1. How is your AR cycle 1 unfolding for you?
Well, turns out that my background research was fine, fun and interesting as it helped me to get even more excited about the project with my students. We were going to build and urban garden on our school site! How cool is that? As life, school buracracy and seasons would have it, the physical implementation got delayed. After several postponements, (and suggestions from Roxanne) we decided to proceed with the planning of our project as cycle 1 since we had reached the month of December, which is not a good month for planting gardens in Georgia. The kids too right to the task of discussing the necessary components: why are we doing this project? How will it benefit the neighborhood? How would /could the neighborhood play a part in this project? What is our time line? What type of produce should be grown? What is our ‘tending schedule” and student responsibilities surrounding this project? Where on school grounds would be best to set up this garden? How can this garden contribute to our aim of community health/wellness and be a financially beneficial investment for our youth program? How will this project impact other projects and activities for our PeaceJam group? How does this fit into the educational standards and curriculum of Georgia in the various disciplines and the PeaceJam curriculum?
The students took to this task over several meetings and came up with several great ideas and responses. Winter break took out two weeks of work time, 1 week during Thanksgiving, 1 week during King Weekend , and another due to a freeze warning at the beginning of Jan! All in all we are learning how to adjust our program as the need arises and to make a better judgement of what type of projects to choose in the future that would have less variables that are beyond our control (weather, holidays, school calendars). NOW: We have the basic frame of a website up but are considering remaking it. I let the students take the lead on this to see what ideas they had in mind and how I can assist instead of lead.
2. What has been a surprise with your results?
How much thought it takes into choosing a location on school property, scheduling a meeting that is suitable with the urban farmers assoc. to meet with a representative to assist and guide us. The interruptions from other school related programs (tutorials, other group meetings, ect) that affect our meeting attendance and participation. The good is the way the students have taken this on and stuck with it regardless. We even have two that are working on developing a website for us! Also the multiple connections to the science curriculum and the PeaceJam curriculum. The double edge sword of a very active school is schedule conflict!
3. What tweaks are you making for your next cycle of research?
Deciding to really hone in on his project and make the most of it weather it is outside or making a digital model of what it would and will look like. We WILL get it done! Spring is on the way, which lends hope to our task. I just enlisted a neighbor who manages a garden in her previous neighborhood. She is excited to help.
4. What is the overall participants response?
The students are still engaged and excited about the possibilities of the garden coming to fruition. The school just got notice that it will be audited on a state level for something dealing with tests so I will find out this week how this impacts our time. Hopefully this will pass soon. Any suggestions and comments are welcome.
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