This volume offers educators of students at all levels a new educational framework. Clay posits that a focus on place, on “considering what place means ... and what it means for teaching” can engage students, deepen learning, and help both educators and students understand the connections between place and learning, community, and society. Clay’s book focuses on five guiding questions about place to provide educators with “new lenses” for their pedagogy. These five questions guide educators to consider the meaning(s) of place, explore the role place plays in teaching, analyze place-based teaching practices, design instruction around place, and reflect on the ways place can inspire action and practices for justice. Each chapter includes a summary and questions for reflection so educators can develop their own approaches to teaching for and connecting to place. Clay focuses on equitable instruction with the goal of social engagement and moving “toward landscapes of justice.” Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; practitioners.
— Choice Reviews
Matthew Clay provides a clear vision for how teachers can bring a sense of place to their classrooms and beyond. Each chapter offers perspective, inspiration and reflection. The first half of the book breaks down what place is and why it’s important for teachers and students to experience places in their learning. Once Clay establishes conceptual foundations for place in education, he spends the second half of the book contextualizing what it would look like to expose more students to more places. Clay posits how to bring place into teaching and curriculum, and he provides concrete examples and helpful resources. I highly recommend this book to all teachers and teacher-candidates interested in making authentic, long lasting connections with their students. Likewise, I also recommend it to parents, school officials, teacher education faculty, and people interested making school relevant to the needs of our world.
— Daniel Conn, Dr., Department Chair in the Department of Teacher Education and Kinesiology Minot State University
As a first-year teacher, I am always eager to learn about new teaching strategies and ways to make my instruction more enriching for my students, so Dr. Clay’s book is both an interesting read and an excellent resource. The Worlds Educators Create: How They Shape the Communities Around Them excellently teaches about place, what makes it important to incorporate into students’ school and classroom experiences, and how teachers can effectively do so. Readers will leave with a more conscious realization of how education of place is a key way to give students the knowledge to thrive in the world they live in.
— Titilayo Egbebi, Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Hyattsville, Maryland
Dr. Clay’s book is an eye-opening perspective on intentionally incorporating place into education, helping to lessen barriers faced in rural education.”
— Stephanie Wick, Secondary Language Arts Teacher Garden City, Kansas