Transformative food systems education in a land-grant college of agriculture: the importance of learner-centered inquiries

Abstract

In this paper we use a critically reflective research approach to analyze our efforts at transformative learning in food systems education in a land grant university. As a team of learners across the educational hierarchy, we apply scholarly tools to the teaching process and learning outcomes of student-centered inquiries in a food systems course. The course, an interdisciplinary, lower division undergraduate course at the University of California, Davis is part of a new undergraduate major in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. We provide an overview of the course's core elements-labs, exams, assignments, and lectures-as they relate to social constructivist learning theory and student-centered inquiries. Then, through qualitative analysis of students' reflective essays about their learning experiences in the course, we demonstrate important transformative outcomes of studentcentered inquiries: (1) most students confronted the commodity fetish and tried to reconcile tensions between what the food system is and ought to be, and (2) students repositioned themselves, their thinking, and social deliberation in relation to the food system. Students' reflections point to the power of learning that emerges through their inquiry process, including in the field, and from critical self-reflection. We also highlight the importance of reflective essays in both reinforcing experiential learning and in helping instructors to better understand students' learning vis-à-vis our teaching.Keywords Critically reflective research approach Á Food systems Á Pedagogy Á Social constructivism Á Student inquiry Á Transformative learning Transformational theory is an expression of democratic culture: it demands that we become aware of how we come to our knowledge and about the values that lead us to our meaning perspectives. As individuals, we are accountable for what we know and how we come to know it. Effective learners in an emancipatory, participative, democratic society-a learning society-becomes a community of cultural critics and social activists. Our goal is a viable

Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses

“…Our experiences developing and teaching food systems courses resonate with others in the sustainable agriculture and food systems literature: To change the food system, we have to change the way we teach students "to facilitate their transformation into active knowledge producers, engaged citizens, and democratic members of our global community" [22]. There are substantial personal and institutional barriers to implementing transformational teaching experiences.…”

“…Complex systems thinking, problem solving, and explicit attention to values underlying food systems dynamics require higher cognitive skills which require students to be active agents in the learning process, take risks, and work with others collaboratively [21][22][23]. These five learning activities exemplify engaged learning activities for food systems concepts that combine theory and practice, use different types of reasoning skills, and engage higher-order cognitive skills leading to innovation and creativity in problem solving.…”

“…. most of these inquiry processes require students to reflect and explore what is valuable to them in a subjective way, and then link it to empirical inquiry and reportable results" [22] (p. 134).…”

“…It is implemented as collaborative group work, along the lines of a design thinking learning activity [17]. Students first individually propose three topics to address, then the instructor assigns groups based on interests and interdisciplinarity to make learning experiences most meaningful [22]. The first two assignments require each student to submit an individual paper on the group topic: A problem statement researching the system elements and forces that give rise to the problem, then a policy formulation that recommends a policy to address the problem, discussing the leverage points that create change and any anticipated but unintended consequences of the policy.…”

Making Visible the People Who Feed Us: Educating for Critical Food Literacy Through Multicultural Texts

“…It is crucial to note that other scholars who have written about food systems education and sustainability education more broadly have similarly articulated the importance of encouraging students to examine their own assumptions and consider multiple or conflicting perspectives (e.g., Anderson, 2013;Burns, 2011;Galt, Parr, Van Soelen Kim, Beckett, Lickter, & Ballard, 2013;Julier & Gillespie, 2012;Wals & Dillon, 2013). Furthermore, Wals and Dillon (2013) claimed that achieving a sustainable society requires people to demonstrate pluralism of thought and divergent thinking and "engage in a process of self-reflection on the relationship between their own guiding assumptions…and those of others" (p. 256).…”