
Flint as the Leader in Community Schools 16
Schools and Society 18
Looking Back to Look Ahead 19
Learning From Flint: Critical Place Historical Inquiry in the Classroom 20
2. Why Flint? Teaching Conditions Amidst the Water Crisis 23
The “Preloaded Distributional Injustices” of Flint 24
Built With the Community in Mind 26
Beyond “Normal”: Teaching at Freeman 27
Learning From Flint: Critical Place Inquiry in Geography 30
3. An Uncertain Future for Education in Flint 33
Community Schools Today 34
Integrated Student Supports 35
Extended Learning Time and Opportunities 38
Family and Community Engagement 39
Collaborative Leadership and Practices 41
Learning From Flint: Place-Based School Improvement 43
Part II: How Can Schooling be Reimagined to Center “Place”?
4. Designing Early Childhood Education in Flint 47
Early Childhood Education and Lead Poisoning 48
Childcare in Formal Settings 52
Using Human-Centered Design to Respond to Early Childhood Needs 54
Learning From Flint: Designing Place-Based Education 57
5. Reggio-Inspired Education in Flint 59
Reggio Emilia as Place-Based Education 60
Building Place-Consciousness in a Reggio Toddler Classroom 62
Preschoolers’ Narratives of Flint 67
Understanding Reggio as Social Studies Inquiry 71
Learning From Flint: A Call to Research and Practice 73
6. Montessori for Flint 77
Montessori’s Connections to Place-Based Education 78
The Benefits of a Public Montessori Education 79
Challenges for Public Montessori 81
Montessori for Flint 83
Learning From Flint: Incorporating Montessori Elements 86
7. Flint’s Place-Based Charter School 89
School of Choice in Flint 91
Flint Cultural Center: A Longtime Gem 92
Flint Cultural Center Academy 93
A Day at the Flint Cultural Center Academy 95
Learning From Flint: Schoolwide Place-Based Education 98
Part III: How Can Teacher Preparation Be Place-Based?
8. Place-Based Teacher Education in Flint 103
Place-Based Teacher Education 105
Uniquely Flint 107
Co-Teaching 110
School Culture Shock 112
Partnering With Beecher Community Schools 114
PBTE and Water Crisis Connections 116
Learning From Flint: Literally 118
9. Place-Based Social Studies Methods in Flint 121
Place-Based Social Studies Methods 122
Elementary Social Studies Methods in Flint 124
Field Trips 127
Right Under Our Noses 130
Teaching Critical Geography 133
Learning From Flint: Transforming Into Place-Based Teachers 134
Part IV: Where Do We Go From Here?
10. What I Learned From Flint 139
What I Learned About Flint 140
What I Learned From Flint About Place-Based Education in Social Studies 142
What I Learned From Flint About Myself 143
Conclusion 144
References 145
Index 157
About the Author 167
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