The idea behind place-based education is simple yet compelling: It uses the environment around you, and even the entire world, to learn. One of the compelling aspects of place-based learning is that it helps students develop connections to their communities as well as to the world around them in a way they might not in a traditional classroom. Instead of simply learning concepts and rules, the student uses them in real-world situations. After all, the purpose of knowledge is to be able to use what you learn in real-world situations, whether at home or in a career, and this type of learning facilitates that. 

The attached resource, The Power Of Place-Based Learning, describes more about this growing educational trend.