Farm to School professional development builds educators’ confidence and professional networks This article examined how teachers’ participation in a Farm to School professional development program impacted their practice of implementing garden-based learning. It reports on an 11-month study which documented U.S. educators’ experiences following Grow It Know It professional development designed to help teachers incorporate hands-on garden- and food-based learning into their teaching. The study used photo elicitation methods to understand 7 teachers’ experiences implementing Farm to School practices in their classrooms. The goals were to (1) determine changes in teachers’ confidence and practice following the professional development program, (2) examine how teachers implemented Farm to School into their practice, (3) identify how educators utilized Farm to School resources and networks, and (4) determine what additional resources educators needed to sustain Farm to School programming. In doing so, the study sought to identify how to support teachers in this program and to find practical solutions to persistent barriers to effective garden-based teaching and learning.
This qualitative study used photo elicitation to capture and understand teachers’ experiences implementing Farm to School practices that the professional development program recommended. The researchers asked teachers to submit a picture of their garden-based activities every week and later discussed these images in a mid-year focus group interview and end-of-year individual interview. They then coded this interview data thematically to identify patterns related to participants’ confidence, classroom practices, access to resources, and barriers to implementation.
The data analysis documented positive changes in teachers’ confidence and garden-based teaching practices. The professional development helped educators develop more confidence to implement new activities and adapt their approaches in response to challenges or problems. In particular, teachers identified hands-on training activities and opportunities to observe and reflect upon successful models of Farm to School practice as keys to implementing hands-on, garden-based learning. Utilizing support networks inside and outside of schools also helped teachers implement Farm to School Programming; however, such networks weren’t always enough to overcome persistent barriers to hands-on and garden-based teaching, such as limited time, demanding workloads, and overworked support and auxiliary staff. Teachers were more willing to incorporate more garden-based learning when they noticed students’ engagement in these programs and when these programs tapped into their own personal interests in agriculture and gardening. Participants also noted how garden-based programs supported students’ social-emotional regulation, which is not considered a productive outcome in market-based, test-driven school environments.
Overall, the most obvious benefits of the professional development program were teachers’ improved confidence and sense of self-efficacy in implementing garden-based activities and trying new approaches. In particular, teachers noted the importance of seeing successful implementation of these approaches as making them more confident to try such approaches themselves. Likewise, internal support (from school administrators and colleagues) and external support (from Farm to School supporters) made them more likely to try new approaches and persist in garden-based learning. However, the professional development program was not enough to combat structural challenges in schools, such as limited class time, lack of adequate and consistent funding, lack of collegial and administrative support, and teachers’ extensive list of duties. Thus, the authors advocate for professional development programs to provide tools and resources for teachers to advocate for school-wide participation in these programs. In addition, they recommend that professional development providers also help secure administrative buy-in and funding for all staff to attend Farm to School professional development.
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