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Re/learning toTeach: three teachers' experiences in an environmental education initiative on an urban farm Costrut, Ileana

Abstract

"Re/learning to Teach" is a case study that explores three elementary teachers‘ experiences teaching in the Intergenerational, Landed Learning Project (LLP), an environmental education initiative on an urban farm, and examines the impact of these experiences on the teachers‘ professional growth and practice. To achieve this goal, I employed a case study approach. I worked with three teachers who had participated in the LLP over a number of years. I observed these teachers as they taught lessons in their classrooms and participated in activities with their students at the farm. I also used semi-structured interviews to gain insight into the teachers‘ motivations for participating, the challenges they experienced during their participation, their learning, and the ways their professional practice changed over the course of their involvement. My study revealed that at the farm, teachers learned about food-growing, land stewardship, and the value of community learning, alongside their students. As they participated in this new educational space, the teachers experienced a number of challenges that prompted reflection and professional growth. They discovered new roles and learned teaching practices that helped them bring an environmental focus to their classroom lessons, their schools, and beyond. The findings also suggest that the people, the place, and the program of the LLP inspired the teachers to add a social action component to their lessons to motivate students to become responsible citizens and future decision makers.

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Attribution 3.0 Unported