The Real Impacts of School Gardens: How to Make Change & Measure it Abby Jaramillo, Urban Sprouts...

The Real Impacts of School Gardens: How to Make Change & Measure it

Abby Jaramillo, Urban Sprouts

Michelle M. Ratcliffe, Ph.D., Ecotrust

http://www.farmtoschool.org/

1970s

1891

1991

?

Our shared history

1946 - 1st School LunchWWI & WWII

•First Wave: 1891 - 1944. Issue: National Security•Second Wave: 1970s. Issue: Environmentalism•Third Wave 1990s + Issue: . . .

Examples of WW I Recruiting Posters for the US School

Garden Army

Poster photos from Victory Grower - http://groups.ucanr.org/victorygrower

Issues today

• Children's academic achievement• Failing public schools• Environmental degradation• Global climate change• Oil dependence• Hunger• Obesity• Urban violence• Community access to healthy food• Consumerism and Marketing

WWI & WWII

1970s

1891

1991

Strengthening Schools & Greening School Grounds

Our shared present

WWI & WWII

1970s

1891

1991

Help youth to: succeed academically, eat better, exercise, protect the

environment, and develop resiliency

Our shared present

WWI & WWII

1970s

1891

1991

Improve public health &

environmental health

Our shared present

WWI & WWII

1970s

1891

1991

Support economic development &community food security

Our shared present

WWI & WWII

1970s

1891

1991

Are we thinking big enough?

Our shared future

Why do we need a Program Model?

1. Not guessing what works – existing theory and the body of knowledge from multiple fields inform our work.

2. A recipe for success – what ingredients we must add in order to get the outcomes we desire.

3. Evidence of outcomes – Inputs and outcomes are tested by research and evaluation to show impact in the real world.

4. A Measurement tool – The model guides all our practices, shows how well we’re doing, and tells us where to make improvements at every step.

1.1. Understanding Understanding “The SCT”: “The SCT”:

The Basic The Basic TheoryTheorySource: Bandura, 1986

Starting Point: We want Behavior Change!

K, A B

Changes in Knowledge and Attitudes are not the same as changes in Behaviors.

Programs that DO lead to behavior change are:1. Theory-driven & behavior-based2. Deliver adequate number of lessons to affect desired K, A & B (for school gardens, 10 hrs will increase K, 20 hrs for A, 50 hrs for B)

3. Includes an environmental or situational component.

Personal Sharing Activity

One-minute silent reflection exercise:• Think about a time in your life when you felt successful, like you were doing great things. If you can, choose a nature-based experience.

• Some questions to consider:– What were the things you were doing?– How did you feel?– Who was there with you?– What were all the things in your surroundings?

– What did you achieve?

Sharing and Analysis

Personal Factors: how did you feel?

Environmental Factors: what was around you?

Behavioral Factors: what were you doing?

Turn to the person next to you. You will each have one minute to share. Briefly describe the experience you just reflected upon, by answering these three questions.

Personal Story Sharing

Personal Factors (I felt, learned)•Example: I felt confident, like I could succeed at doing something difficult. I learned to care about nature.

Behaviors (I did)•Example: I climbed mountains. Now, I never litter in the woods and I’m always a low-impact hiker.

Environmental Factors (around me)•Example: At summer camp as a youth, we went hiking and backpacking in nature and all the people there were caring and friendly.

Common Assumption

Environment (Program or Intervention)

Behaviors

Social Cognitive Theory

Personal

Environment

Behaviors

Source: Bandura, 1986

2. Creating the 2. Creating the Theory-based Theory-based

Model Model (Urban Sprouts (Urban Sprouts Model of Garden-based Model of Garden-based

Education)Education)

Source: Michelle M. Ratcliffe, Ph.D., 2007

Environmental Factors

The School Learning Environment

•Curricular learning environment

•Physical learning environment

•Social learning environment

Curricular learning environment

Urban Sprouts students observe the properties of different soil

samples.

•Hands-on learning experiences•Interdisciplinary curriculum•Placed-based curriculum•Project-based curriculum

Physical learning environment

Garden signs reinforce learning at Life Lab Garden, Santa Cruz, CA

•A diversified landscape•Safe places before and after school•Opportunities to eat and cook with vegetables•Opportunities to perform eco-actions•Opportunities to nurture living things•Places for refuge•Places to connect with nature•Visual reinforcement of learning•Visual and sensory aesthetics

Social learning environment

A parent mentors a student at a family Garden Work Day, Burbank MS, San Francisco

•Cultural exchange •Democratic participation•Fostering relationships•Intergenerational mentoring•Meaningful participation in community•Meaningful participation in school •Modeling healthy behaviors and eco-action•Visual and sensory aesthetics

