Pilot Project Overview

Summers Knoll - Chiwara Permaculture

Problem Based Learning (PBL) + Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) +
Permaculture R&D Collaborative.

This is a community based science course. The focus of this course is solving problems found within a community. Through collaborative, contextualized research, students and facilitators identify problems, solutions and goals, while participants develop hands on, real world skills in Self Directed Learning (SDL). This program is unique in that it combines a progressive educational approach rooted in experiential learning in a 3rd and 4th grade classroom, and a community based, permaculture research and education (R&E) firm.
* “R&E” was inspired by former University of Michigan president Jame’s Duderstadt’s paper “Envisioning a Transformed University” in which he suggests the need to “integrate the educational mission of the University with the research and service activities of the faculty, by ripping instruction out of the classroom... and placing it in the discovery environment of a laboratory”. The student’s learning is combined with the professor’s research.


Initial problems and areas of research:
Pokeweed plant as used in Solar Photolvoltaics (PV) research (wake forest)

• Testing application of dye - Solar panels and printer ink
• What configuration of panels leads to maximum efficiency?

The soil food web and how to build topsoil naturally (“teaming with microbes”), Cornell

• What combination of plants builds healthy topsoil?
• What combination of plants could be added to topsoil to correct deficiencies of certain nutrients?

How to make an Ann Arbor home fossil fuel free, and 100% self sufficient in:

Food - edible forest gardens, perennial grains/polycultures, season extension (hoop houses), compost, food preservation and storage, indoor LED growing.
Energy - solar PV, solar thermal, wood gasification/bio-char, human powered energy systems
Water - water catchment and storage, rain gardens, Greywater systems
Building - Natural building (cob, strawbale, cordwood), Plant based plastics - polycarbonate PLA panels, geodesic domes, compressed earth brick (CEB press)
Transportation - Ethanol, solar vehicle, 100% plant derived kite board rig
Waste - community bio methane, bio char, composting toilets and heating systems, vermi-composting (worms)

Facilitator Goals:

Chris Swinko - 3-4 classroom teacher

Nathan Ayers - Director - Chiwara Permaculture

Providing students with opportunities to engage in real world problem solving that addresses the needs of their community. Community based service learning.

Helping students to cultivate problem solving strategies that emphasize elements of design thinking, engineering, and collaboration.

Pilot program, establishing curriculum and course material that is replicable

Course is well documented through video, photos, blog etc (permission forms)

Publish student research - Blog - Make science competitive with sports

Students learn how to write a proposal

Transmission of Permaculture principles and ethics

Teach students how to conduct a “Permanalysis” - A permaculture based (FEWBTW) home energy audit.

*The importance of multi lingualism - learn names of equipment and concepts in multiple languages. Impress upon students the need to actively listen for “same meaning but different words” analogies. The development of Analogy as a problem solving tool.

* Evaluation - entry/exit surveys, and ?? Long term student tracking study - who ends up in science/engineering field.