Agricultural Education at Hagley Farm School Historical Perspective…
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Transcript of Agricultural Education at Hagley Farm School Historical Perspective…
Agricultural Education at Hagley Farm School
Historical Perspective…
• During the 1930’s Hagley Farm School joined the network of Tasmanian Area Schools.
• These schools catered for students from Kinder to Grade 10.
• The Area School curriculum was largely about Agricultural Education and regular activity was carried out on the farm and in the garden.
• The cottages at Hagley were established to accommodate high school aged students
• These students carried out farm and garden duties before and after school
• Ag Ed teachers, cottage care staff and farm managers were funded by the DOE.
• Since the early 1970’s Hagley Farm School has been a K-6 primary school.
• During the 1970’s the Environment Centre was established to take advantage of the existing facilities and farm
• Initially DOE funded 5 Environment Centre Teachers and a Farm Manager
• The DOE now funds 2 Environment Centre Teachers
• The DOE ceased funding farm wages many years ago. The Farm Manager and other casual wages are funded through farm revenue.
Current Agricultural Education at
Hagley Farm School
… and Connections with the School Farm
Farm Squad• Involves a small number of Grade 5/6 students throughout the year (6 in 2015)
• Regular farm tasks negotiated with/requested by Farm Manager
• Currently a weekly roster that operates on Thursday afternoons.
Milking
• Optional participation for Grade 5/6 students
• Approximately half of the 2015 Grade 5/6 students have participated this year.(50 students)
• Offered during the milking seasons
School Garden• Has existed in some form at Hagley for
many years.
• Optional participation for all classes/teachers
• Current location was established in 2007 and has undergone extensive development over the past 5 years (through significant volunteer hours and sponsorship)
Egg Heads … an Environment Centre enterprise
•Free range egg collection•One class per term (Grades 3-4 usually)
Other Occasional Access based on:• Seasonal farm activities• Optional class teacher planned
activity that supports class learning
• Tractor rides (special occasions)
Grade 3-4 Camp• Accessed through the Environment Centre
booking system (normal camp visitor fees apply)
• 2 night - 3 day camp hosted & lead bi-annually by Environment Centre staff
• Full range of Environment Centre activities are available (Farm, Heritage, Environmental)
Farm Science Program• A program lead by Environment Centre Staff• Involves students from Prep to Grade 6• 5 x 1.5 hour on site sessions in a 5 week block• Follow-up activities in class• Accessed through the Environment Centre booking system … ie: school pays normal day visit fees
• Booking fees currently funded by P&F
A Few Observations …
• Whilst the agricultural education activities at Hagley Farm School are significant and provide Hagley students more opportunities than most other Tasmanian students, there is no formalised Agricultural Education curriculum.
• Since the 1970’s the school farm has existed as a key part of the agricultural awareness model of the Environment Centre.
• Tasmanian schools that have a formalised agricultural education curriculum are generally regional K-10 high schools with designated staff and timetabled lessons.
• Most of these schools have a farm facility.(non-commercial, student enterprise based)
• A variety of models exist across these schools and all are challenged by funding issues.
• Most primary schools have a garden program of some sort. A variety of access models exist.
• The Environment Centre staff are not appointed to support the Hagley Farm School curriculum. They are accessed through the Environment Centre booking system and fees apply.
To Set The Scene … …the 3 silos model1. Hagley Farm School
2. The Environment Centre
3. The Farm
Leadership Team
Hagley Farm
School
Environment
Centre &School Farm
Education
School FarmCommercial
Farm Management Group
School Association
Future Directions
Group
Centre for Agricultural Education
Parents and Friends Association
Friends of the School Group
The School Farm
• An Agricultural Education facility that supports Environment Centre programs
• Current operational model:
… a self-funded commercial enterprise
The Environment Centre
•An Ag Ed visitor centre: camps and day visits
•Staff: 2 FTE Teachers funded by DOE
•All operations plus a number of casual positions are self-funded
The Environment Centre is part of:
1.A state-wide Agricultural Education network
2.A network of DOE field centres
The Agricultural Education Network
•A state-wide network being lead by the Centre for Agricultural Education
•Driven by clear connections with the Australian Curriculum
•Guided by DOE Learners First strategy
DOE Network of Field Centres
• Hagley Farm and Environment Centre
• Woodbridge Marine Studies Centre
• Sustainability Learning Centre
• Molesworth Environment Centre
• The Centre for Agricultural Education
The Field Centres are connected by:A Strategic Plan that embodies:
•Clear connections to the Australian Curriculum
•Activity that reflects the Learners First strategy
•The delivery of high quality educational experiences
•Evidence based Improvement targets
The Centre forAgricultural Education
Provides leadership and support to all schools in Tasmania that offer
agricultural education programs.
