Collaborative Reflective Inquiry as Garden Eco-Pedagogy

• In Event: 18.043 - Assemblage Thinking and the Mobilization of Education for Sustainable Development Policy Within a Canadian Province

Abstract

Gardens are becoming increasingly important and meaningful sites of school experiences as they provide spaces for “educating to feed ourselves” and opportunities for learners to explore, wonder about, and love Nature. This study followed the naissance of a course designed to meet the needs of teachers who wished to create environmental education, garden-based opportunities for their students. Through collaborative inquiry, reflective practice, and drawing upon teacher action research, we engaged with a welcoming garden space and made corporeal, spiritual, and cosmological connections, guided by slow eco-pedagogy. The course became a Place to wonder, inquire, reflect, and share stories as we lived and acted upon experiences which fostered an ethic of care for the Earth.

Authors

• Elizabeth Beattie, The University of British Columbia

• Douglas Adler, The University of British Columbia

• Sandra Anne Scott, The University of British Columbia