SCHOOL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT•Curricular learning environment•Physical learning environment•Social learning environment

Student Behaviors:•Academic achievement**• Health behaviors•Environmentally responsible behaviors

Personal Factors:•Knowledge acquisition •Development of life skills•Academic & cognitive skills•Social & moral development **•Attitudes & preferences

Community-level Outcomes:•Public health**•Environmental quality **•Economic development ** •Social capital **

Personal Factors

Development of the Whole Child:

• Knowledge acquisition • Development of life skills• Academic & cognitive skills• Social & moral development

– Responsibility, patience, focus, gentleness, respect, citizenship skills

– Problem Solving: teamwork, multicultural cooperation

– Autonomy: self-efficacy, self-awareness, mastery– Sense of Purpose: pride, ownership, happiness, sense of accomplishment, work ethic, cultural identity

• Attitudes & preferences

Knowledge acquisition

Urban Sprouts students teach their peers to read Nutrition Facts on food labels.

Development of life skills

Urban Sprouts students cook food from the garden with guest Chef Rania from NextCourse.

Academic & cognitive skills

Students observe insect predators on plants: ladybugs and aphids.

Social & moral development Youth developmental or Resiliency assets Students learn teamwork in the garden

and self-efficacy as they practice leadership.

Attitudes & preferences Ecoliteracy

•Empathy•Systems thinking•Ecological knowledge•Environmental responsibility & ethics

Health & Nutrition•Preferences towards fruits and vegetables•Attitudes towards healthy foods

Attitudes towards school, science, and learning

School Learning Environment:•Curricular learning environment•Physical learning environment•Social learning environment


PERSONAL FACTORS:•Knowledge acquisition •Development of life skills•Academic & cognitive skills•Social & moral development **•Attitudes & preferences


Behaviors

Individual Student Behaviors:

• Academic achievement

• Health behaviors

• Environmentally responsible

behaviors

Academic

achievement

A student teaches peers, parents, siblings, and a teacher how to identify and save seeds.

•Academic performance•Student & teacher enthusiasm•Students’ ownership of learning process•Student attendance

Health

behaviors

Students harvest, cook, and eat collards, kale and other greens from the garden at MLK MS, San Francisco.

•Fruit & Vegetable Consumption•Fruit & Vegetable Preferences•Physical Activity

Environmentally

Responsible Behaviors

(Eco-actions)

Students teach peers about worm bins, composting, and recycling at home.


STUDENT BEHAVIORS:•Academic achievement**• Health behaviors•Environmentally responsible behaviors



•Public health •Environmental quality•Economic development•Social capital

Parents and youth build the school garden at Burbank MS.

Community-level Outcomes




COMMUNITY-LEVEL OUTCOMES:•Public health**•Environmental quality **•Economic development ** •Social capital **

Social Cognitive Social Cognitive TheoryTheory

Personal

Behavioral

Environmental

Source: Bandura, 1986




The School Learning Environment:•Curricular learning environment•Physical learning environment•Social learning environment

Resiliency ModelResiliency Model

External Developmental Supports1. Opportunities to meaningfully

participate in school & community

2. Caring relationships with youth & adults

3. High youth centered expectations

Personal TraitsSocial competenceAutonomyProblem solvingSense of purpose

BehaviorsAcademic achievementHealth Success in life

Source: Benard, B., 2004

Synthesis of the Social Cognitive Theory and Resiliency Model



The School Learning Environment:•Curricular learning environment•Physical learning environment•Social learning environment


Model for Garden Based Education in School Settings

Development of the whole child

1. Knowledge acquisition

2. Development of life skills

3. Academic & cognitive skills

4. Social & moral development

5. Attitudes and preferences

Academic achievement, health relatedand environmentally responsible

behaviors

1. Academic achievement

2. Health behaviors

3. Environmentally responsible

behaviors

4. Behavioral intentions

Community

1. Public health

2. Ecosystem health

3. Economic development

4. Social capital

Environmental Factors: Bioregional Impacts

Level ofAnalysis

SchoolsÕ learning environments

1. The curricular learning environment

2. The physical learning environment

3. The social learning environment

Model for Garden-based Education in School Settings

Source: Ratcliffe, M.M., 2007

3. Using the 3. Using the ModelModel

in Garden-based in Garden-based Education ProgramsEducation Programs

Source: Urban Sprouts, 2007

How we use our Program Model:

1. Garden Educators (our staff) use the model as a checklist when implementing garden-based education curriculum.

2. New lessons are developed based on the model.

3. Individual staff Performance Appraisal and goal-setting is based on the model, including a scoring rubric tied to raises in compensation.

4. Annual organization-wide reflection, assessment and change is guided by the model.

5. Program evaluation based on the model tests achievement of outcomes and is reported to funders and other stakeholders.