Most of these schools have a farm facility.
The Centre for Agricultural Education
•Established through a memorandum of understanding between state government, DOE and Hagley Farm School
•Lead Teacher position is DOE funded for 4 years from 2015
• Initial Operational funding sourced through PIEFA (Primezone Partnership)
The Centre for Agricultural Education
•Actively seeking further funding from industry, business and government sources
• Important funding and support from DOE e-Learning through the DOE e-Strategy
• In discussions with TFGA – Agriskills representative and UTAS re possible partnerships
The Centre for Agricultural Education
Vision:
Relevant Agricultural Learning that strongly reflects the Australian Curriculum
The Centre for Agricultural Education
Mission:
To provide leadership and support to schools and educators that strives to ensure high quality agricultural learning experiences across Tasmania.
The Centre for Agricultural Education
The Hagley Farm School and Environment Centre is one client
All schools that provide Agricultural Education, with or without a farm facility, are clients
The Future Directions Project
Initiated as a result of discussions between:
• Centre for Agricultural Education
• Environment Centre
• Hagley Farm School Leadership Team.
Future Directions Group
A focus on improving the
educational experiences offered at our
Environment Centre and School Farm
Why a Future Directions Group?• The Environment Centre has prioritised improvement through:
• connection with the Australian Curriculum• use of technology• facility development
• Centre for Agricultural Education assists schools state-wide to implement & improve Agricultural educational provisions
Environment Centre Educational Improvement Priorities …
• connection with the Australian Curriculum
• use of technology
• facility development
The Focus for Future Directions…
… Improvement of educational provision at the
Hagley Farm and Environment Centre
The Strategy…
Facilitate a conversation about current and future educational provisions at the Environment Centre and school farm.
The Next Step …
To explore models that provide the Environment Centre with the best opportunities for:
Ongoing Viability
Improvement
What we have tried so far …
In consultation with the Farm Management Group …
• Initiated a detailed Ag consultant report.
• Used a Pasture management consultant.
• Reduced expenses wherever possible.
Major Challenges Moving Forward …
• Low milk pricing • Fixed labour costs • Water allocation• Limited future years provision• Dairy requires significant upgrade
Environment Centre …
… snapshot of educational experiences and Visitor Numbers
Total Visitor Numbers 2010 - 2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 20140
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
4297 4540 4538 5382 4819
Average Annual Visitor Numbers
2010 - 2014
4715
Educational Experiences
Heritage Farm Environmental0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
>55
>85
<30
Based on 5 year average
Farm Tour & Tractor Ride
Dairy (Walk
Through)
Dairy (Milking)
Shearing (Walk Through)
Shearing (Shearing)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
>95
>60
<20
>60
<2
Farm ExperienceBased on 5 year average
Future Directions Group
Recommendations
Future Directions Group Recommendations
1. Share information presented at Future Directions workshop with the school community and seek feedback to guide further recommendations.
• School Association
• Parents and Friends Association
• School Staff
• All interested members of the school community
Future Directions Group Recommendations
2. Explore operational models for the Environment Centre and school farm that:
• Reflect feedback from recommendation 1.
• Consolidate and progress the core Agricultural, Heritage and Environmental Education experiences
• Allow Environment Centre revenue to have a greater impact on improvement priorities
• How can Environment Centre revenue better impact improvement priorities?
• Are there alternative farm models that would allow significant improvement to occur?
Guiding Questions?
Environment Centre Educational Improvement Priorities …
• connection with the Australian Curriculum
• use of technology
• facility development
Your Feedback …1. Complete the individual reflection
sheet
2. In small groups; share and collate ‘must haves’ and ‘ideas for consideration’
3. Share to whole group