Experiential learning gives students a taste of modern ag

The Scots College was founded in 1893, when its first Principal – Reverend Arthur Aspinall – saw a need to educate boys from isolated farming families in the Central West of NSW. While it has since expanded its cohort to include students from Sydney and all over the world, Scots has retained country boarders to this day – in fact, boarding students make up roughly 250 of the school’s 1200 high school students.

Agriculture as an educational discipline was dropped for a period of time at Scots, though under the guidance of Principal Dr Ian Lambert it has made a comeback to the curriculum in the last few years. This is not only because of the importance of remaining true to the origins and heritage of the school, but also because teaching about agriculture allows boys to get back to nature and recognise the significance of issues such as food security and animal welfare.

In addition, the modern agricultural industry now offers a broad scope of roles and interest for prospective employees – agriculture is not just limited to ploughing a field or herding livestock, it incorporates science, technology, business, marketing and myriad other industries. As such, preparing boys for a successful career in the agricultural industry requires a different type of learning, one that enables students to understand and get excited about the use of drones and robotics, genetic testing and the analysis of water and soil.

“Modern society’s ideas about food have changed – being interested in agriculture is not just about wanting to be a farmer,” says Dr Lambert. “Here in Australia, we have to redefine how we’re going to be a food producer in the future and think about the sustainability of our regional cities and how we’re going to attract people into these industries.

“Environmental degradation and food security are the biggest threats facing the world, and when you think along those terms in education, there’s a lot of problem solving that students really enjoy doing. Many of the students at Scot’s will be involved in trying to solve such problems with technology and science in the future, so we need to be preparing them for this reality in order to position Australia as a major provider of food and other resources.”

Key to the college’s innovative teaching in agriculture and related sectors is the Bannockburn campus – 300 hectares of pristine natural environment and farming land in the Shoalhaven area of NSW. In an isolated area of considerable natural beauty, Bannockburn provides students a chance to connect with the land.

Located in a historic beef cattle and cropping area, the property was gifted to Scots in 2008 and opened to students in 2016, offering Scots boys the chance to experience nature and learn about agriculture, food and fibre provenance, environmental sustainability and much more. Far from being limited to a traditional agricultural program, the campus is enjoyed by boys studying a range of subjects including geography, science, mathematics, cadets, technology, history and languages. Indeed, the eco-buildings planned for short term accommodation at the campus had design input from a Year 10 technology class.

“Here at Bannockburn we have incredible experiential learning opportunities. With semi-native bush, a rocky ridge, river flats and mangroves the Bannockburn landscape can be used to achieve a multitude of outcomes across the curriculum,” says Kym McMaster, Coordinator of Experiential Education at Bannockburn. 

“I’ve been involved in education my whole life and I’ve not come across a school that can offer these experiential activities and connections on such a large scale. Bannockburn allows an opportunity for boys to spark an interest in the food production cycle and become passionate about being good stewards of the environment.”

Dr Lambert’s vision for Bannockburn is to have a campus that promotes sustainability and good stewardship of the land. The experience for the boys at the campus is geared towards minimising their environmental footprint. Plastic bottles are not permitted on site, rubbish is sorted and recycled and all food is sourced locally. Future planning includes building accommodation with biodegradable toilets, recycled water and solar power. All food waste from the Bannockburn, Glengarry and Bellevue Hill campuses will be recycled in the farming system.

Technology also plays a big role in the educational experience at Bannockburn. Genetic testing, cross-breeding and the use of drones are all trialled to give students an idea of how to improve animal or crop returns through the use of science and technology. Digital connectivity provides live data on climate, rainfall, windspeed and soil temperature, which students are able to access from anywhere via a phone app that allows the boys and the wider Scots community to feel more connected and involved with the activities on the land.

And these experiences are not just for the country boarders – Bannockburn enables city kids the chance to sample rural life as well. For these kids, it opens their eyes to life outside the city bubble and a potential future career they may not have considered before. 

“In some ways there’s a real deficit for a lot of city kids these days – a lot of boys have never really seen a chicken lay an egg, or seen a cow give birth or a calf feeding,” says Dr Lambert. “I think camping overnight in a rural area and being surrounded by a natural pristine environment is really quite eye-opening for them.”

It is this sort of practical, hands-on teaching that is informing the curriculum at Scots and offers a novel way to capture the minds of young students. It works hand-in-hand with the lessons taught in the classroom, as the boys can see the theory of what they are learning put into practice at Bannockburn.



“Education is really about engaging in the real experience, reflecting on the relationship of that experience to theory and the reason behind these practices,” says Dr Lambert. “Students can monitor how the theory they learnt in a classroom unfolds in a practical setting, providing a cycle of reflection that moves from theory to practice.”