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Engaging All Learners in the School Garden Karen Wolfgang & Isabel LaCourse Independence Gardens | Portland, OR January 2014 © Independence Gardens LLC

Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

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Page 1: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Engaging All Learners

in the School Garden

Karen Wolfgang & Isabel LaCourse Independence Gardens | Portland, OR

January 2014 © Independence Gardens LLC

Page 2: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

What We’ll Cover TodayWho are we?

Independence Gardens • Works with households and organizations (including

schools) to grow food in integrated landscapes by building edible garden infrastructure, coaching & consulting, and providing organic land care

And… • Isabel has taught in various contexts for the past 13 years;

she was the Garden Coordinator at Sabin School in NE PDX for 4 years, and is now Environmental Education Coordinator for Tualatin Riverkeepers

• Karen managed the PSU Learning Gardens Laboratory and served an AmeriCorps term as Garden-Based Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities

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Page 3: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

What We’ll Cover TodayComments along the way

Got Questions? Please ask as we go along.

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BRIEFLY: • Your name • Where you’re coming

from (region, role) • Who you work with

(what type(s) of learners)

Page 4: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

What We’ll Cover TodayPressing questions

Quick draws (3 hands) • Why you chose this

session OR • Big bad question you

are really looking to have answered

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Page 5: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

What We’ll Cover TodayWhat does engagement look like?

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Page 6: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Family & community

• The students in your class are not the only users of/learners in the school garden environment

• Garden programs present many opportunities for broader community-building

• Support from family and community is integral to sustained student engagement

• Maintaining the school garden as an environment in which learners CAN engage over time requires broader community support

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Page 7: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Background challenges

• Structural factors • Historical factors • Specific concerns

– “My mom says gardening is stupid” !

NOTE: Every community has a different story. Create opportunities for listening in YOUR community, rather than assuming that any particular concern exists (or doesn’t exist).

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Gardening is awesome. It can also be complicated.

Page 8: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Responsiveness

• Community agreements inform strategy • Objectives(s):

– Academic/curricular connections – Job skills – Health & wellness – Food production – Mindsets

• Respect for food & self, empowerment – Experiences

• Connection to land, place, environment

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Page 9: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Best practices

• Build a collaborative team with strong leadership • Focus on broad community engagement/celebration

– Who participates in planning process, and who is missing?

• Prioritize awareness of diverse experiences • Ensure consistent communication

– Continued outreach and invitations to participate are critical

• Don’t put too much responsibility on the garden coordinator/educator

• Don’t assume that “if you build it, they will come”

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Page 10: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

What We’ll Cover TodayWhat does engagement look like?

IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Page 11: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Goals

• Families and community members recognize and support the relevance of garden activities

• Everyone feels safe & respected • Expectations are clear • Students are on-task • Self-managing group activities

leave time for one-on-one interactions

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Page 12: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Context + content

• Routines are important – Where are you? What facilities are available? – What are the rules? Does everyone know what they are? What

“backup” do you have? – When do your students come? How often? – How do you communicate your expectations? How consistent are

you able to be?

• “The garden” is different from moment to moment • Curriculum and lesson plans should be flexible enough to

adapt to evolving student and garden needs

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Page 13: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Motivators

• Fun • Outside time! • Emotional safety/reward • FOOD: cooking, eating • Contributing to

community • Caring for/growing things • Healthy lifestyles • Good grades • Job skills

KWL’s What don’t they (know they) want to know?

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Some factors to consider: • Age(s) • Number at a time • Commonalities? • Differences? • Experiences with gardening

(personal, familial, cultural)

Page 14: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

• Disconnect between expectations and realities

• Someone is uncomfortable — their needs are not being met

• Better strategies don’t exist for dealing with discomfort, either personally or in the class context

• Our best bet for reducing acting out: create a reward-based system

“Behaviors”

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Page 15: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Strategies

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• Acknowledge learning styles/capacities

• Refer back to expectations that are shared with parents, classroom teachers, etc.

• Use classroom management tools that your students are familiar with

– Call & response attention-getting tools

Page 16: Presentation - Engaging All Learners€¦ · Education Team Leader, and through the business continues to work with learners of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities IndependenceGardensPDX.com

Questions?

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