Full Library

This research project examined the potential role of agricultural experiences as a vehicle for meeting the diverse learning needs of rural primary students in developing countries. Volume 1 of the project report represents a literature review that investigated a "new role" for agriculture as a key element for developing rural students' basic skills of literacy and numeracy. Volume 2, the second phase of the project, involved case studies of four developing countries in which contextualization of learning and teaching is supported by educational policy and practice. Contextualization of learning occurs when curriculum content and the methods and materials associated with it are directly related to the experiences and environment of the learner. The literature review concludes that serious problems affect the provision and effectiveness of primary schooling in developing countries, particularly in rural areas; that the curriculum in rural primary schools in developing countries is centralized, inflexible, and geared toward an urban middle-class context; that the contextualization of teaching and learning has the potential to strengthen links among the learning environments of school, home, and community; and that agriculture may act as a unifying theme for curricula relevant to rural primary students. Implications for educational practice in the use of agriculture as a contextualizing medium for instruction are discussed relevant to language, science, mathematics, social studies, nutrition, and health instruction. Examples of the integrated approach to curriculum development, which in some cases involved contextualization of teaching and learning, are provided for the following countries: Malaysia, Uganda, Cameroon, Jordan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Brazil, Kenya, India, Colombia, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Guatemala. (Contains 147 references and numerous data tables and photographs.) (LP)

an: ED461443; docTypes: Information Analyses ; Reports - Research; pubTypes: Report;