ERIC Number: EJ1152109
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1551-0670
EISSN: N/A
What We're about Out Here: The Resilience and Relevance of School Farms in Rural Tasmania
Corbett, Michael; Brett, Peter; Hawkins, Cherie-Lynn
Journal of Research in Rural Education, v32 n4 2017
School farms were established in Tasmania in the 1930s following a visit of an Australian eduation official to the United States and the United Kingdom. There are still more than 30 school farm operations functioning in some capacity throughout the state, unlike in the rest of Australia where similar small school farms are not common. In this article we analyze interviews undertaken in 2016 with 22 school farm educators about the state of Tasmania's school farms, what they do, how they are seen in their communities, what challenges they face, and how they integrate the agricultural program with the demands of contemporary curriculum. While these school farms face considerable challenges, we conclude that they have a unique place in the state's education system, a powerful symbolic presence in rural communities, and significant potential to provide relevant, valuable, and potentially transformative curriculum and pedagogy in support of educational and rural development policy agendas.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Agricultural Education, Relevance (Education), Interviews, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Elementary Secondary Education, Principals, Integrated Curriculum, Rural Schools, School Community Relationship, Barriers
Penn State University College of Education, Center on Rural Education and Communities. 310B Rackley Building, University Park, PA 16802. Tel: 814-863-2031; Web site: http://www.jrre.psu.edu/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A