Pedagogy

Learning about ecological systems is at the very centre of learning from gardening. Understanding that systems are connected, reliant, redundant, and recursive comes from the very act of digging, planting, watching, watering, and fertilizing. However, there is still a deeper concept that is being learned when one gardens. It is the notion that humans are intrinsic to a system’s health, and that our bodies and brains are connected to that system of growth. The magical nature of seeing life sprout, grow, and produce is just that: a magical and awe-inspiring event. Botany has provided us with an understanding of the physiological and genetic processes that we are witnessing. But before we explore the scientific approach, we must engage all five (or six) senses in the process of growing a garden in order to help us deeply connect with where we are.

Pedagogy Question: Considering the reductionist education system of the past 100 years (or more), what modalities of ecological knowledge should we explore through post-modernistic frameworks?

Senses Activity (Do this right here and now!)

Find yourself a few coloured pens and pencils and at least two pieces of paper. I want you to go outside and find an edible plant. This could be as simple as going to your own garden, or finding a local plant ID book, identifying a plant, and then going on an adventure. Whatever the method, you need to find an edible plant. Remember that many plants are edible, but the few that aren’t can be really bad for you. So if you are in doubt, do not eat it!

Now, sit with that plant. You know, like you would sit with your loved one on a picnic. Without drawing or writing consider the following senses:
What do you hear?
What do you see?
What do you smell?
What do you feel?
What do you taste?
What are your thoughts?
Now try to draw, write, smudge, or glue, what you hear, what you see, and what you smell using your pencils or the earth around you.

Activity Questions: Can you see how your plant connects with where it is? How did it get there? What sustains it? How do you feel sitting with this plant?

If you are a technologically-inclined individual and have a camera or phone in your pocket, play with capturing your experience. Share your ideas below in the DISQUS area. You can post videos, photos, and write text.