Students Learning Agroecology: Phenomenon-Based Education for Responsible Action

Østergaard, Edvin; Lieblein, Geir; Breland, Tor Arvid; Francis, Charles

doi:10.1080/13892240903533053

Cited by 37 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The feedback from the students has provided an important source of information for our own reflections about action-oriented education, and we have strengthened the reflection practice through publication of articles and book chapters that summarized the experiences (e.g., Francis et al, 2003Francis et al, , 2008Francis et al, , 2009Lieblein et al, 1999Lieblein et al, , 2000aØstergaard et al, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to bring together the concepts of action learning and action research with higher education in agriculture and the wider food system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroecology Education: Action-oriented Learning and Research

Lieblein

Breland

Francis

et al. 2012

The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension

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Purpose: This article examines and evaluates the potential contributions from action learning and action research with stakeholders to higher education in agriculture and food systems. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research is based on our experiences over the past two decades of running PhD courses and an MSc degree programme in Agroecology in Norway that have attracted students from the Nordic region and other countries. Findings: We conclude that collaborating with non-university stakeholders as an integral part of a university course or programme serves four main purposes, two directly related to learning and two that can be considered as practical implications. Firstly, it enables learning about complex topics, a learning that cannot be achieved by merely reading or listening. Secondly, the real-life flare of such activities provides the students with enthusiasm and energy to delve into theory. Practical Implications: Thirdly, students collaborating with non-university stakeholders connect university and society. Fourthly, this process builds social relevance and civic engagement not found in conventional courses or curricula. Originality/Value: The article presents conceptual foundations and practical implementation of a unique educational programme in agriculture and food systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroecology Education: Action-oriented Learning and Research

Lieblein

Breland

Francis

et al. 2012

The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension

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“…The pedagogical basis of the course was experiential learning with situations "out there" placed in the center-not as examples of theory-but as starting points for the learning process, where theory and experiences should be linked [13,21]. To enable students to shift from a theory-based to an experience-based way of learning, it was important to engage and motivate the students right from the start, to place them and their learning process in the center of course activities [12].…”

Section: The Sustainable Agriculture Coursementioning

confidence: 99%

“…We consider experiential learning to be vital for enabling students to acquire the competencies needed for them to constructively be able to support a sustainable development of farming and food systems [12,13]. A learning process based on experiences [14] allows students to observe, act and interact.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facilitating Transformation and Competence Development in Sustainable Agriculture University Education: An Experiential and Action Oriented Approach

Migliorini

Lieblein

2016

Sustainability

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Abstract:The need to strengthen the connection between academia and society has received increased attention over the past years. The importance of bringing university students closer to stakeholders in society as part of their learning process is high regarding sustainable agriculture, because of its applied approach. University programs based on experiential and action-oriented learning have been developed over the past decades, but more knowledge is needed about the impact of these educational activities. In a short course in sustainable agriculture at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Bra, Italy, we examined the impacts of experiential and action-oriented learning on competency development as well as transformational impacts on the students. We found that students improve on several core competences as a result of their participation in the short course, and also signs of deep transformational processes among the students.

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“…Engagement with practitioners through experience-based learning has been suggested to encourage this kind of confidence in students Waldenstrom et al 2008;Parr and Trexler 2011). Direct experience also encourages students to apply theoretical and innovative problem solving to practical situations, facilitating student engagement with practitioners to find solutions to food systems problems Ostergaard et al 2010). Combining direct experiences with theoretical skills can help build student confidence to bring emerging theory and new ideas into entrenched systems.…”

Section: Downloaded By [George Mason University] At 19:48 26 Decembermentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Another technique is to involve community partners directly in framing and setting research priorities early on in project development, which can build increased investment in the project Hoffmann et al 2007). This type of practitioner-centered approach encourages active participation in the co-creation of knowledge and allows practitioners to identify objectives for the work (Ostergaard et al 2010).…”

Section: Logistical and Financial Barriers To Experience-based Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food for Thought: Developing Curricula for Sustainable Food Systems Education Programs

Hilimire

Gillon

McLaughlin

et al. 2014

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

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The study of food systems is a quickly growing field. In high demand by postsecondary students, new food systems studies programs are emerging from a range of disciplines. Food systems are inherently complex and are best understood from a range of academic perspectives and practical contexts. We review current scholarship on food systems pedagogy and present approaches for developing and implementing food systems curricula. A literature review and our experience indicate that effective food systems program approaches include emphasizing interdisciplinarity and a systems approach and balancing experience, theory, and practical skills acquisition. We discuss strategies, challenges and opportunities for building food systems curricula.

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Students Learning Agroecology: Phenomenon-Based Education for Responsible Action

Cited by 37 publications

References 20 publications

Agroecology Education: Action-oriented Learning and Research

Agroecology Education: Action-oriented Learning and Research

Facilitating Transformation and Competence Development in Sustainable Agriculture University Education: An Experiential and Action Oriented Approach

Food for Thought: Developing Curricula for Sustainable Food Systems Education Programs

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