Land-based education and place-based education: Mapping the terrain and resisting conflation

Abstract

In recent years there has been growing interest in both land- and place-based education in research, scholarship, and K-HE practice. Yet without robust definitions and guiding principles, land-based education is vulnerable to misinterpretation and cooptation by non-Indigenous practitioners. This article maps the historical and conceptual distinctions between land- and place-based education, with specific focus on the “where,” “what,” “why,” and “how” that orients each field. The authors offer examples of how they have implemented land- and place-based education in their own practice. Ultimately, we argue that while land- and place- based education are both valuable approaches to teaching and learning in the Canadian K-12 system, more careful differentiation is needed.