The Colour of Velvet. A Transdisciplinary Approach to Connecting Students from a Refugee Background to the Natural World

What pedagogical strategies support students from a refugee background connecting to the natural world? What would these strategies look like for fifteen students participating in a language intensive New Arrivals Program (NAP)? These questions were the focus of a small collaborative project set up to investigate the impact of pedagogical initiatives on building educational and cultural connections, and enhancing educational achievement in science in refugee students. This article focuses on the events and outcomes of an interdisciplinary unit of work based around a newly established school garden. Science, mathematics, English and visual arts are the key learning areas covered. The study involves one gardener, a volunteer community artist and three science and mathematics teacher education academics.