‘It’s part of our community, where we live’: Urban heritage and children’s sense of place

Abstract

The literature on a ‘sense of place’ often sidelines the voices of children. Consequently, little is known about how children can be encouraged to develop a sense of place. This matters because a sense of place involves feelings of belonging and attachment, and can contribute to children’s wellbeing and identity. Informed by the research of Bartos and Severcan, we deploy data from a qualitative research project in a primary school in a former coalfield area in the north-east of England to argue that children’s experiences of learning about their urban local history and heritage can help to develop their sense of place. Placing children’s voices centrally in our research, we explore how they engage with learning about local mining history, and the impact of place-based pedagogy. Emphasising the possibilities and importance of their deep involvement with their urban heritage, we show, firstly, the ways in which children’s sense of place is strengthened when they develop a feeling of ownership over their own history. Secondly, we explore how children develop a sense of place through engaging their emotions and physicality, and, thirdly, their senses. We conclude that learning about local history through place-based pedagogy allows children to create and interpret historical events and develop a sense of place. Taking ownership of their history makes the children active participants in telling the story of their place. Children can then develop new ways of seeing themselves in places, as they make connections between the past, present and future.

The industrial past as a tool of possibility: Schooling and social class in a former coalfield community

“…Based in a socially deprived primary school, in a post-industrial setting in the north-east of England, Grimshaw and Mates’ studies (2021, 2022) draw attention to how teaching local mining history can fit within and beyond the demands of the curriculum in primary schools in ways that better connect post-industrial generations to their industrial heritage and lived realities. Their Making Heritage Matter project combined a range of lessons about coalmining history delivered by classroom teachers, visiting specialists and other local community members, partnership groups and organisations.…”

“…Despite this, Lillydown Primary is functioning almost as a microcosm of what once was, to provide a central point where various forms of social, educational and cultural activities are available to all. Lillydown Primary invites community members into the school for various purposes but such practices and activities need, as Grimshaw and Mates (2021) illustrate, to be advanced in ways which are both critical and relevant to young people in former coalfield communities.…”

“…Such processes are also evident in other national contexts (see, for example, Freie, 2007; Thomson, 2002). More recent research focuses on the value of teaching local industrial history after deindustrialisation and helps us consider how pupils can better understand their industrial pasts through the formal curriculum and wider engagement with the community, local partnerships, and visiting experts from industry and commerce (see Gibbs & Henderson-Bone, 2022; Grimshaw & Mates, 2021, 2022). To truly know the effects of deindustrialisation in former mining communities we must become attuned to the haunting presence of Britain’s industrial past.…”

The Sense of Place Transformation before and during Pandemic Era in Public Space: Masjid Al-Malik Khalid, USM, Penang, Malaysia

“…That fact about the connection between emotion and place is supported by the statement of Grimshaw et al (2021) they said that emotional attachment to the places could arise from growing up, living, or experiencing repeatedly. Sense of place can link the past to the present [19]. The author directly digging last year memory and cooperate with imagination to project all activities in the Masjid to compare with current situation.…”

The Spatial Mobility Trap? How Urban Contexts Shape the Spatial Mobility of Male Undocumented Youths

“…2021). These local communities are the spaces where youths make friends and connect with others (Grimshaw and Mates 2021). Spatial experiences expand as teenagers enter high schools, often outside of their neighborhood.…”