The classroom as relationship: experience, interconnectedness, and pathways to critical thought

ABSTRACT

Experiential learning has long been a part of higher-education food and agricultural training. This paper focuses on experiential learning in a graduate food studies course on dairy. It suggests that relationships and camaraderie built in part through an experiential approach to learning may act as mediator and facilitator of both empathetic and critical thought around food and agriculture. Shared experiences outside the classroom may also help create a foundation for deep engagement among students and democratized discussions in the classroom. While this kind of approach may not be viable in every institution or situation, this paper seeks to contribute to a growing literature around a variety of teaching strategies that can play a role in food systems education.

KEYWORDS:

• Experiential learning
• field trips
• dairy
• critical thinking
• student discussions
• power

Acknowledgments

Sincere thanks to my colleague Chris Murakami for his collaboration, input, and feedback during the full trajectory of this project, to my colleague Alice Julier for her feedback on earlier drafts, and to my other colleagues for their thoughts and ideas. Thanks also to research assistant Bradley Barrow for her help with interviewing, and to the students and field trip hosts who participated in and contributed to this course over the years, in particular the 2018 group who took part in or were in the class concurrent with the data collection used for this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Research and Sabbatical Fund at Chatham University in 2019 and was approved by the Institutional Research Board at Chatham University in 2018;Chatham University research and sabbatical fund [19-M0228];

Notes on contributors

Nadine Lehrer

Nadine Lehrer is an associate professor in Chatham University’s Food Studies program in Pittsburgh, PA. Her work focuses on understanding challenges to sustainable agricultural systems, in areas ranging from U.S. agricultural policy to orchard pest management. She focuses on highly experiential pedagogical approaches in classes that span agricultural policy, research methods, tree care, meat and dairy production and a variety of travel/field courses.