Caleb in the garden

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Reflection - what these stories exemplify

Key competencies

During the past four months, Caleb has demonstrated the key competency: participating and contributing, by becoming a gardener. He has shown an interest in the garden and a willingness to try new things, such as planting vegetables, with which he is unfamiliar, touching and learning about worms, and becoming a member of the garden club (managing self). I was thrilled Caleb was so keen to help other children pick and cook the broccoli. Caleb was feeling confident he could help the others.

Caleb displays thinking by making sensible choices when deciding which plants to grow, wanting to dig up the worms to see what they were doing and devising some questions he wished to find answers for.

How might these stories strengthen Caleb’s identity as a learner?

This string of learning stories describes Caleb’s ability to use his initiative (agency) with his questions about the worms, his interest in gardening, and subsequent joining of the garden club, and his offer to help the other children to cook up some broccoli. Caleb has also expressed interest in making a garden at home.

Caleb has shown continuity, as his interest has spanned several months. Caleb worked with the gardener, his ORRS teacher, and other students, both in the garden and then cooking when the plants were ready (depth). A large part of his motivation is in the eating of the food – I do not think a flower garden would have produced the same level of interest.

For more information on the four dimensions of agency, breadth, continuity, and depth (ABCDs), refer to Narrative assessment: a guide for teachers.

Learning areas

Levels 1 and 2 science

Caleb has been learning and exploring the living world – he realises that plants need certain conditions (some plants will not grow in winter). He has considered how big the plants will grow and planted them accordingly. Caleb is also now aware that some plants take longer to grow and are eaten in different ways (raw and cooked).

Caleb has been able to set himself some questions about worms. We read books and asked people to find the answers (nature of science). He found it difficult to share his knowledge but was prepared to give it a go.

Effective pedagogy

What does this tell us about teaching and learning in this setting?

The teacher was prepared to follow Caleb’s interest; to find out things together and capitalise on opportunities as they presented themselves, for example, school garden project, worms, and the interest shown by other students in Caleb’s learning (teaching as inquiry).

This string of stories lent itself naturally to revisit the learning because of the need to tend and watch the plants and to prepare them when they were ready to eat (enhancing the relevance of new learning).

Reflective questions for the reader

“In what ways can we best use the skills and expertise of the ORRS teacher to support children’s learning?”

“Do you have the flexibility to follow the interest of your students while taking note of school-wide projects?”

Useful resources

Ministry of Education. (1999). Guidelines for environmental education in New Zealand schools. Wellington: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2001). “Earthworms” Making better sense of the living world, pp. 100–106. Wellington: Learning Media.

www.enviroschools.org.nz

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