Pedagogical Transformation Through School Garden as a Living Laboratory in Public Schools in Nepal

Abstract

The study explores a school-garden project in a public school in Nepal. The learning garden was formed by the joint effort of co-researchers like students, teachers, and parents following participatory action research (observe-plan-act-reflect). Gardening at the school became a holistic way of teaching and learning. The findings suggest that the school garden is providing a living laboratory as students learn flora and fauna and their interrelation and it opens a space of multiplicity to transform pedagogy. The school garden motivated the students to have a sense of responsibility for environmental conservation. The students can be regarded as junior scientists cultivating and taking care of the garden. The teaching and learning were contextualized through indoor and outdoor sessions. As part of the curricular activities, engagement in the school garden provided a powerful learning arena. Parents, teachers, and students meaningfully engaged in the school as a part of co-curricular activity.