A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF A PLACE-BASED EDUCATION PROJECT IN AN URBAN PLACE OF GREECE

This paper outlines the activities of an environmental education program, in which26 students participated. The pupils were from the 4th grade of the Greek section and 4th and 5th grades of the English section of a primary school. The activities were aimed at strengthening the awareness of pupils on issues related to the place in which they live, with special emphasis on the study of the coastal and marine ecosystem in the area. The program was based on the Place-Based Education (P.B.E.) approach, a new pedagogical approach in the field of Environmental Education, which in Greece seems to be yet unknown. P.B.E. is education which is oriented towards the place where the students live. Although the program was designed to be implemented during the school year 2014 - 2015, the need arose for it to be continued into the school year 2015-2016. The program primarily focused on the local environment and on the need for a connection of the school with the local community, through which students develop a strong sense of place and an environmentally responsible behavior towards it. Article visualizations