Years 9-10 Materials: Development for a Better Future

October 15, 2020

To celebrate World Food Day, 16 October 2020, the Crawford Fund is launching “Development for a Better Future” – free quality high school teaching materials focused on agriculture for development and global food and nutrition security.

There are materials for Senior Secondary, as well as for Years 9-10.

Behind our range of NextGen activities is our resolve that involving young Australians in international agriculture and agriculture for development has meaningful and beneficial outcomes for food and nutrition security, for the students personally and professionally and for Australian agriculture. We hope the new teaching materials will encourage the next generation in their studies, careers and volunteering in ag for development, another part of our NextGen project which is again being supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in 2020-21.

While there are great materials around agriculture in Australia, we found a dearth of high school teaching materials focused on agriculture for development and global food and nutrition security so are working to plug that hole within our NextGen project.

With education consultant, Heather MacDonald of Education Partnerships, and reference to a range of education and ag research partners, we have produced “Development for a Better Future” – project-based learning materials that link to the Australian curriculum’s priorities of Sustainability and Asia & Australia’s Engagement with Asia.

The modules have been linked to the curriculum areas of Geography, Design and Technologies, Media Arts, English, Science, and Mathematics, so educators in agriculture, geography, economics, social sciences, and technology, can engage and activate students in real-world learning.

There is an emphasis on critical and creative thinking and problem solving in all the modules to excite educators and students about the impact of work around food and nutrition security and highlight career pathways for students

Educators are encouraged to share student learning with the Fund at [email protected]. With permission, we’d like to highlight the work in our networks in Australia and internationally.

We may be able to offer additional learning opportunities including school visits or live webinars with young ag researchers to discuss their work and career pathways, and let you know when new materials have been developed.

Like subsequent materials we have planned, the first materials, including detailed Educator Guides, are available FREE and we hope to see the fruit of some of the students’ work throughout the years to come.

The materials immerse Year 9 and 10 students in ‘real-world’ contemporary opportunities and challenges in international food and nutrition security.

These resource materials use scenarios and examples to provide authentic and engaging learning and activate students to contribute to a better future for our world.

You can register and download the Educator Guide and four separate modules for Years 9 and 10. The themes of the modules are:

• Climate Change, Food and Nutrition Security
• Climate-Smart Technologies
• Covid-19 and Food and Nutrition Security, and
• Australia – A Powerhouse for Agricultural Research

The outcomes for students include:

• Increased awareness of food and nutrition security in the Asia Pacific Region
• Exposure to the similarities and differences between farming in Australia and developing countries
• Empowering students to consider how they could contribute to a better future in international agriculture through video updates, project plans, prototypes of solutions and training programs for farmers in developing countries
• How and why The Crawford Fund and ACIAR are supporting international agricultural development
• An introduction to how these initiatives support the Sustainable Development Goals.

Your feedback is also welcome and encouraged.

Testimonials

This is an excellent resource. Climate change is an effective entry point to the study of food security and will appeal to teachers. It is well targeted in terms of Years 9 and 10 Geography, especially Year 9. The T&L plan is detailed and well-resourced. The PPT is engaging and well-structured. Congratulations to all those involved.
Dr Grant Kleeman, one of Australia’s leading geography educators and the Immediate Past Chair, Australian Geography Teachers’ Association.

These resources provide a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students to immerse themselves in the topic of global food and nutrition security. With rapidly changing climatic conditions, amongst other factors placing a strain on equitable human development, the increased awareness created by teachers integrating these resources into their teaching regimes will only yield positive results. The materials are easy to use, linked to the curriculum and facilitate inquiry-based teaching and learning. I commend everyone who has contributed to making this a success.
Shenal Basnayake, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Science Teachers Association

This is a very comprehensive resource, with very detailed educator guides. There is a great deal of depth to get teachers involved and it provide excellent insights that will be very engaging to students. Well Done.
Luciano Mesiti, CEO, Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA) and past president of the NSW Agriculture Teachers Association.

For further information, contact:
Cathy Reade
Director of Outreach and Manager of the NextGen Program
Mobile: 61 413 575 934 Email: [email protected]