Post date: Aug 10, 2012 5:18:12 PM
Outside of my work with the garden, I have a job working with youth and a friendly social setting. This job obviously relates to my interests in youth and education, but earlier this week the connection proved more meaningful and useful for me, both for my work with the lesson plans that I have been doing and for my future as an educator.
I met with a group of boys in grade 8 at a local junior high school, whom I had never met before. We spent the afternoon dyeing fabric bandanas, playing basketball and soccer, and just hanging out when the weather got to hot (honestly, the humidity was unreal for Edmonton and there was no hint of a breeze).
While we were taking a much needed break, we realized that a thunderstorm was rolling through the other side of the city. We could see almost every detail of the storm: the clouds, the rain and wind patterns, and of course the lightning. The boys got talking about the things they had learned in science class over the years, mostly the things they had enjoyed most such as circuits, structures and forces, and the like.
We got to talking a lot about the high and low points of the science curriculum for them, and about the types of activities they had done for each. It was really great to hear about the different activities their teachers had planned! But the thing I definitely noticed was the lack of meaningful activities in the areas of curriculum that they did not enjoy, or that they did not remember much about. One of which was the area in Science 7 that I am working on now, a review activity for Unit A involving the gardens.
The students hadn’t done much hands on interaction with this unit... which is slightly ironic given the name. I ran through my proposed activity with them, and tried to gauge their reaction. They seemed to like the idea of relating it to something real and tangible (the gardens), while being able to review all the information from the unit as a whole, interconnected system. They claimed that this wouldn’t be “fun”, but it would be better than sitting in class listening to the teacher and taking notes.
This has helped me realise how important the gardens can potentially be within education. They have the potential to turn concepts into tangible ideas and understandings, while creating long lasting memories for students based on the “fun” activities completed. This also relates to Aboriginal perspectives, as they believe that content should be meaningful. As the content and activities with the gardens and the curriculum become meaningful to the students, it will evoke emotions from the students that will better help them relate to what they are learning, and ultimately help them better remember their experiences.
I somewhat doubt that I will have the opportunity to have a serious discussion about curriculum with students, but I really hope I do! I feel like I have been blessed to have this rare interaction that was open and honest with the students, and it has been very important for me and my work.