Part of THV's July 2014 institute, "Farms & Food: Teaching the Hudson Valley from the Ground Up." From a full-day field experience, "Our Ecosystem, Our Health: Exploring the Benefits of School & Community Gardens," in Poughkeepsie, NY. Particpiants visited gardens at Krieger ES, Poughkeepsie HS, and the Poughkeepsie Farm Project with Cornelia Harris, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and Jamie Levato, education coordinator for the Poughkeepsie Farm Project.

1. Garden Based Learning TheoryGarden Based Learning Theory
Modified fromModified from Cornell Garden-Based Learning ProgramCornell Garden-Based Learning Program
Department of HorticultureDepartment of Horticulture
Cornell UniversityCornell University
www.hort.cornell.edu/gbl/www.hort.cornell.edu/gbl/

2. School gardens offer numerous benefits toSchool gardens offer numerous benefits to
childrenchildren
List what benefits you know of on the
notecard….be as specific as possible.
Then discuss with a partner.

3. Our kids have easy access to cheap,
unhealthy calories

4. Not surprisingly, obesity rates in the US
are high

5. Part of the problem:

6. In Poughkeepsie…
• 42% of students in city schools are overweight
or obese
• 25% of residents received
food stamp benefits;
15% received emergency
food help
• Two of the ten census
tracts in Poughkeepsie are
food deserts (USDA)

7. Our premise: Gardening is good for the kids AND
can bring any aspect of the curriculum to life
Gardening isn’t an add on, but rather an
integral part of the whole curriculum.

8. Garden-based learning
- An instructional strategy that uses gardens as
a teaching tool
- Pedagogy is based in experiential, project-
based & place-based education.

9. Gardening as experiential learning (Kolb, 1975)
Using the environment (including gardens) enables learning that is
problem-based and interdisciplinary, with significant positive
impact on achievement - National Environmental Education & Training
Foundation (2000)
Students tend to learn more and better when they are actively
involved in the learning process. - McCormick et al. (1989)
Classrooms (92% of 40 schools) that used the environment as an
integrating context had higher test scores, GPAs, and more
enthusiasm for learning - Lieberman & Hoody (1998)

10. Why outdoor, experiential learning?
• 83% of US population lives in metropolitan
areas (US Census, 2010)
• The average 8 year old spends 8 hours a day
using various forms of media – 75% of teens
have cell phones, sending an average of 3,400
texts per month (Ghose, 2013)

11. Benefits of Outdoor Learning
• Getting students outside, often, & early
– Reducing symptoms from ADHD, increasing motor skills,
concentration, imaginative play & creativity, observation skills,
reduces bullying and stress (White 2004; Taylor 2001, 2002, 2009;
Pyle 2002; Moore 1996; Louv 2008, Tennessen 1995; Kuo 2001)
• Providing positive experiences with the outdoors, instead
of just discussing environmental problems
– Teaching about the destruction of the rainforest may actually be
detrimental for younger students, leading to apathy& biophobia
(White 2004; Coffey 2001; Kellert 2002; Louv 2008)
• “Knowledge without love will not stick. But if love comes
first, knowledge is sure to follow”
– John Burroughs

12. Purposes of school gardens: to
improve…
1) Content knowledge: science, LA, math, social
studies, writing
2) Personal, social, physical, and moral development
(including self-concept, self-esteem, motivation)
3) Positive environmental attitude and empathy
4) Food literacy and healthy eating habits
5) School bonding, parental involvement, and
formation of community

13. Content review of the literature
• Of the 40 studies that have assessed direct learning
outcomes, 83% found positive effects (only 1 study
demonstrated a negative effect)
– Science had the highest proportion of positive effects
– 80% of the direct academic outcomes in math were
positive
– 72% were positive in language arts
– 67% studies were positive for writing
– Only one study looked at social studies (positive effect)
Williams & Dixon, 2013
http://rer.sagepub.com/content/83/2/211

14. • In a review of 15 studies, 93% of students demonstrated
positive effects in science learning
• Classrooms using GrowLab indoor gardens and
curriculum scored significantly higher in understanding of
life science concepts and science inquiry skills (McArthur et
al, 2010)
• 3-5 grade students who participated in school gardening
activities scored significantly higher on science
achievement tests (Klemmer, 2005)
ScienceScience

15. Math
• 80% of the direct academic outcomes in math
were positive
• Most common activities: measuring gardens,
planning planting, gathering results of
investigations

16. English Language ArtsEnglish Language Arts
In a summer school project that used a whole language
approach with gardening as the central theme, the
most significant student gains were in self-esteem and
achievement in reading, reading comprehension,
spelling, and written expression. Sheffield (1992)

17. Social StudiesSocial Studies
Linking storytelling with garden programs may serve to
educate children about the processes that underlie and
interweave diverse cultures' seasonal traditions.
Bowles (1995)

18. The ArtsThe Arts
Gardens are often the most
accessible places for
children to learn about
nature's beauty,
interconnections, power,
fragility, and solace.
Heffernan (1994)
Art students show the fruits of their creativity inspired by beautiful outdoor settings.

19. Indirect Academic Outcomes
• 36 studies have assessed garden-based
learning’s effects on indirect academic
outcomes
• 80% were positive
• Examples: environmental attitudes, social
development, motivation, study habits,
curiosity, discipline

20. Nutrition benefits
• 16 studies on nutrition – 81% found positive effects
• After gardening, students have shown increased
knowledge about nutrition; more positive attitudes
towards fruit and vegetable snacks; increased
interest in consuming fruits and vegetables daily
– Pothukuchi (2004); Lineberger, 1999; Heimendinger & Van Duyn, 1995

21. Food Systems Ecology
• Gardening teaches
kids that food is not
just a commodity
(Thorp & Townsend,
2001)
• Gardens teach how a
“plant goes from
seed to plate”
(Rahm, 2002)

22. School gardening has been shown to increase self-
esteem, help students develop a sense of ownership and
responsibility, help foster relationships with family
members, and increase parental involvement.
Alexander & Hendren (1998); Waliczek & Zajicek, 1998.
School gardening enhancesSchool gardening enhances
students’ livesstudents’ lives

23. School gardening enhances learning for allSchool gardening enhances learning for all
studentsstudents
Children with learning disabilities, who
participated in gardening activities, had
enhanced nonverbal communication
skills, developed awareness of the
advantages of order, learned how to
participate in a cooperative effort, and
formed relationships with adults.
Sarver (1985)
Gardening programming positively influenced two constructs:
"working with groups" and "self-understanding."
Robinson, & Zajicek (2005).

24. Cultural AppreciationCultural Appreciation
Gardening helps young people understand the value of diversity
by exploring historical contributions from cultures worldwide to
what we eat today. Gardening can be an ideal vehicle for
introducing elements of multicultural education. Eames-Sheavly
(1994)

25. Got Gardening?Got Gardening?