Introduction
The Blue Swallow Farm Foundation, Center for Research and Instruction in the Natural World, originates from a belief that individuals benefit from authentic learning experiences that promote curiosity, support innovation, and offer avenues for career development. The mission and vision of the Blue Swallow Farm Foundation center on creating this reality for students (Grades NK-12) worldwide through replicable programs and with a three-prong approach related to research/evaluation practices, curriculum and instruction, and professional development.
Our Mission
The mission of the Blue Swallow Farm Foundation is to promote inclusive, authentic experiences in the natural world through research and training and to motivate students in STEM careers.
This initiative aims to provide students with opportunities to explore potential career paths while learning about the preservation and utilization of the natural world. The supposition behind this initiative is that studies in the natural world afford students new avenues for career identity formation and an awareness of how to manage Earth’s resources in environmentally sound ways. In addition, students’ overall well-being flourishes when learning occurs in natural settings with authentic tasks. With the awareness that many children have not had an opportunity to explore outside (whether living in rural, suburban, or urban areas), the members of the Blue Swallow Farm Foundation are dedicated to providing rich opportunities for students in the natural world in a way that they may not have experienced before; a new space to explore and a new way to transverse a glimpse of a future STEM career.
Our Vision
The overarching vision of the Blue Swallow Farm Foundation is to situate students within the realm of scientists-sparking curiosity, a sense of competency, and an awareness of possibilities in STEM fields through outdoor experiences. Activities center on inquiry-based learning where students are involved in scientific investigations, encourage creativity, foster scientific observation skills, and develop student self-efficacy for STEM careers. The Blue Swallow Farm Foundation serves as a hub where educators, researchers, scientists, and interested community members can build programs and coordinate experiences for youth, create curriculum materials and professional development for teachers, and research the effects while training early career scholars in effective practices in research. In this capacity, the aim is to develop replicable models for teaching, learning, and research for students in the United States as well as on an international level.
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