Exploring Garden-Based Learning at George Harvey C.I

Last month I was invited by one of my OISE colleagues, Airin, to join her at George Harvey Collegiate Institute and help out with the school's food initiatives.

As part of the service-learning component for the Philosophy of Food: Food Justice and Education Thought course at OISE, University of Toronto, led by Dr. Bradley Rowe, I was awarded the opportunity to experience first hand the remarkable learning that occurs in the school garden. Garden-Based learning has been an area of interest, and I was looking forward to see the positive effects of school gardens that has been largely documented.

front garden

Located at Keele St. and Eglinton Ave, George Harvey C.I is faced with many of the challenges of Toronto's urban schools. The high school has a diversity of culture, language and religion. George Harvey C.I. strives to maintain a program of holistic learning which engages in issues of identity. Food is one tool used as an entry way for identity dialogue and community building.  Many students today lack experience with natural ecosystems, and have little exposure to natural elements which they can explore and play. Gardens allow a school to transform asphalt-covered and flat green school gardens into learning centres. George Harvey C.I. garden-based learning provides cross-curricular opportunities for students to engage in hands-on gardening into their curriculum. School gardens not only allow students to gain a close personal experiences with the earth, but teaches them how a plant goes from seed to plate. It introduces students to local, sustainable food systems.

Jump Start Breakfast Program

With an early start, we began in the kitchen helping out with the Jump Start Breakfast program. Run by the school social worker, Vince, the breakfast program was bustling with student volunteers, teaching staff and students eagerly waiting to fill their plates with a nutritious breakfast. That morning we made scramble eggs alongside English muffins, an apple and orange juice to drink. I helped out with the prepping, cracking and beating dozens of eggs.  On average there are 70-100 students and staff that start their day with the Jump Start program. That morning we served breakfast to over 80 students, which was all quickly eaten up. The free breakfast program offered at George Harvey C.I has had positive results for student learning. Providing students with a nutritious meal to start their day helps students to focus, and studies showing that student learning, participation and academic performance all improve.

side garden

side garden, before the garden beds were prepared for planting 

green house

After breakfast, we had a chance to explore the school and see first had the garden-based learning that takes place. There are three main areas around the school that are the at the centre of the school gardens, at the back of the school, along the side and at the front. Despite, the lack of green space the school has transformed unusable land into flourishing gardens where students and nature reunite.

Over the years, students have built raised beds, toiled the soil and planted trees and shrubs. Furthermore, a greenhouse which sits at the back garden, was donated by the community, allowing the school to grow organic food all year long.

seedlings, grown by the food and nutrition class

In the greenhouse were a number of seedlings planted by the science students, another example of how the school gardens are used to engage students across the curriculum.

seedlings, grown by the food and nutrition class

After our tour, we were joined by the Grade 10 food and nutrition class to plant seedlings which the students had grown from seeds.  The Grade 10's were eager to plant their seedlings. Before they got started, they first needed to prepare the garden beds, removing all of the weeds that had grown during the off-season, and toil the soil to ensure a healthy garden.

The students each took on varying jobs, some worked in the garden beds and removed weeds, while others prepared stakes and twine. Laughter and lively conversation dominated, as students worked steadfastly to prepare their gardens.

For many, this was their first time to work in the school garden, and for even more it was their first time to be gardening and working with soil at all. This new opportunity was welcomed by all the students.  As students were working hard to prepare the gardens it was hardly quiet. Student's were laughing and chatting with each other. Many students who usually would not spend time to talk to one another, found common interest in the gardens. The gardening activity brought together the students in ways that could not be achieved in the classroom.

potato seedlings

Once the gardens were ready, the students planted with pride their young seedlings which included zucchini, eggplant, beans, peppers, dill, parsley, cilantro and much more. They had a sense of contentment and joy that translated beyond the classroom walls.

In the afternoon, we joined Airin's grade 12 philosophy class in the garden and planted seedlings donated by The Stop Community Food Centre.
 variety of vegetable, herbs, and flower seedlings. The students worked in the garden and planted the donated seedlings while engaging both the mind and body.

student artwork

The garden activities bring to light what Ralph Emerson's vision of a holistic education which educates the mind, body and the heart. For Emerson, nature becomes a site of education where each the mind, body and the heart are engaged and work together.

The student artwork which lined the fenced garden, demonstrates the expression and creativity of the students which transcends beyond the classroom. The garden  is truly a site that is cross-curricular, and allows students of all ages to participate in inquiry and discovery.

garden beds

I shared with the students the excitement of transforming a space into an area of growth and life. The space which the gardens now occupy were at one point unused and wasted. Transforming the space into gardens has fostered community building and an area for which the students can connect with both the environment and a local source of food.  The students were engaged in environmental education which gave them the knowledge, skills, perspectives and the practice that they need to be active and responsible citizens.

the rabbits.

