David Sobel is an American educator and academic, responsible for developing the

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

place-based education Place-based education, sometimes called pedagogy of place, place-based learning, experiential education, community-based education, education for sustainability, environmental education or more rarely, service learning, is an educational philosoph ...

. He has written extensively on the topic in books and numerous articles. He is currently a Core Faculty member and Director of Certificate Programs at

Antioch University New England Antioch University New England is a private graduate school located in Keene, New Hampshire, United States. It is part of the Antioch University system, a private, non-profit, 501(c)(3) institution that includes campuses in Seattle, Washington; L ...

Education

Sobel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

and a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

from

Career

Sobel was a co-founder and director of Harrisville Children's Center in

Harrisville, New Hampshire Harrisville is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. Besides the town center, it also includes the villages of Chesham and Eastview. The population of the town was 984 at the 2020 census. Harrisville is a unique, preserved 19th ...

from 1972 to 1975. He was a curriculum coordinator for Yankee Lands: A Land Use Curriculum Project from 1980 to 1983. He was a core faculty member in the Education and Environmental Studies Departments at Antioch New England Graduate School from 1977 to 1986, chairperson for the Education Department from 1983 to 1997, and has been the director of Teacher Certification Programs since 1997. Sobel was Project Director for the Know Nukes Institute from 1982 to 1987. Sobel has worked as a doctoral advisor at the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

. His work appeared in

Orion magazine ''Orion'' is a quarterly, advertisement-free, nonprofit magazine focused on nature, culture, and place addressing environmental and societal issues. It has published such authors as Wendell Berry, Barry Lopez, Terry Tempest Williams, Michael Po ...

Bibliography

*''Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators'' (Stenhouse Publishers, 2008) *''Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities'' (Great Barrington, MA: Orion Society, 2004) *''Mapmaking with Children: Sense-of-Place Education for the Elementary Years'' (Portsmouth, NH: Heineman, 1998) *''Children's Special Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens, and Bush Houses in Middle Childhood'' (Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press, 1993) *''Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education'' (Great Barrington, MA: Orion Society, 1996)

References

External links

David Sobel's official websiteDavid Sobel: Lighting Up Minds to the Wonder of Their World
(article at Edutopia.org)
"Saving Presents: The Re-emergence of Dreamtime and Playtime in Childhood
article in ''

Whole Terrain ''Whole Terrain: Journal of Reflective Environmental Practice'' is an environmentally-themed literary journal that is published approximately once a year by Antioch University New England (ANE). Each volume explores emerging ecological and social ...

'' Vol. 9 Living people Williams College alumni Antioch University New England alumni Antioch University faculty Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-edu-bio-stub