Emancipation of education through place

Abstract

The purpose of education is to prepare students to address imperative concerns that face our communities and planet. Many ways exist to address these pressing issues we are confronted with. Regardless of what subjects students are studying, how they are educated is of critical importance. This is because the "how" of education will directly influence the way in which the important issues they are being trained for are addressed. Around the turn of the twentieth century experiential education (EE) came into use among scholars to address problems they saw in "traditional" or "mainstream" education. Between then and now much has changed in the educational landscape, and yet this dichotomy between "mainstream" and "alternative" pedagogies persists. This study explores the present-day realities of EE, place-based education, and significant learning (Fink 2013) within the context of the University of Missouri (MU). Grounded theory methodology was applied for this exploratory case study. The theory that emerged seems to have implications beyond the realms of education and the MU community.