EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Boxelder trees are commonly known as “trash trees,” but students from Acton Academy Ann Arbor are hoping to change that.

As part of a place-based education program, the students explored the boxelder Trees and boxelder bugs in their schoolyard and learned about their importance in the ecosystem. While learning, they made syrup from the tree’s sap and created hospitals for the bugs.

These students were one of the many local K-12 classes who participated in place-based education projects supported by the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition (SEMIS Coalition), based in Boone Halle at Eastern Michigan University.

Students will present their experiences working on community projects at the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition (SEMIS Coalition) today (April 30) at the EMU Student Center. EMU and the SEMIS Coalition will host the presentations, posters, and workshops during the 2018 Community Forum. This annual event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

“I have participated in the forum for three years, and it is without a doubt the most inspiring gathering I have had the privilege to attend,” said Amanda Maher, a doctoral student in educational studies at EMU. “Students narrate their experiences, celebrate their accomplishments, and engage in further problem posing. It is a yearly reminder of what empowering education can and should be.”

The SEMIS Coalition aims to build partnership between schools and community partners through place-based education.

Place-based education teaches students about local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences through hands-on experiential learning, particularly in the form of service projects. Educators then tie these experiences to curriculum subjects like language arts, mathematics, social studies and science.

"In today's test-driven educational system, many students feel disconnected from their education – for them, school is a place to meet other people's expectations and follow other people's interests,” said Ethan Lowenstein, director of the SEMIS Coalition and a professor of education at EMU. “The SEMIS Coalition works to redefine school as a place where young people can find meaning, study questions they are interested in, and become empowered to grow as full human beings who have the skills to build healthy and just communities."

The SEMIS Coalition is supported by the College of Education and is housed within the Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Communities (ISCFC).

EMU education students will attend the Community Forum to learn more about place-based teaching and learning, and the College of Education is planning to roll out a place-and-community-based teacher preparation program.

“The SEMIS coalition has given me a clear vision of the kind of teacher I want to become, as well as highlighting paths I can take to get there,” said Anita Berges, who studies math education as a post-baccalaureate student. “The commitment of its members, in both word and action, to Place Based Education has had a profound impact on what I now know education can achieve.”

A schedule of events as well as more information on the SEMIS Coalition Community Forum can be found on the SEMIS website.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It currently serves 20,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.