“My Grandmama Really Throw it Down”: Learning from Twenty-first Century Middle School Students in an Urban Agricultural Science Class
Session Format
Brief Report (15 minutes)
Location
Room 2904A
Abstract for the conference program
“She really throw it down!” referred to her grandmother’s excellent cooking ability by an eighth grade student describing her connection to gardening. I used ethnographic methods to explore what was relevant to a group of students from an urban school in the southeastern United States as they worked to relate agricultural science concepts to their lives. Place-as-difference, as a concept of place conscious education, includes complex social, political, economic, and historical forces which influence how people perceive place (Karrow & Fazio, 2010). In my presentation, I will discuss two main themes learned during my initial analysis of data from this current generation of students: 1) making connections between schoolwork and family knowledge and 2) relevancy of authentic gardening experiences. Middle school teachers and researchers will find new ways to connect with twenty-first century science learners through this study and thereby provide support for students’ ideals of their futures.
Proposal Track
Research Project
Start Date
3-6-2015 11:30 AM
End Date
3-6-2015 11:45 AM
Recommended Citation
Rudolph, Heather A., "“My Grandmama Really Throw it Down”: Learning from Twenty-first Century Middle School Students in an Urban Agricultural Science Class" (2015). Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019). 28.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/stem/2015/2015/28
“My Grandmama Really Throw it Down”: Learning from Twenty-first Century Middle School Students in an Urban Agricultural Science Class
Room 2904A
“She really throw it down!” referred to her grandmother’s excellent cooking ability by an eighth grade student describing her connection to gardening. I used ethnographic methods to explore what was relevant to a group of students from an urban school in the southeastern United States as they worked to relate agricultural science concepts to their lives. Place-as-difference, as a concept of place conscious education, includes complex social, political, economic, and historical forces which influence how people perceive place (Karrow & Fazio, 2010). In my presentation, I will discuss two main themes learned during my initial analysis of data from this current generation of students: 1) making connections between schoolwork and family knowledge and 2) relevancy of authentic gardening experiences. Middle school teachers and researchers will find new ways to connect with twenty-first century science learners through this study and thereby provide support for students’ ideals of their futures.
