Teaching Tip: Link theory to lived experience through place-based assessment
Inspired by Anthony Gampell’s ‘SUSTAIN Citizenship Portfolio’, this adaptable activity invites students to engage with their physical environment and respond through creative and reflective outputs.
Want students to connect theory with real-world contexts?
Getting students to observe and reflect upon their local and everyday surroundings can prompt them to think critically about their environment, invoking a personal attachment and a sense of agency upon their local area.
Try this!
Ask students to explore, say, the University campus, their neighbourhood, their local catchment, with a particular lens (e.g., natural hazards, (un)sustainable practices, environmental/societal challenges). Ask them to record what they notice and how it connects with the theories explored in the course. Students present their observations and insights through creative outputs like visual and auditory artefacts, short videos, or reflective journals.
Addresses these teaching challenges:
- Helping students make connections between theoretical concepts and lived experiences
- Encouraging deeper observation and critical reflection
- Making assessment more engaging and meaningful
Image by ChatGPT o4 mini high
Implementation
- Introduce the concept of a simple self-guided fieldtrip relevant to your course content.
- Ask students to explore a familiar environment and document 3-5 key observations and photographs.
- Give students a choice of creative output formats (e.g., waiata (song), short videos, social media campaigns, artwork, dance, apps).
- Use a low-stakes rubric that prioritises insight and connection to course concepts.
Pro tips
- Encourage students to choose familiar environments and locations that they care about.
- Be flexible in the medium of submission, allowing students to develop creative skills beyond traditional written assessment.
- Share the outcomes with the class, reflecting upon the collective insights emerging from the activity and relating this to course content.
Benefits
- Encourages self-directed learning and agency.
- Promotes real-world connections, relevant content and opportunities for networking.
- Builds observation, synthesis, reflection, communication and creativity skills.
Teacher’s voice
“This learning experience not only enhances a student’s connection to their coursework but also develops their skillset for the ‘real-world’ by communicating their observations and reflections through non-academic mediums.” – Anthony Gampell
Try this variation
- Use it as an initial task to form the basis of a team-based project.
- Ask students to revisit the same locations at the end of the semester and reflect on how their perspectives might have changed.
- Students could also explore digital environments like websites, apps, social media feeds, and video game environments.
Accessibility considerations
- Scaffold the task with guiding prompts to support the self-directed field experience and further reflection.
- Allow students to submit work that showcases their unique skillsets from low-tech (e.g., poetry) to high-tech (e.g., app development).
- Support students with mobility or sensory challenges to engage with accessible environments submission formats
Have a teaching tip to share? Add it to our jar today. Email: teachwell@auckland.ac.nz
Faculty: Science
Suitable for
Shared by
Anthony Gampell
Professional Teaching Fellow
Faculty of Science