Professional Development & Consulting
Place-Based Symposium
2026 Place-Based Education Symposia
The International Online Place-Based Education Symposium will be on Saturday, March 28th, from 8:30 am – 12 pm (Bhutan Standard Time) / Friday, March 27th, from 8:30 pm – 12 am in Wyoming MDT. The theme in 2026 will be Educating for Gross National Happiness. The Request for Proposals will be published in mid-December, and registration will open in early 2026.
International Online Symposium Request for Proposals
Teton Science Schools’ Place-Based Education Symposium will be on Friday, April 24th, 2026, from 4:00-8:00 pm at the Jackson Campus. The theme for 2026 will be “Learning With and From Community”. The Request for Proposals will be published in mid-December, and registration will open in early 2026.
Keynote Speaker: Julia Putnam
Redefining Pride in Place: the inherent patriotism of Place-Based Education
Julia will be discussing how learning rooted in the local supports the values that the United States was founded upon and the important need at this time on the clock of the world to redefine patriotism as a wide-eyed, inclusive love for, and preservation of, place for all living beings.
Julia Putnam became one of the founders of the James and Grace Lee Boggs School after spending her adolescence under their mentorship in the youth program, Detroit Summer. Here she found a passion for a thriving Detroit community for children and an understanding that we must be the leaders we are looking for.
In addition to her role as principal at the school since 2013, she also sits on the board of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative. She is a proud, lifelong Detroiter and graduate of Detroit Public Schools. Each of her degrees come from local universities, including her teaching certification which she keeps current.
In 2019, she was honored to be asked to provide a keynote at the annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium at the University of Michigan. You can find that speech on the Boggs School website. She lives in Detroit with her husband, Peter, and is the proud mother of two young adults, Henry and Lucie.
The 10th Annual Place-Based Education Symposium was on April 25th, 2025.
The theme, “Your Local Science & Global Impact,” invited us to explore how localized learning experiences can resonate globally.
Attendees were thrilled with the presentations, keynote speaker Dr. Bryan Shuman, and our local students who shared their projects during the Student Family Showcase. Here are some fan favorite projects:
Nature Journaling in Place: Middle schoolers wrote from the same “sit spot” every week throughout the year. They asked questions that connected their own backyards to larger ecosystems in the world.
H is for Hiss, P is for Purr: An 8-year-old’s passion for cats led her to self-publish a book with proceeds that benefit animal shelters.
Self-directed Science Projects: Third graders explored weather patterns and events, including avalanches, droughts, wildfires, and floods. Then they designed creative solutions to combat extreme weather events
Where Place-based ideas come to life
Teton Science Schools’ annual Place-Based Symposium was originally designed to celebrate the place-based work happening across the organization, bringing together our faculty, staff, AmeriCorps, students, and regional community members to share and discuss best practices in local learning and global citizenship.
Since its establishment in 2016, the Place-Based Symposium has evolved into an annual event through which educators and thought leaders from around the world exchange place-based inspired ideas, learnings, and aspirations.
Missed the Last Symposium?
Here is the agenda from the 2025 Place-Based Education Symposium so you can get a sense of the event.
The previous International Online Place-Based Education Symposium was in March 2024, and you can find more information including links to recordings from the 2024 Online Symposium here.
