Why Garden at School? Cornelia Harris, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Garden Based Learning TheoryGarden Based Learning TheoryGarden Based Learning TheoryGarden Based Learning Theory

Modified from Modified from Cornell Garden-Based Learning ProgramCornell Garden-Based Learning ProgramDepartment of HorticultureDepartment of Horticulture

Cornell UniversityCornell Universitywww.hort.cornell.edu/gbl/www.hort.cornell.edu/gbl/

Modified from Modified from Cornell Garden-Based Learning ProgramCornell Garden-Based Learning ProgramDepartment of HorticultureDepartment of Horticulture

Cornell UniversityCornell Universitywww.hort.cornell.edu/gbl/www.hort.cornell.edu/gbl/

School gardens offer numerous benefits to School gardens offer numerous benefits to childrenchildren

School gardens offer numerous benefits to School gardens offer numerous benefits to childrenchildren

List what benefits you know of on the notecard….be as specific as possible. Then discuss with a partner.

Our kids have easy access to cheap, unhealthy calories

Not surprisingly, obesity rates in the US are high

Part of the problem:

In Poughkeepsie…

• 42% of students in city schools are overweight or obese

• 25% of residents received food stamp benefits; 15% received emergency food help• Two of the ten census tracts in Poughkeepsie are food deserts (USDA)

Our premise: Gardening is good for the kids AND can bring any aspect of the curriculum to life

Our premise: Gardening is good for the kids AND can bring any aspect of the curriculum to life

Gardening isn’t an add on, but rather an integral part of the whole curriculum.

Garden-based learning- An instructional strategy that uses gardens as

a teaching tool- Pedagogy is based in experiential, project-

based & place-based education.

Gardening as experiential learning (Kolb, 1975)

Using the environment (including gardens) enables learning that is problem-based and interdisciplinary, with significant positive impact on achievement - National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (2000)

Students tend to learn more and better when they are actively involved in the learning process. - McCormick et al. (1989)

Classrooms (92% of 40 schools) that used the environment as an integrating context had higher test scores, GPAs, and more enthusiasm for learning - Lieberman & Hoody (1998)

Why outdoor, experiential learning?

• 83% of US population lives in metropolitan areas (US Census, 2010)

• The average 8 year old spends 8 hours a day using various forms of media – 75% of teens have cell phones, sending an average of 3,400 texts per month (Ghose, 2013)

Benefits of Outdoor Learning• Getting students outside, often, & early

– Reducing symptoms from ADHD, increasing motor skills, concentration, imaginative play & creativity, observation skills, reduces bullying and stress (White 2004; Taylor 2001, 2002, 2009; Pyle 2002; Moore 1996; Louv 2008, Tennessen 1995; Kuo 2001)

• Providing positive experiences with the outdoors, instead of just discussing environmental problems – Teaching about the destruction of the rainforest may actually be

detrimental for younger students, leading to apathy& biophobia (White 2004; Coffey 2001; Kellert 2002; Louv 2008)

• “Knowledge without love will not stick. But if love comes first, knowledge is sure to follow”– John Burroughs

Purposes of school gardens: to improve…

1) Content knowledge: science, LA, math, social studies, writing

2) Personal, social, physical, and moral development (including self-concept, self-esteem, motivation)

3) Positive environmental attitude and empathy4) Food literacy and healthy eating habits5) School bonding, parental involvement, and

formation of community

Content review of the literature

• Of the 40 studies that have assessed direct learning outcomes, 83% found positive effects (only 1 study demonstrated a negative effect)– Science had the highest proportion of positive effects– 80% of the direct academic outcomes in math were

positive– 72% were positive in language arts– 67% studies were positive for writing– Only one study looked at social studies (positive effect)

Williams & Dixon, 2013http://rer.sagepub.com/content/83/2/211

• In a review of 15 studies, 93% of students demonstrated positive effects in science learning• Classrooms using GrowLab indoor gardens and curriculum scored significantly higher in understanding of life science concepts and science inquiry skills (McArthur et al, 2010)• 3-5 grade students who participated in school gardening activities scored significantly higher on science achievement tests (Klemmer, 2005)

ScienceScienceScienceScience

Math

• 80% of the direct academic outcomes in math were positive

• Most common activities: measuring gardens, planning planting, gathering results of investigations

English Language ArtsEnglish Language ArtsEnglish Language ArtsEnglish Language Arts

In a summer school project that used a whole language approach with gardening as the central theme, the most significant student gains were in self-esteem and achievement in reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and written expression. Sheffield (1992)

Social StudiesSocial Studies Social StudiesSocial Studies

Linking storytelling with garden programs may serve to educate children about the processes that underlie and interweave diverse cultures' seasonal traditions.

Bowles (1995)

The ArtsThe ArtsThe ArtsThe ArtsGardens are often the most accessible places for children to learn about nature's beauty, interconnections, power, fragility, and solace.

Heffernan (1994)

Art students show the fruits of their creativity inspired by beautiful outdoor settings.

Indirect Academic Outcomes

• 36 studies have assessed garden-based learning’s effects on indirect academic outcomes

• 80% were positive• Examples: environmental attitudes, social

development, motivation, study habits, curiosity, discipline

Nutrition benefits• 16 studies on nutrition – 81% found positive effects• After gardening, students have shown increased

knowledge about nutrition; more positive attitudes towards fruit and vegetable snacks; increased interest in consuming fruits and vegetables daily– Pothukuchi (2004); Lineberger, 1999; Heimendinger & Van Duyn, 1995

Food Systems Ecology

• Gardening teaches kids that food is not just a commodity (Thorp & Townsend, 2001)

• Gardens teach how a “plant goes from seed to plate” (Rahm, 2002)

School gardening has been shown to increase self-esteem, help students develop a sense of ownership and responsibility, help foster relationships with family members, and increase parental involvement.

Alexander & Hendren (1998); Waliczek & Zajicek, 1998.

School gardening enhances School gardening enhances students’ livesstudents’ lives

School gardening enhances School gardening enhances students’ livesstudents’ lives

School gardening enhances learning for all School gardening enhances learning for all studentsstudents

Children with learning disabilities, who participated in gardening activities, had enhanced nonverbal communication skills, developed awareness of the advantages of order, learned how to participate in a cooperative effort, and formed relationships with adults.

Sarver (1985)

Gardening programming positively influenced two constructs: "working with groups" and "self-understanding."

Robinson, & Zajicek (2005).

Cultural AppreciationCultural AppreciationCultural AppreciationCultural Appreciation

Gardening helps young people understand the value of diversity by exploring historical contributions from cultures worldwide to what we eat today. Gardening can be an ideal vehicle for introducing elements of multicultural education. Eames-Sheavly (1994)

Got Gardening?Got Gardening?Got Gardening?Got Gardening?