A Tool (checklist) for Educators

DIRECTIONS: Use this model to plan and evaluate your school garden program. Use the Program Design box as a checklist to identify the ways the garden seeks to influence the schoolÕs learning environment, choosing as many as possible. Use the other boxes, which describe Program Outcomes, to identify the impact you want the program to have on students, the community and / or the bioregion. Check all boxes that apply.

Development of the whole child

Knowledge acquisition Dig gi n g beds, foll owi n g recipes Development of life skills ____________________________ Academic and cognitive skills _Measu r i n g, problem -sol vi n g_ Social and moral development Coopera tion , sel f-effi ca cy Attitudes and preferences Lik e veggies, “org a n ic ” food

Effects on how students behave

Academic Achievement (Specify goals)______________________

Health Behaviors Ea t mor e fru i ts a n d vegeta bles a t school a nd at home Eco-actions

Sta rt recycl i ng progra m at school

Our school garden program enhances the schoolÕs learning environments in the following way:

1. Enhances the curricular learning environment by providing:

Hands-on learning experiences Interdisciplinary curriculum Placed-based curriculum

Project-based curriculum Other _____________________ Other ______________________

2. Enhances the physical learning environment by providing:

A di versified landscape Safe places before and after school Opportunities to eat and cook with vegetables Opportunities to perform eco-actions Opportunities to nurture living things

Places for refuge Places to connect with nature Visual reinforcement of learning Visual and sensory aesthetics Other _pro pa ga ti on ar ea ___ Other __worm bins ______

3. Enhances the social learning environment though:

Cultural exchange Democratic participation Fostering relationships Intergenerational mentoring Meaningful participation in community

Meaningful participation in school Modeling healthy behaviors and eco-action Visual and sensory aesthetics Other Fa mi l y Even ts

Pro

gram

Des

ign

1. Personal interviews with teachers, staff, administrators school garden leaders

2. Focus group interviews with youth participants

3. Online student surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the school year, including a control group (students at a similar school with no school garden)

4. Staff self-assessment and observations

Using the Model for Program Evaluation:

Data Collection Techniques

Sample Question from Online Student Survey

Evaluation Results: 2006-2008

The School Learning EnvironmentIn 2007, 121 thematic statements were identified from student focus

groups, and in 2008, 222 statements were identified.

Curricular learning environment (68 statements; 144 statements)• The garden was: “Better than being in class; get more out of class;

fun, play; educational; learning new things; review of what we were learning; real experiences; different perspectives; Easier to learn outside than to just hear it or read about it; Learned more outside because it refreshes the brain; Something to look forward to; Helped us get through the day.”

Physical learning environment (46 statements; 74 statements)• “Helped us feel relaxed and calm,” “When you help out in the garden

you forget about your worries,” The garden “taught us how to cook and eat, different recipes, healthy foods, and how to get healthier.”

• “I think the reason our teacher made us go outside and garden was that she wanted to teach us that one person can make a difference and we can all go green,” “They showed us how to save the earth, save worms, take care of plants, help the world, and keep the world clean and safe.”

Social learning environment (3 statements; 4 statements)• Fostered relationships and opportunities to “work together,” “get to

know each other,” and “to share.”


Personal Factors“In the garden, I learned to grow up and be a successful person.”

Knowledge: Increased knowledge of food literacy, organics, sugar, soda, advertising, food labels, bugs, animals, insects, decomposers in the garden, life science topics, plants and botany, soil and compost.

Life skills: Learned skills needed to perform healthy lifestyle behaviors such as gardening, cooking, recycling, composting, water conservation.

Social and Moral Development: In 105 statements students mentioned: Commitment; Connection to community, including learning how to help the community; Dedication; Determination; Listening, including being quiet and following directions; Participation, including being prepared and awake; Patience; Practice; Respect for and nurturing living things, including respect for plants, saving worms, helping nature, and talking to plants; Responsibility; Self control; Self-esteem, including confidence in gardening, and being comfortable with who you are in the garden; Working together, including team work, cooperation, and being nice to others.

“You can use this in life,” “I learned gardening takes commitment, and love, and you need to water your plants every week, and you need some lotion for your hands too,” “I learned to work with other people instead of being all selfish.”


Personal Factors

Attitudes towards Fruits and Vegetables: Students knew more about what is healthy food, portion size, and organic foods. “Now I like the fruits and vegetables that they made us eat,” “Organic food actually tastes better and it’s more natural,” and “Now I just talk more about food.”

Attitudes towards the Environment: Students mentioned pollution, littering, global warming, chemical pesticides, bugs, worms, and being outside. “I’m worried about chemicals and stuff in the water, there’s only one earth… and it’s sad because we live here and I don’t want to be living on Mars,” “I learned that we should take more care of the environment.”

