ONE SMALL SQUARE: CONNECTING URBAN STUDENTS TO PLACE USING RECLAIMED GREEN SPACES

Student connection to place and the environment of that place is an essential tool for stimulating interest and motivation in environmental education. Without a feeling of place and local ecological relevance, natural history and ecological literacy are often a non-issue for students; there is just nothing to grab interest. This is especially true for urban school districts, who have a deficit of nearby green-spaces for students to do ecological studies and learn about natural systems first hand. This paper discusses the use of small green spaces for urban students to reflect and discover a sense of place at a micro scale. The methodology allows students to explore the biological, geological, and human-mediated processes that lead to the current and past conditions of their personal study area. To express the varied attributes of their space, students use Serif PhotoPlus 6, a freeware graphic arts program that allows them to use translucent layers and personal photos from their study plot to create semi-interactive digital representations of their space.