This episode of the Feeding Innovation podcast we're speaking to Nigel Carlisle -an Ontario Secondary school teacher living in Cornwall, Ontario. A few weeks after recording this conversation, Nigel was the recipient of the Award for Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Food Education.

Nigel discusses the creative and unique ways he incorporates teaching agriculture and food into his classes including a green industry and technology. His goal as an educator is to make an impact on how lessons are taught, encouraging hands-on experience over tests and textbooks.

This past school year, Nigel brought robotics into his lessons. Automation and robotics is a booming innovation that the food and agriculture sector is exploring. To demonstrate that to his students and create awareness, Nigel took a unique approach in combining classroom robotics with modern farming, creating lessons that built a buzz in his students that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

If you're an educator looking to bring similar activities and lessons to your classrooms, Nigel shares advice and steps to follow.  For Nigel, this kind of learning is undoubtedly the future, as kids are already learning computer code on their own time, and it is increasingly incorporated into curriculums.

Contact Nigel at:
Nigel.Carlisle @ ucdsb.on.ca

AgScape:

Links to all of our most recent activities, resources, and events for Ontario Teachers:
https://linktr.ee/agscape_on
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Book your free Virtual Lesson on Food and Agriculture for Grades 4-12, available to Ontario Teachers through our Teacher Ambassador Program. Foster Food Literacy in your students!
https://agscape.ca/request-ta
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www.AgScape.ca 

 About AgScape

Improving nutrition. Reducing waste. Eliminating food insecurity. Fulfilling careers that make a difference. All are critical priorities for today’s youth. 

AgScape is a registered charity that brings the fast-paced and innovative world of agriculture and food to educators and students across Ontario. Our programs expand students’ understanding of the modern food system to help them make informed decisions about they foods they eat, the choices they make, and the breadth of career opportunities that are available to them.

Our engaging, hands-on, curriculum-linked resources and programs provide credible information and multiple perspectives to help educators and students explore the many facets of food and agriculture in Canada. AgScape’s in-class and in-field programs are designed, tested, and regularly updated by certified teachers with specific backgrounds or training in agriculture and food.

Thanks to the support of funders and donors who share our passion to support food literacy and engagement with future generations, AgScape has been a trusted partner and bridge between the agri-food industry and Ontario’s education system for more than 30 years. We continue to evolve and expand our programs to ignite and nurture the curiosity of students, educators, and communities across Ontario.