Hands-on farming at the Xewkija government farm : a resource pack for educators

Abstract

While the current notion of sustainable development encourages all human beings to become active citizens with the aim of creating a better quality of life including that of future generations, is enough being done? The importance of out-of-school education is gradually being acknowledged by teachers, students, parents and schools. The Xewkija Government Farm provides a motivating experience to children and an opportunity for experiential learning. Throughout this experience, children will not only be able to interact with nature, but they will also nurture a greater understanding of the natural environment. In order to provide opportunities for primary children to engage in practical activities at the Xewkija Government Farm, this study developed an educational resource pack which primarily consists of the teacher's guidelines and accompanying activities. This resource pack consists of hands-on activities which could be carried out at the Xewkija Government Farm. The pack also provides ideas for follow-up work which could serve as extension work. After designing the educational pack, the pack was distributed among twelve primary teachers and two field teachers that work at the Xewkija Government Farm to obtain feedback about the effectiveness of the resource pack. The overall feedback was positive and the pack was regarded as effective and practical. The dissertation makes a few recommendations for improving the quality of science education and similar visits.