Demos, Dialogue, and Dendrology: Connecting Early Adolescence to Local Civic Life and the Environment with Place-Based Education

Living in a time of democratic decline compels practitioners in the field of education to study innovative methods of teaching and learning. This article explores the philosophical roots of an outdoor, place-based microsociety created in the woods of a New Hampshire public middle school. This kind of place-based learning facilitates the types of authentic experiences where wonder grows and dialogue flourishes. Here, this article outlines a special community of inquiry where democracy flourishes for students through codetermination and mutual respect. Writing from the perspective of the teacher of this class, this article delves into the pedagogy and practice of place-based learning and its potential to unite the world of the early adolescent learner with the intentional practice of being a member of a self-governing community. By honoring young learners as the demos (citizens), we, as educators, can co-construct a community of learners rooted in the natural world that empowers the rising generation to take on the challenges humanity faces today. To do so, this article explores how practicing democracy as a way of life in middle school through outdoor learning holds great promise in planting the seeds of democratic renewal among early adolescents today.