Agroecological Learning From Stakeholders On Their Turf: Student Reactions and Reflections.

Field trips are often used to help tie the theories and information gained in classroom learning to the ‘real world,’  and pedagogically provide a valuable set of visual (and other sensory) experiences to aid student learning.   Field Analysis of Sustainable Food Systems is a senior/graduate level course containing a “field immersion” component in which students and instructors spend a week together off-campus visiting a variety of farms as well as processing, distribution and marketing venues to explore these operations and discuss the enterprises’ “what” and “why” with the decision-makers. Following 3-4 such visits each day, evening small- and/or large- group discussions, plus written reflections,  further tie the day’s learning to previously explored (earlier in the course) theories, facts, social/historical/biophysical contexts, current issues, etc., as well as students’ disciplinary knowledge and personal experiences.  We report on student reactions and reflections compiled from the course from 2003 through 2009.