The Rabbits

The Rabbits, written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan, is a partly allegorical fable about colonization, told from the viewpoint of the colonized. The narrator describes the coming of the ‘rabbits’, an encounter that is at first friendly and curious, but later darkens as it becomes apparent that the visitors are actually invaders. The text and the image of the book conveys an overall sense of bewilderment and anxiety as the colonized witness environmental devastation under the hands of the strange new culture.

The meeting on the hill.

Comments on The Rabbits

The parallels with a real history of colonization n Australia and around the world are obvious, and based on thorough research. The book, however, has generated some controversy due to its confronting themes. One reason for the initial controversy is that it is a picture book, and therefore thought to be children’s literature, and wrongly assumed to be didactic, whereas it has been originally conceived as a book for older readers.

They came by water.

The building of the houses.

The Rabbits provides a plethora of ideas for discussion for older students. This picture book is a great tool that can be used to challenge and engage students in deep issues. The story, is written in the form of an allegory, and makes a powerful statement about colonization in general, and more specifically about colonization of Australia.  The Rabbits raises a number of points for discussion in the classroom, and can be used to examine aspects of the curriculum in a critical way in History and Geography, and can be used cross-curricular in English, Visual Arts, Technology and Environmental Studies.  Depending on the class the book can be introduced in the junior grades and continued up to grade 12.

The book can be used to introduce a topic or unit of study. Students can comment on the style of the illustrations and can brainstorm on their initial reactions when reading the book. For example, how do the illustrations help to convey an interpretation of the text?  The book can also be used to discuss the word choice and the effect of those words to convey a concept.

It can also be used to examine different voices and perspectives. Students can examine the way in which the invaders are depicted, and explore the effect that it has on the reader. There are many symbols used throughout the book which students can discuss and explore their meaning and discuss reasons why the artist might have decided to use them.  

Interview: Shaun Tan on his work

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/audio-video/shaun-tan-on-his-work

This interview provides background information of the author and illustrator. Shaun Tan talks about how he creates his books and what influences him. He discusses the role of literacy and belonging in people’s lives, and how he portrays these themes in his books.

References

Official Website of Shaun Tan

Interview with Shaun Tan. State Library of Victoria.

Interview with Shaun Tan

teaching at the core.

foldables.

What are foldables? Foldables are interactive graphic organizers that students create. These hands-on tools can be used in any subject and grade level. Foldables allow students to organize, display and arrange data to create a visual aid that supports understanding of concepts, facts and ideas.

I introduced foldables in my second practicum as a study aid for the grade 7 geography unit on the environment. It was a great success! The students were excited to discover how they were going to use this new tool. Each student was responsible to create their own foldable, which they used to organize and record notes on the four components of the environment. Each student was given a sheet of paper and scissors with the basic instructions: fold, cut, fill. It is important to model the process, step by step, with the students, noting where to fold, cut and record the information. This is what the final product looked like:

 

Students used the outer flaps to record the name of the component of the earth (e.g. the atmosphere , the inside flaps to record key notes, including important points, diagrams and terminology. Finally, the back of the foldable was used to illustrate the layers of the earth, which students coloured and labeled  A tip when using this graphic organizer is to use coloured paper which not only stands out, but also invites students to engage in note taking. However, be cautious not to over use foldables as a tool, ensuring that the novelty does not ware off with students.

     

There are many different ways that foldables can be used and folded. Here are some examples of foldables that you can use in your classroom:

The hamburger/ hot-dog fold: this foldable can be created with 2-tabs, 3-tabs, or multi-tabs. It is used for comparisons,  points of view, timelines or recording vocabulary. 

The shutter fold: this foldable can be created with 2-panels, 4-panels, or multi-panels and is used for comparisons; summaries; what, where, why, when; pre, post, for and against, term analysis and charts

The layered book fold is often used to tell a sequence of events, such as geological time, process of the rock cycle, process and classification.


  

Foldables were created by Dinah Zike to support student learning. More information can be found on her website.

The Balanced Literacy Diet

The Balanced Literacy Diet, is a great resource for educators. The website is designed to provide teachers with "the what and the how of effective literacy education." It was developed by university and school based literacy experts, who have complied best practice approaches that can be easily incorporated in any classroom. The website includes links to readings, video demonstrations and virtual classroom tours, which provide inspiring ideas and resources to support a strong literacy foundation.  The Balanced Literacy Diet, promotes a framework for fundamental literacy concepts which resemble that of a healthy diet, highlighting certain "food groups" that  are essential for successful student learning. 

The Balanced Literacy Diet