Plants, Plows, and Pedagogy: Exploring Where Your Food Comes From 

A 5-Day Summer Professional Development Institute for Grades 3-8 Educators

Explore the science, technology, and engineering involved in agriculture and other aspects of food production. Learn about sustainable agricultural practices, explore the pathway of agricultural products from the field to your table, investigate the impact of climate change on our food systems and examine the impacts of farming and food production on the environment. Educators will engage in conversations about food justice and equitable access to healthy food, as well as food systems, farm schools, and more! You will visit a working farm, explore a community garden and ways to develop a school gardening program at your school and experience the landscape, history and evolution of a historic farm in Central MA.

Wade Institute for Science Education instructors will weave inquiry, phenomena, the engineering design process, and the Science and Engineering Practices into the science concepts explored. Participants will investigate real-world phenomena, then learn how to structure a lesson around related phenomena. They will see the value of guided and open inquiry in the classroom and identify the Science and Engineering Practices employed during their experiences. They will leave the Institute with more confidence and resources for teaching engaging farm-to-table concepts.

Registration Information

Region: Central
Dates and Times: July 15th -19th, 2024 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET)
Location: The Trustees of Reservations’ Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough
Collaborating Partners: REC (Regional Environmental Council) Worcester; Turn Back Time, Inc; Joe Karr, Education Consultant; Kerrita Mayfield, Shelburne Farms Farm to School Team
Cost: $475 per educator. $425 per educator if attending in a team with two or more other teachers from the same school or district.
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 40 PDPs available without graduate credit. 67.5 PDPs and 3 graduate credits from Cambridge College or Framingham State University available for $225. Additional work is required for graduate credit.

Turn Back Time, Inc.

REC (Regional Environmental Council) Worcester