JACKSON, Wyo. — Founded in 2015, the Teton Science Schools’ Place-Based Symposium has evolved from an internal gathering of teachers and staff to a much-sought annual event where educators and thought leaders from around the world exchange place-based inspired ideas, learnings and aspirations.

For the third year, adapting to pandemic needs, the symposium will be held virtually on Friday, April 22 from 4–7:30 p.m. MST. Registration is free, available online, and open to the public.

Ahead of the symposium, partner schools from around the nation have the opportunity to participate in an online gallery walk of posters that demonstrate place-based education in action. There is also a call for Pecha Kucha presentations inviting participants to share how they think about place-based education. Created in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Tokyo’s Klein-Dytham Architecture, Pecha Kucha roughly translates as “chit chat” in Japanese and is inspired by a “talk less, show more” philosophy. TSS educators have adapted the style and found its storytelling format, where a presenter shows 20 slides for 20 seconds of commentary each, creative, fast-paced and fun for students.

The symposium agenda features three sections: individual presentations showcasing tangible examples of place-based education in practice, interactive roundtable discussions and concludes with a keynote presentation and award ceremony.

Each year, the symposium event committee collaborates with a nationally renowned professional who embodies the values, passion and commitment for place-based learning. Symposium organizers are excited to announce this year’s keynote speaker, Amy Price Azano, PhD, Associate Professor of Rural Education and Adolescent Literacy in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. In this keynote presentation, Dr. Azano will provide a metaphor for thinking and rethinking our complex relationships with place.

“I believe in starting local. Start with what and where you know,” said Dr. Azano. “It’s important to remember that no place is just one place. Place is powerful because of the meanings we attach to it—positive and negative—so there are endless meanings a place can hold for different people.”

Dr. Azano shared it was during her time as an English teacher at a well-resourced suburban high school where she first witnessed the opportunity gaps related to things like Advanced Placement (AP) courses, robotics club, language classes, and extracurriculars. It was clear to her that these opportunities were afforded to her students and were not readily available in her rural hometown while growing up. She often points to that experience as her “motivating discontent,” and the reason she pursued her doctorate to be a rural education scholar.

Dr. Azano served as the co-principal investigator on the U.S. Department of Education grant, “Promoting PLACE in Rural Schools,” and is the current PI on two place-based educational grants focused on developing talent in high-poverty rural areas. She is a national and international leader in rural education research who has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters; chairs the American Educational Research Association’s Rural Education Special Interest Group; and is co-editor of The Rural Educator. Dr. Azano is the 2021 recipient of the Brzezinski Memorial Research Award by the National Rural Education Association.

Register online for the free symposium through April 21.