After two years of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Summer Institute returned to an in-person course this July! The BCAITC and UBC Faculty of Education's BC Agriculture in the Curriculum course was delivered to 30 teacher participants in Abbotsford from July 18 to 22. The course provided agriculture and food education for educators in a fun and interactive environment! Plus, participants were able to reconnect with their professional peers to share ideas and inspirations. 

Activities

Teachers from all over BC (including the Lower Mainland, Kelowna, Campbell River, Victoria, and Nanaimo) participated in the popular 3-credit university course! The Summer Institute provided these teachers with innovative and interactive ways to learn about BC’s amazing agriculture and food story – and how to successfully deliver agriculture and food education into K-12 classrooms. Course participants soaked in education while enjoying farm tours, cooking demonstrations, presentations from speakers in the field, individual/group projects, and reading assignments.

Summer Institute course participants had a week packed full of activities - in both a traditional indoor classroom and a variety of unique outdoor classroom settings!  Highlights of the 5-day course included:

• Farm Tours: Participants enjoyed 2 days of bus tours through sunny Fraser Valley farms and gardens where they learned about modern farming concepts, school and urban farms, indigenous agriculture connections, and the agricultural history of the Sumas Flats.
• Speaker Presentations: Participants had the chance to hear from experts in the field about agriculture topics like the Agriculture Land Reserve and halibut fishing. BCAITC staff also provided an overview of the organization’s K-12 classroom programs.
• Chef Demos:  Chef Trevor Randle and Chef Brent McGimpsey led participants through an array of delicious BC grown dishes.  The chefs also taught a variety of kitchen skills including deboning poultry and culinary knife skills.
• Discussions and Debates: Participants discussed current agriculture subjects on a local and global level.
• Farm to Table Food: Each day, participants enjoyed a gourmet lunch and snacks. Dishes included a delicious Summer Turkey Salad with Creamy BC Cilantro Lime Dressing, Miso Soy Glazed BC Halibut with Japanese Slaw, BBQ Flat Iron Steak Tacos, Lemon Herb and Garlic Chicken with Baked Potatoes, and Vegetables and tasty treats like scones, cookies, brownies, cinnamon buns, crepes, and cream puffs.
• Presentations: The class was divided into 6 groups and each group gave a 45-minute presentation on various agricultural reading assignments.
• Projects: Teams completed group projects on relevant agricultural and food topics. Plus, individuals developed food stories and created agriculture literacy lesson plans that can be shared with students (as well as other educators around the province) in the coming school year.
• Reading Assignments: Exciting agriculture and food topics were featured in the course’s daily reading assessments.

• Contest: To encourage participants to share their course highlights, they participated in online daily contests to win fun prizes.

Results

Participants loved learning about BC’s amazing agriculture and food story at the Summer Institute! Below is some of the feedback from the course participants.

"The Summer Institute was an inspiring course that has created a desire for me to learn more about agriculture and bring it into my classroom to share with my students.” - Jenessa Parker

"This course was one of the highlights of my university education with the field trips, cooking experiences and shared insights." - Course Participant

“Whether you come from an agriculture background or have never been exposed to food production, Summer Institute is a fantastic program for providing a fresh perspective and transferable learning for teachers and students. Delicious food, knowledgeable tour stops, and great collaborative and resource creation opportunities await! Come hungry to learn!” - Amy Stafford

Thank You

Thank you to the Summer Institute speakers, chefs, and donors who made this course a huge success!

• Course Instructor: Joe Massie
• Speakers: Agricultural Land Commission - Claire Buchanan & Connor Newcombe | BCAITC - Pat Tonn & Tina Evans | Pacific Halibut Management Association of BC - Sandra Merk  | Rose Gate Dairy Farms - Jared DeJong | Sardis Secondary - Tania Toth | Stable Harvest Farm - Kristjan Johannson | Trethewey House Heritage Site - Christina Reid | W&A Farms - Bill Zylmans
• Chefs: Chef Trevor Randle and Chef Brent McGimpsey
• Donors: 1 Fish 2 Fish Fresh Seafood Market | BC Chicken Marketing Board | BC Turkey Marketing Board | Farm Credit Canada | Pacific Halibut Management Association of BC | Urban Jungle Plant Co.