Connecting the Classroom with the Community: Student-Teacher-Scientist Partnerships and Place-Based Science Learning

Place-based learning can create opportunities for middle school students to explore the connections between science and engineering disciplines and their own communities, which in turn can motivate students and deepen learning. In this article, we describe a university-school partnership, the Rural Water Education (RWE) Partnership, which is creating place-based science and engineering learning experiences inspired by water and wastewater-related research being carried out by community organizations and university researchers in the students’ own communities. Incorporating opportunities for students to engage with place-based, real-world science and engineering research happening in their own local community can have a profound influence on student engagement and learning in science. By collaborating with scientists and engineers to design and carry out their own water-related investigations, students involved in RWE demonstrated curiosity and emotional investment in their learning as they explored their interests about water in their community. To this end, we describe how existing curricular tools were augmented by specific lessons that highlight the work of teams of scientists and engineers in the local area to address community water needs; and we draw from lessons learned in the RWE to offer rationales and practical ideas for engaging students in place-based, community-centered science partnerships.