Linking Farm and School: a Theoretical Review

This literature review stems from the need to investigate the assumption that farms are learning environments whose value is further enhanced when teaching-learning activities are co-designed by teachers and farmers. The literature was intended to theoretically support the rationale for the DEMETER project, which aims to develop an interdisciplinary teaching methodology and identify strategies and tools to assess farm-based learning outcomes (in terms of both disciplinary and cross-curricular competencies). We reviewed existing research that tested tools and gathered evidence regarding the project's focuses: farm-school partnerships, outdoor learning outcomes, and teaching strategies for outdoor learning contexts. The reviewed studies were selected based on the reliability of their contents and the rigor with which the authors formulated the research questions and analysed the empirical data. Overall, despite the popularity of many forms of outdoor learning, scholars converge on the need for greater scrutiny of the effectiveness and reliability of the teaching methodologies deployed.