Global Radar and Local Food

I don't know if any of you saw the episode from Global Radar on Local Food - it is great and fits so well with our kaupapa. I found the visit to Peru to follow potatoes a real eye opener, has anyone grown the Maori potatoes? Have students enjoyed them?

Some of the concepts and language aren't that tailored to our younger students but I think with some scaffolding you could end up having some very interesting discussions! The Guinea Pig Ranch and the systems they are using that ensure everything is local gives a great example of true recycling where one product is turned into another and the cycle continues rather than whatever is produced eventually ending up in landfill.

See http://tvnz.co.nz/global-radar/s2-ep5-video-5386668

Research Process 1 - Most Significant Change Technique (MSC)

I'm planning to 'drip feed' the trial research process and findings from term 1 over the next few days so that there isn't too much going on all at once.

The process we trialled last term is called Most Significant Change Technique. Simply put we are asking what the most significant change is that you have noticed from the start of the project. With students we have worked out a reasonably straight forward series of questions that enable us to get good information without prompting unneccessarily. We collate what you and the students tell us, we share it with facilitators and project sponsors to provide feedback and then we share it back with you. 

Sounds a simple enough process but there are a few ins and outs and that is what we have been working on. We have now completed the first trial phase. I have emailed the final stories back to the trial schools today and as they give permission we will share more of the stories and processes with you via the blog.

Please make some comments and ask questions! Thanks.

Revised Timeline for Term 2, 3 and 4

Initially we discussed that my timeframe into the project would be mid-year. I have clarified with The Enviroschools Foundation that the cut off of the 30^th June 2013 is not so entrenched as we thought. Based on working in partnership with the Waikato Enviroschools Team and the National Foundation we are looking to a time frame and targets something like this:

Time	Action	Personnel
Term 2 Weeks 1-5	Teaching and learning in project schools Facilitator visits (check with your facilitator) Viewing and commenting on BLOG!! Visit schedule sent to schools	Teachers students Facilitators Everyone Project Manager
Week 6	Visit to some schools	Project Manager and Facilitators
Week 7-8	Teaching and learning in project schools Facilitator visits (check with your facilitator) Viewing and commenting on BLOG!! Draft stories being written from week 6 visits	Teachers students Facilitators Every one Project Manager
Week 9	Visit to some schools	Project Manager and Facilitators
Week 10	Teaching and learning in project schools Facilitator visits (check with your facilitator) Viewing and commenting on BLOG!! Draft stories being written from week 6 and 9 visits	Teachers Facilitators Everyone Project Manager
Term 2 Holidays	Draft stories emailed to lead teachers	Project Manager
Term 3 Week 1	Draft stories details confirmed to Project Manager	Lead Teachers
Week 2	Review and feedback hui on draft stories – considering most significant change	Facilitators, Project Sponsors, Project Manager and any teachers interested
Week 3 - 9	Teaching and learning in project schools Facilitator visits to include gathering information for another story Viewing and commenting on BLOG!! Analysing and summarising findings from Review hui Report to Tindal Foundation, Enviroschools Foundation and WWF	Teachers students Facilitators, teachers and students Everyone Project Manager Project Manager
Term 4 Week 2	Final Hui for the project	Teachers, Facilitators, Project Manager, Project Sponsors

Celebrating diversity with our communities through food and sharing

Some of our school communities have had some very successful events over the last term - a culmination of lots of learning, planning, decision-making and organising. Below are photos that give a glimpse of what happened (but cannot portray the wonderful atmosphere and smells!) Most of the food was locally sourced, some straight from school or family gardens. Well done everyone.

Nutritious variety!

 

Outstanding corn fritters

 

So much choice

 

 

Colourful diversity

 

Fantastic waste minimisation systems

 

Yummy!

 

 

I know there are other stories and photos out there so let me know!

Some more thoughts about sustainable community

One of the other ideas that we looked at during our time at the Grandview Gardens was how to recognise what is a sustainable community? I introduced some 'characteristics' that might be present in a sustainable community and we were going to see if we could identify them during our visit. We spent more time talking and looking at what was happening in the gardens but this is my quick assessment of the things I saw at the gardens and how they connect with what we might expect to see or experience as part of sustainable communities.

Characteristic	What that looked like at the Grandview Gardens
Sharing and collaboration	Uni student with some spare time (looking for work) coming to water the fruit trees Extra seeds and seedlings passed onto others in the garden
Creativity	Use of local resources and materials for the ‘shed’ and shade house
Meaning constructed	Compost heaps communal and close to the plots, covered by black polythene
Dynamic and responsive to change	Using space as it is – low impact to maximise the soil and topography of the site
Builds capacity	Advertising times when you are going to be there if others want support Using a blog to share what is happening in the gardens at different times of the season
Open-ended inquiry	Trying things out with the kumara – Where will it grow? What happens?
Roles/participants having equal value	“Rules” or expectations for access to and working in a plot the same for all
Collective ownership	Shared space of the gardens
Diversity	Range of people from individuals, families, cultures participating in the Grandview gardens
Real contexts	Allotment style gardens where families or individuals have their own plot within a shared space People working to do what is good for them e.g. the gentleman coming to clear away the undergrowth and branches to create his space

Some of the other 'characteristics' that I also included were:

• Negotiation and flexibility
• Integrating across learning areas or approaches
• Being holistic 
• Everyone may be an expert
• Wide range of approaches
• Applying reflective practice
• Developing conceptual understanding
• Local knowledge valued
• Process oriented
• Iterative cycles of learning

Thinking about some of these general guidelines or perspective might be helpful as you start framing up projects and taking action.