iTunes Podcasts

The Edible Schoolyard

The Edible Schoolyard is a class of 6th graders in Berkley, CA. These students do not sit at their desks all day, but rather help take care of a vegetable garden located next to the classroom. During first period, the students plant, harvest, and eat the organic vegetables they grow. Besides the garden, the students also spend time in the learning lab and kitchen located inside the school. For these students, gardening is at the center of everything they are taught. Their teacher uses the students' experience in the garden to relate concepts in social studies, math, science, and other subjects. The students learn the basics of ecology and also how to work together for group projects. These activities also help the students develop a sense of community. Alice Waters originated the idea for the Edible Schoolyard as an idea on how to improve school lunches. She feels that this program can help students better understand what they are learning in class and apply the principles to real-world situations.

I feel that this podcast opened my eyes to the different resources I can use to teach important concepts to my students. For some students, sitting at a desk is not a efficient way for them to learn. By incorporating hands-on activities, students are able to fully understand the concept being taught and also how they can apply it to their day to day lives. This will ultimately allow the student to retain the information learned and not forget it as soon as they are tested on it.

A Night in the Global Village

The Global Village is located on the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, AR. It is headed by the Global Gateway Program, which is dedicated to ending hunger and poverty and creating sustainable development in impoverished countries. This group donates livestock to these countries and develops programs to raise awareness on these issues. Students who come to the Global Village are randomly placed in groups and spend the night in the village. Each group is assigned to a particular structure that reflects those found in Guatemala, Thailand, Zambia, the Appalachians, and refugee camps. During the night, the students discuss issues like sanitation and poverty. Some of the groups are given a bucket of supplies while others must find food and water on their own. Some of the children are made to appear pregnant or missing a limb in order to represent the various physical hardships faced by those in that situation. The groups are also given chores to complete and must learn to barter with the other groups for supplies, food, and water.

I thought that this podcast was very informative an challenging. As teachers, we are expected to educate our students on many different subjects, even uncomfortable ones like poverty. This podcast is a great tool to begin class discussions on different countries and the economic hardships that occur there. Hopefully this could motivate the students to want to learn more about these places and get involved. From these conversations class and school projects could immerge, like a coin drive to help organizations that are dedicated to ending poverty. I feel this is a very important subject that students should be educated about early on.