An Experience of Place, Inquiry and Community-based Pedagogies for Enhancing Learning and Engagement of English Learners at Higher Education Context

This paper introduces the affordances of leveraging principles from place, inquiry and community-based pedagogies to foster self-directed learning, engagement and community awareness in a group of ten intermediate English learners enrolled in a languages and culture higher education program. A learning unit was designed to guide them into exploring key places in the districts around the university campus with the aim of introducing them to inquiry processes concerning some outstanding educational places. Using two examples from learners, the article showcases a steady application of higher order thinking skills (e.g., comparison and contrast), engagement with the themes discovered and heightened awareness of place and community.