Teaching Place, Ritual, and Sustainability

Abstract

A compilation of different documents showcasing what I learned during my experience on the farm and from my research during the summer of 2012. The place-based, hands on learning of food systems education is known to offer unique opportunities to develop student’s knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices. Through my explorative research into how classrooms work, I found that students in these programs can also develop skills as communicators, learners, leaders, and agents of change. I will present how my qualitative study of curriculum setting and its relation to the students, the farm work, and the communal elements of the Summer Institute of Sustainable Agriculture at Willamette's Zena Forest and Farm, combine to create a laboratory for self-reflection, ethics formation, and paradigm change for students. I will also discuss learning objectives and lesson plans derived from the research that could be added to any program to incorporate these outcomes that are integral to any leadership training.