The garden's experience is extra special for us as future teachers to learn about the different aspects of such program. When students are exposed to garden space I think there are more room for imagination and connection to their environment. The activity of drawing natural/ man-made objects is an excellent example; how there no no ends of drawing a natural object- say a pumpkin. Being able to recognize the plants that grow in the garden can also create connections to everyday life. I remember having memory of my summer job in Chilliwack just from the mint we sampled at the garden, while others are excited to find their connections too. It relates to the article we read before class, the whole idea about slowing down is really important for students now day--where information cycles so fast yet many do not know where do the food we eat daily come from.
With application to physics education, I think that garden will be an excellent location to do some testings of projects that require large space. For example I could imagine testing air/water propelled rockets at such location where it is okay to spell water everywhere. Another idea I can think of is the egg drop project, since most material involved is organic it definitely suits to be done in gardens. Not to mention other benefits such as in biology classes or agriculture courses where students directly benefit from having a school garden. Having volunteered at a school greenhouse/garden before, I personally think that there are many practical knowledge students can learn in gardens which will be otherwise difficult to imagine through textbooks. The hand-on aspect is one of the most important advantage in garden education.
Garden education, however, has its limitation such as unpredictable weather and the time it takes to maintain gardens. In winter time especially, gardens may be unusable due to the climate we have in Canada. It is always competitive for land space within institutions, many developers may not share the same view as teachers about the usefulness for gardens. If teachers have the opportunity to run garden programs it is extremely important to allow students to maximize the potentials for these gardens as well as to market the benefits for garden education, A sustainable garden education program will prove its value in the long run.
With application to physics education, I think that garden will be an excellent location to do some testings of projects that require large space. For example I could imagine testing air/water propelled rockets at such location where it is okay to spell water everywhere. Another idea I can think of is the egg drop project, since most material involved is organic it definitely suits to be done in gardens. Not to mention other benefits such as in biology classes or agriculture courses where students directly benefit from having a school garden. Having volunteered at a school greenhouse/garden before, I personally think that there are many practical knowledge students can learn in gardens which will be otherwise difficult to imagine through textbooks. The hand-on aspect is one of the most important advantage in garden education.
Garden education, however, has its limitation such as unpredictable weather and the time it takes to maintain gardens. In winter time especially, gardens may be unusable due to the climate we have in Canada. It is always competitive for land space within institutions, many developers may not share the same view as teachers about the usefulness for gardens. If teachers have the opportunity to run garden programs it is extremely important to allow students to maximize the potentials for these gardens as well as to market the benefits for garden education, A sustainable garden education program will prove its value in the long run.
Great blog post, Jeff! It's very interesting the way your farm and greenhouse experiences connect with the garden, and I really appreciate your innovative ideas for teaching physics in the garden, and your observations about drawing.
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