The Learning Landscape
Adolescent Literacy Reimagined Through Place-Based Explorations
Summary
—David Sobel, Professor Emeritus Antioch University, New England
McMillan reminds educators and others how adolescent learning can reflect “meaning, value, and joy.” This book is a celebration of the exceptional ways she intersected literacy, nature place-based learning, and community into an interdisciplinary pedagogy. Her framework is powerful. Like McMillan, every educator should consciously seek students’ strengths while building their capacity as learners within a community context.
—Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD Cecil “Pete” Taylor Endowed Professor, Louisiana State University
When students’ lived experiences, local ecosystems, and community knowledge are integrated into the learning landscape, education becomes a force for resilience in rural communities. As public schools grapple with academic pressures alongside growing concerns about student well-being, rural communities face persistent economic and environmental challenges. This book examines a natureinfused, asset-based approach to adolescent literacy learning as a strategy for sustaining people, places, and communities during periods of disruption and uncertainty. Blending storytelling with an actionable instructional framework, it o ers educators, researchers, and community partners guidance for designing interdisciplinary, nature place-based learning experiences that position young people as active contributors to their communities.
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Introduction
- References
- Key Terms
- Literacy
- Nature Place-Based Learning
- Additional Key Terms Relevant to This Study
- References
- PART I Interest
- CHAPTER 1 The Learning Landscape
- References
- CHAPTER 2 Seeds of Understanding
- Introductions
- References
- CHAPTER 3 Shifting Seasons
- References
- PART II Experience
- CHAPTER 4 Putting Down Roots
- References
- CHAPTER 5 Grounded In Place
- Learning About Natural Processes
- Learning About Each Other
- Learning About Themselves
- Reference
- CHAPTER 6 Branching Out
- The Clouds of COVID-19
- The Power of Reflection
- References
- PART III Transformation
- CHAPTER 7 Growing Readers
- Becoming a Real Reader
- Reading Together
- Reading Identities
- References
- CHAPTER 8 Literacy In Context
- References
- CHAPTER 9 Nature’s Classroom
- Learning Outdoors
- Working With Community Partners
- Becoming Community Stewards
- A Lasting Impact
- References
- CHAPTER 10 Bridging Worlds
- Among the Branches
- PART IV Reflection
- CHAPTER 11 From Place to Purpose
- Reflecting on the Past and Envisioning the Future
- References
- CHAPTER 12 Pushing Boundaries
- Nature Place-Based Learning Competencies
- Nature Place-based Teaching and Learning
- Nature Place-Based Pedagogy, A Reflection on Self-Efficacy
- References
List of Figures
Figure 1: Tree Ring Necklace
Figure 2: The Wristband
Figure 3: The Map
Figure 4: The White Bag
Figure 5: Sitting by the Campfire
Figure 6: Exploring the Refuge
Figure 7: Nature Place-Based Learning Competencies
List of Tables
Table 1: Student Academic Achievement in Middle and High School
Table 2: Teacher Attitudes Which Promote Positive Identity Development
Table 3: Teacher Actions Which Promote Positive Identity Development
Table 4: The Impact of Teacher Attitudes and Actions
Table 5: NPBL Competency and Teacher Self-Efficacy
Introduction
I spent the better part of my childhood growing up in South Louisiana. I was the oldest of five children and we played outside every day. My siblings and I generally abided by my parents’ rule to be home before the streetlights came on and we spent our time exploring the neighborhoods and wooded areas in a small town near New Orleans. Those childhood memories are matched by others where nature played a more active role, reminding us of its powerful force. I recall a neighbor pulling my siblings and I down a mildly flooded street on a wakeboard. At the time I was too young to understand that a major flooding event was devastating to others while we found ways to take advantage of the rising water. However, there are other events which brought the devastation even closer to home.
In 2005 there was widespread fear and anticipation as Hurricane Katrina, a category five hurricane, barreled toward the gulf coast of the United States (US). I was away at the time, but glued to the television, nonetheless, worrying about my family. My mom and sister spent hours in standstill traffic as they tried to evacuate the area, while my dad stayed behind with several neighbors to board up windows and secure cherished belongings. Hurricane Katrina is one example of the significant and lasting toll water takes on Louisiana communities.
It was August 29, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina made landfall with rain amounts exceeding 10 inches in some already saturated areas (Trotter, 2005). There were breaches in the New Orleans levee system that resulted in 80 % of the city flooding, with reports of 16 to 20 feet of water in some areas and this flooding continued into September (Trotter, 2005). I vividly recall watching a news anchor standing in the French Quarter of New Orleans sharing reports of the levee breaches as water flowed into the streets behind him. Hurricane Katrina is noted as being one of the gravest natural disasters to ever occur in the US (National Weather Service, n.d.). This storm is credited with the deaths of over 1,800 people, disrupting the lives of thousands living in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama (National Weather Service, n.d).
Details
- Pages
- XIV, 144
- Publication Year
- 2026
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783034352079
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9783034352086
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9783034351782
- DOI
- 10.3726/b23876
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2026 (April)
- Keywords
- Adolescent Literacy Nature Place-Based Learning Rural Middle Schools Reading Intervention Reading Identity Environmental Identity Multiple Literacies Outdoor Education Service Learning Residential Education Experiential Learning
- Published
- New York, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, Oxford, 2026. XIV, 144 pp., 7 b/w ill., 5 tables.
- Product Safety
- Peter Lang Group AG