Many students said they were afraid of bugs, insects, dirt, or dust in the air, but said that now “I like being outdoors more,” and, the garden helped me to get over being “afraid of bugs and water.”

Attitudes towards School: 10 indicated that they were “doing better in school,” particularly in science, after participating in the garden program. Students attribute their enhanced performance to the garden program being “more interesting,” and because they “got to experience stuff instead of just reading and going to class.” Would rather go to garden class “instead of wanting to skip school.”


Student Behaviors

Willingness to Try new Foods: 61 stated I like fruits and vegetables more; 20 responded they tried new foods this year, my favorite part [of the garden program] was cooking because we got to try healthy foods. showed their parents how to cook the salad after learning how to do it at school.

Consumption of Fruits & Vegetables: 45 stated they eat more fruits and vegetables:“I do better in school now because my body is not being energized with Cheetos, it’s being energized with

lettuce.”“I told my dad about what we have been doing in the garden and he

stopped making us drink soda. We don’t drink soda anymore. We have been drinking water.”

“I like carrots because they are really hard and juicy, and now I tell my mom to buy me some after I had some in the garden.”

“I have been eating more fruits and now people call me a fruit cup.”“Our bodies are in good shape because we have been eating more fruits

and vegetables.”“I eat the same amount but different kinds of vegetables.”“When I go in the garden it felt like I had to take care of my body

more because nature is trying to feed itself.”


Student Behaviors

Consumption of Less Nutritious vs. More Nutritious Foods: Students stopped eating junk food and started eating more healthy stuff,” at least “sometimes.”

Examples: “Making the right choices”, “Sometimes instead of chips I eat apples,” “Switching cookies to fruit,” Choosing “more organic foods,” Drinking “less soda,” “only one a day now,” or “stopped drinking soda” because students “got more aware of the sugar they use and those companies,” “because of the caffeine,” and/or because “its bad for our health,” Eating less food overall because they and their friends were eating “way too much food,” Getting the “real peanut butter you have to mix up,” Trying to “eat the rainbow.”

Physical Activity: “I think I get more exercise here than at home because of working in the garden.” You “get more exercise” because in the garden “you get to move.” Some students indicated that the garden program

“motivated them” to “exercise more” and “work harder.” Other motivating factors included wanting to “live a healthy life” and not

wanting “to get fat,” “diabetes,” or “die.” “I don’t want to supersize me.”

Eco-Actions: provided opportunities to perform eco-behaviors at school including recycling, composting, and picking up litter. A few students indicated they started a garden at home, or started helping their parents garden. One student started cleaning up the streets with all their neighbors “so it wouldn’t be dirty and so it would be better for the environment.”

Now YOU use the Model!

• Work by yourself or with a partner, someone you work with or not. Choose a program that you provide for young people or a program you would like to design for young people.

• Use the full model on page 5 for reference.

• Fill in the blank GBE Model worksheet, applying each set of factors to your program. – Start with outcomes: What outcomes in

boxes #1 and #2 are your goals? – How is your program implementing the

elements in Box #3 to achieve the goals/impacts you want?

Try the Model on Your Own Program!

Start Here!!

#2 Personal Factors: Your Goals for Program Impact: 1. 2. 3.

#1 Behavioral Factors: Your Goals for Program Outcomes: 1. 2. 3.

#3 Environmental Factors: Element: How the Program

addresses it: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Thank you for your participation!

“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops,

but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”

—Masanobu Fukuoka

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Benard, B. (2004). Resiliency: What we have learned. San Francisco, CA: WestED.

Desmond, D., Grieshop, J., & Subramaniam, A. (2002) Revisiting garden based learning in basic education: Philosophical roots, historical foundations, best practices and products, impacts,

outcomes, and future directions. Davis, CA: University of California, Davis.

Hayden-Smith, R. (2006) Soldiers of the Soil: A Historical Review of the United States School Garden Army. Davis, CA: University of California, Davis, Center for Youth Development.

Lytle, L., & Achterberg, C. (1995). Changing the diet of America's children: What works and why. J Nutr Educ, 27, 250-260.

Ratcliffe, M. M. (2007) Garden-based education in school settings: The effects on children’s vegetable consumption, vegetable preferences and ecoliteracy. Ph.D. Dissertation, Tufts University.

Contact Information

Abby Jaramillo, Urban [email protected](415) 648-4596www.urbansprouts.org

Michelle M. Ratcliffe, Ph.D, [email protected](503) 476-6080www.ecotrust.com/farmtoschool/

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

The Real Impacts of School Gardens: How to Make Change & Measure it Abby Jaramillo, Urban Sprouts...

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