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Preparing Students to Experience Place and Interconnection at Yarra Bend Park

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Title: Preparing Students to Experience Place and Interconnection at Yarra Bend Park
Language: English
Authors: Jefferson Kinsman
Source: Geographical Education. 2025 38:5-22.
Availability: Australian Geography Teachers' Association. PO Box 315 Artarmon NSW 1570, Australia. Tel: 0437-897-993; Web site: https://agta.au/resources/geographical-education/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Place Based Education, Class Activities, Urban Environment, Parks, Geography Instruction, Human Geography, Foreign Countries, Maps, Field Trips, History, Indigenous Populations, Land Settlement
Geographic Terms: Australia
ISSN: 0085-0969
2204-0242
Abstract: As contemporary education grapples with increasing placelessness, the research advocates for place-responsive pedagogy that reconnects students with local environments before fieldwork experiences. The case study presents a comprehensive framework for pre-excursion preparation, demonstrating how classroom-based activities can enhance students' subsequent encounters with complex urban-natural environments. Using the example of Melbourne's Yarra Bend Park, on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people, the article explores three primary preparatory strategies: mapwork and spatial contextualisation, narrative-based inquiry using the park's rich Indigenous and colonial histories, and hands-on analysis of physical and ecological samples from the site. These approaches are designed to develop students' understanding of interconnectivity--a foundational geographical concept that places derive meaning from their relationships with other places and processes. The research emphasises the integration of Wurundjeri perspectives through resources such as "Wilam, a Birrarung Story," whilst acknowledging the complexities of teaching contested histories. It demonstrates approaches designed to foster sophisticated conceptual understanding and interest before students encounter the park's ecosystems and historical remnants. This pedagogical framework addresses practical teaching constraints whilst maintaining academic rigour and cultural sensitivity, providing concrete strategies for transforming abstract geographical concepts into embodied, meaningful learning experiences that prepare students for deeper engagement with place, and enhance subsequent fieldwork encounters.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504986
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Preparing Students to Experience Place and Interconnection at Yarra Bend Park
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  Data: Australian Geography Teachers' Association. PO Box 315 Artarmon NSW 1570, Australia. Tel: 0437-897-993; Web site: https://agta.au/resources/geographical-education/
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  Data: As contemporary education grapples with increasing placelessness, the research advocates for place-responsive pedagogy that reconnects students with local environments before fieldwork experiences. The case study presents a comprehensive framework for pre-excursion preparation, demonstrating how classroom-based activities can enhance students' subsequent encounters with complex urban-natural environments. Using the example of Melbourne's Yarra Bend Park, on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people, the article explores three primary preparatory strategies: mapwork and spatial contextualisation, narrative-based inquiry using the park's rich Indigenous and colonial histories, and hands-on analysis of physical and ecological samples from the site. These approaches are designed to develop students' understanding of interconnectivity--a foundational geographical concept that places derive meaning from their relationships with other places and processes. The research emphasises the integration of Wurundjeri perspectives through resources such as "Wilam, a Birrarung Story," whilst acknowledging the complexities of teaching contested histories. It demonstrates approaches designed to foster sophisticated conceptual understanding and interest before students encounter the park's ecosystems and historical remnants. This pedagogical framework addresses practical teaching constraints whilst maintaining academic rigour and cultural sensitivity, providing concrete strategies for transforming abstract geographical concepts into embodied, meaningful learning experiences that prepare students for deeper engagement with place, and enhance subsequent fieldwork encounters.
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      – Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Urban Environment
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      – SubjectFull: Parks
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      – SubjectFull: Geography Instruction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Human Geography
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Maps
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      – SubjectFull: Field Trips
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      – SubjectFull: History
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      – SubjectFull: Indigenous Populations
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      – SubjectFull: Land Settlement
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      – SubjectFull: Australia
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      – TitleFull: Preparing Students to Experience Place and Interconnection at Yarra Bend Park
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