ISHS Acta Horticulturae 641: XXVI International Horticultural Congress: The Knowledge Business: Horticulture Education and Knowledge Transfer
INTEGRATING HORTICULTURE INTO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM: MEETING THE SOLS THROUGH INTERDISCIPLINARY EXPERIENCES |
| Authors: | D. Relf, S. Lineberger, L. DeMarco |
| Keywords: | school gardens, teachers, botanical gardens, graduate class, continuing education |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.641.1 |
| Abstract:
The course, HORT 6004, Integrating Horticulture into the Elementary School Curriculum: Meeting Standards of Learning (SOLs) through Interdisciplinary Experiences, is a graduate level course offered through Virginia Tech University, Department of Horticulture (Blacksburg, VA, USA) in which student can enroll for either graduate credit or continuing education credit and serves to meet the recertification requirements for Virginia school teachers. The class was developed in response to a survey of Virginia teachers and serves as an outreach to educators throughout the state. Students learn to use the interdisciplinary features of horticulture and gardening to meet the Virginia SOLs across the elementary school curriculum. This course is offered to elementary school teachers, Master Gardeners, 4-H agents and leaders, and horticulture educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to use gardening and horticulture as a tool to enhance various aspects of the curriculum. It focuses on practical, hands-on experiences for participants as they are introduced to the science of horticulture and currently available garden-based curricula. The class meets as an intense, weeklong summer course at various botanical gardens and arboreta around the state with a fall meeting to present final projects. It is offered at a distance to accommodate non-traditional students. Partnerships with botanical gardens and arboreta were formed to link educators to local resources. Additionally, a website was created to communicate with the students at a distance. The methods used to implement the course statewide along with enrollment trends will be reported. | |
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