The “I – Thou” Relationship, Place-Based Education, and Aldo Leopold

Abstract

This article describes a new educational field labeled “place-based education ” and relates it to experiential learning. This term has appeared in the educational literature over the last 10 years and illustrates a concern for providing participants with quality experiences in local settings. After defining and describing the term, one aspect of Aldo Leopold's life is examined through selected quotations. His pedagogy of place and how he related to the outdoors is explained. Leopold was a philosopher, writer, ecologist, and educator who died in 1948. This article explores some ways that he established an I – Thou relationship with nature at his Wisconsin shack. The story of his meanderings on the land is graphically told in the collection of essays titled, A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There (Leopold, 1949). To find out how Leopold related to the land, 10 of his discovery techniques were identified from the text. If experiential educators want to deepen their interaction with the natural and cultural environment, Aldo Leopold's field techniques and the writings of other naturalists may offer some clues for establishing a richer I – Thou relationship with places.