Monday 25 March 2013

Plan spring/summer/fall classes now

To FoE professors, instructors, TAs, and students, (please distribute widely & apologies for cross-postings)

Are you teaching or a student in a course in the BEd program? Have you noticed how schools throughout the lower mainland and around the world are re-creating their schoolyards as outdoor classrooms? Are you wondering how to integrate gardens into your curriculum & pedagogy?

Well, spring has arrived, and it’s time to come to The Orchard Garden for rich, experiential, embodied, place-based teaching & learning opportunities across the curriculum.
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Student teachers performing teaching in the outdoor classroom installation

Our team is largely comprised of undergraduate and graduate students in the Faculties of Education and Land & Food Systems (LFS) and supported by a strong network of community partners (see http://thinkeatgreen.ca). We work closely with instructors to develop one-class or multiple-class educational experiences with the garden that connect to relevant curricular and pedagogical issues at hand in your course. 

The Orchard Garden is a unique outdoor classroom located behind the MacMillan Building, a short walk from Scarfe and Ponderosa (see map). 
This student-run, inter-faculty garden project grows food for the Agora Cafe, for community sales, and to help connect students, staff, faculty members, and teachers (pre- and in-service) with growing food and garden-based education. Here are some ways to connect with The Orchard Garden on your own or with a class:

  • Request plants to be grown for art projects (e.g., dyes), musical instruments (e.g., gourds), science experiments, math projects, etc. à advance notice required
  • Come for a tour and/or work day to make tangible the pedagogy and curriculum of garden-based learningà 1-2 week notice
  • Plan an assignment or project around the garden à 2 weeks + notice
  • Develop an Inquiry Project, research project, or Enhanced Practicum à advance notice required
  • Have class, meetings, or lunch outside and enjoy the beautiful setting! àNo notice, simply emailtheorchardgarden.educ@gmail.com for our records after your visit
  • Attend special events and workshops in the garden (e.g., Arts in the Garden, April 6, 2013)
Examples of class visit themes include: math, critical thinking, history & social studies, biology, art, philosophy of education, indigenous education, language education, and so much more!

For more information or to plan a visit or project in the garden, please take a look at our website and contact us:



---The Orchard Garden Team

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Student teachers starting the workshop series, October 2012


Learning to Teach in an Outdoor Classroom is made possible by funding from UBC’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF)

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