"Class act"

I think I could count the number of good teachers I ever had on one hand and it certainly didn't improve as I moved through university. I certainly would have liked to have come across a teacher such as Neil Morgan the new science teacher at Saxmundham Middle School. An article in the The Guardian Weekend magazine describes a wonderful way of linking as much of a school curriculum as possible, not just science, to garden-related field activities. The story should be of great interest to teachers especially in school's with available land for similar activities. A nice example of experiential and problem-based learning and having students apply their learning to practical situations. It doesn't mention it specifically in the article but I am sure that the same approach could be used to learn about food plants, the importance of agrobiodiversity and its contribution to healthy nutrition. The article finishes with information sources for any teachers interested in pursuing such school projects. It reminds me of the University Breeders Club we started at the University of the South Pacific for students to learn about crop breeding in a very real situation with farmers evaluating the materials they produced as part of a participatory plant breeding programme. Not only was it an excellent teaching and learning approach but also strengthened the links between the university and local communities in Samoa. Exciting times indeed.