A school project that engages students in their learning

Fabien Thibault teaches a 6th grade class of 20 students at Sacré-Cœur de Ferme-Neuve, an elementary school of 90 students. In this agroforestry area, most inhabitants are already proud owners of home gardens or farmlands, so the younger generation already knows the basics of agriculture.

Throughout 2020, Fabien’s class prepared for the Vireo educational indoor garden project and was looking forward to the arrival of the hydroponic garden, scheduled for 2021. Excited to begin the experience, the students have insisted on starting ahead by growing plants into soil, to later transplant them in the hydroponic garden. The results exceeded their expectations: “The first kale shoots filled the whole garden. Some leaves were even bigger than our heads! It grew much faster than what we expected.”

The enthusiasm of the students is admirable. They enjoy being involved and are proud to be a part of this school project. After the first harvest, they presented the project and its results to the whole school and prepared an experimental recipe: “We cut the kale into pieces, we added oil and salt to sauté it. We tried using sugar instead of salt, but it burned, so we put it after cooking. Every student was able to bring a plant back home and we shared what we cooked with the whole school and the kindergarten of the neighboring school.” This shows how the impact of the project can be felt outside the classroom walls.

Hands-on school project : a learning tool that gives students a voice in the classroom

The Vireo educational garden is a tool that leaves room for experimentation. Users can adapt it to their needs and ambitions, as Fabien Thibault’s class has demonstrated so well, not hesitating to undertake special experiments. Students stood out for their resourcefulness and initiative.

” I brought oak acorns, but no one knew how to plant them, so I searched the Internet. When I saw the first one starting to grow, I was very happy. […] We tried the experiment of recreating fall indoors by dimming the lights. That’s how tree leaves turn red.”

By valuing the process and experimentation rather than the result and by learning concrete concepts by trial and error, it facilitates student comprehension, develops their autonomy and teaches them perseverance. Thus, students’ curiosity initiates several types of projects. Furthermore, experiencing failure in a safe environment teaches students that we are bound to make mistakes, at school or in real-life situations, but we learn from them and keep going. 

The class used the tools provided by Vireo in their own way, by growing seeds of their choice, by planting various plants in soil as well as using hydroponics, by transplanting plants into either of these environments, by allowing plants to reproduce by propagation or pollination, etc. During the winter, a student even brought strawberry plants from their frozen garden to replant them into the hydroponic garden.

“We put them in rock wool. After some time, there were leaves and flowers. It’s pretty extraordinary that we had flowers, I didn’t think there would be flowers so quickly. […] To pollinate the strawberries, we used a brush and we did what bees do. They take the pollen and bring it to another flower, so we took the pollen with a brush to bring it from strawberry to strawberry. Our other project is to try replanting them in soil. I didn’t think I would be eating strawberries in the middle of winter, because I didn’t know strawberries could grow in water.”

The impacts of meaningful experiences on students and their learning environment

This environmental project develops students’ sense of responsibility and organization and encourages teamwork. Students recognize the part each one of them plays and the engagement such a project requires, but they are all the more motivated. It creates a sense of belonging and pride.

“We had a great strawberry harvest, all thanks to Raphael, who brought the strawberry plants. It’s also thanks to everyone at school who cares for the garden. We love the garden, we are curious, it smells good. It’s summer inside, even in winter.”

A school garden project can be integrated in the school program to give it even more value. While acquiring scientific knowledge such as ppm and pH, which enable plants to grow in the nutrient solution of the Vireo hydroponic garden, students become aware of their surroundings and understand the importance of respecting others and having a clean and organized work environment. Furthermore, by testing and hypothesizing, students develop their critical thinking, logical competencies, and the scientific method in a hands-on and engaging way. By keeping a log of their observations, students have a stimulating way to practice their writing and reading skills. There are many opportunities for educational and formative activities!

“We are always thinking, hypothesizing, trying. That’s how it is in our class with the Vireo garden. […] It’s getting started that’s scary. It is with small steps that we get somewhere. We must have the courage to try. Our projects, they come and go. We start some, give up some. It’s our own road trip”, says Fabien Thibault. Today, the project is still going strong and continues to evolve at the pace of students’ ambitions. Currently, there are eggplants, tomatoes and strawberries growing in the hydroponic garden.

Above all, school projects that allow students to link theoretical concepts to real-life situations that impact them directly give meaning to their learning and motivate them. By putting students at the center of their own school experience, they feel empowered, which is very formative for their self-esteem and the development of social skills. More than anything, hands-on experiences allow teachers to learn alongside their students, creating sustainable relationships with them. 

A Vireo hydroponic garden project in your school

The Vireo indoor garden project creates a context conducive to experimentation and co-construction of learning. With digital resources and support, you have everything you need to integrate your project while living a memorable experience with your students!