To decide which growing technique is best, young people plant, maintain and monitor experimental research plots. In the following weeks, youth test their hypotheses by collecting data to observe the effect of different growing conditions. The process also involves completing background research, establishing and conducting an experiment, recording and analyzing data, making conclusions, and reporting discoveries. Eventually, participants complete the project by comparing the yields of the different plots and using the results to draw conclusions and make recommendations on the best growing technique. Besides the scientific method, throughout the project, an emphasis is placed on respecting the environment and food chain.
Youth learn that their world is one composed of complex, connected systems.
The transferability of DTE allows youth from rural, suburban, and urban neighborhoods an opportunity to understand the complex relationships that exist between humans and the environment. As an educational resource, DTE serves as a supplemental instructional guide for youth educators working with youth organizations, nature centers, community groups, or by parents with their youth. The program is easily adaptable for people of all ages, with a variety of learning style preferences, and from different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Each DTE activity is rich in disciplinary content and can supplement existing classroom lesson plans in science, agriculture, home economics, mathematics, social studies, and language arts. The lessons are aligned with content, teaching, and assessment standards set forth in the North Carolina Competency Based Teacher Handbook for K-12 Science.