Garden-Based Learning (GBL)

I found this article to be very interesting. I agree that a projects approach is a great way to get students motivated and involved in their learning. As teachers, I think that we have a res... See More

I found this article to be very interesting. I agree that a projects approach is a great way to get students motivated and involved in their learning. As teachers, I think that we have a responsibility to move past traditional lecture teaching and find different ways to motivate our students. By encouraging them to develop questions and work together to answer them, students become accountable for their own learning instead of simply having information handed to them. I think that GBL is a great way to get students interested in science. For many students, this may have been the first time that they ever grew something or experienced watching something grow. The actual experience of planting the seeds and then following through with the cultivation all the way to fruit production will remain with these students much longer than if they had simply read about the plant life cycle in a textbook. I do think this type of project has limitations, however. The featured school was able to secure a grant and enlist the help of the community to launch its school gardening program. For some teachers, this might be difficult to do. However, you could always start on a small-scale with a single indoor classroom gardening bed. Overall, I think this article was very informative and I agree that GBL is a wonderful way to motivate and engage students.