“In Place-Based Education the community becomes the classroom, students use the subject matter to address issues and problems that are important and meaningful to them, students are empowered to become writers of their own stories and the stories of their communities.” Dr. Ethan Lowenstein, SEMIS Coalition Director
Place-Based Education Summer Institute
Prairie Inquiry Summer Institute 2023
Attendees took plant measurements at the Ypsilanti Community High School Prairie
Butterfly on Milkweed at Ypsilanti High School
A monarch butterfly on milkweed at the Ypsi Community High School Prairie at Summer Institute 2023
Day One of 2023 Summer Institute at the DRIWR
SEMIS Coalition staff tam poses with DNR Ranger, Jazmyn Bernard.
Day One Summer Institute 2023
Community Partner Audra Carson with Jazmyn Bernard at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Closing Circle Day One 2023 Summer Institute
Closing Circle on Day One at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Day One Summer Institute 2023
View through the binoculars at Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Historian Matt Siegfried shares about the local Indigenous history of Brownstown, MI
Lake Erie environmental history
SEMIS Coalition team members Matt Siegfried and Laura Florence discussing the history of the Lake Erie Metropark area in Brownstown, MI
Lake Erie Environmental Literacy and History
2023 Summer Institute
Ranger, Jazmyn Bernard on Interpretive Nature Walk
History along the Huron River with Matt Siegfried
Closing Circle Summer Institute 2023
Closing Circle on the final day
Ice Cream Social Summer Institute 2023
A young person and a person in headscarf are scooping ice cream during the Ice Cream Social
Teachers at DRIWR
Attendees stare up at an unusual site of a fish skull that had been dropped by a bird of prey into a decaying tree trunk at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Puppet Play to Teach about Streams
Educators perform the “Water, Water Everywhere” puppet show
History Along the Huron River
Historian Matt Siegfried explains the history at Water Street in Ypsilanti, MI
City Hall Visit, Ypsilanti 2023
We visited the Ypsilanti City Hall and interviewed Bonnie Wesler, DPS Director
Our Annual Learning Series year ends and begins with this event as we look backward to reflect and share stories, and forward to plan for the coming school year and grow as educators. The SEMIS Coalition facilitates school-community partnerships to develop students as citizen-stewards of healthy ecological-social systems.
Our Institute is designed for educators at all levels of experience and open to member:
K-12 teachers, and students, community partners and field educators, administrators, instructional coaches, curriculum support staff, district level instructional staff, municipal leaders, grounds infrastructure managers, and undergraduate and graduate students in education.
This event is a multi-day experience that guides Coalition members through a place-based education inquiry process and immerses them in our southeast Michigan communities. We follow our established Launch/Build/Act/Reflect sequence to model learning practices and build community through teams, engage in dialogue about education, and share autobiographical stories to deepen our connections. Community partners and classroom-based teachers will learn in a collaborative setting throughout the Summer Institute.
Gain Great Lakes content knowledge, historical understanding, and form a deeper connection to the Great Lakes region through understanding the ecological-social issues facing our communities. Explore how these are all interconnected.
