Experiential Learning on the Farm - A Digital Detox

Please note, Oxen Park Farm is a dog-free space

What's on offer:

We welcome attendees to On The Hill in the Teign Valley from 2pm on Saturday the 9th November. The afternoon will include a farm tour, and opportunity to experience activities open to programmes visiting the farm. This will conclude with a fireside talk in the cosy cob barn and hot food. Families with small children will be able to have an earlier dinner at 5pm if not staying for the fireside talk. We will conclude all activities by 7pm.

A bit of background:

On The Hill since 2016 have offered outdoor and experiential learning opportunities for young people and adults at Oxen Park Farm in the Teign Valley. Programmes offered by On The Hill include residential visits for schools, family camps and teacher training days. Experiential learning at On The Hill means learning by doing – getting involved in the every-day work on the farm including tending to the animals (sheep, chickens and pigs), construction (a cob barn at the farm was constructed with the help of hundreds of volunteers – children and adults - over the past seven years), and planting and harvesting vegetables (food preparation and growing forms a key part of children’s experiences on the farm).

Something which makes these experiences particularly unique for young people is the fact that there has been historically no mobile phone reception on the farm, which has led – over the years – to an inadvertent ‘digital detox’ for those who visit for residentials. Time away from phones and computer screens in turn forms a key element of discussion and reflection for participants.

In 2024 a phone mast was installed in the valley leading to greater mobile phone coverage and as a result On The Hill implemented a policy of non- public use of mobile phones for those attending programmes. This sudden shift from a phone-free education experience due to a quirk of geography, to a more explicit ask for young people to not bring or use their phones requires navigating and raises new challenges for the On The Hill team, as well as programme attendees.

You are invited:

We invite attendees to come to the farm for an afternoon to experience time on the land, get involved in some hands-on activities and take part in discussions about the role of screen time, and the potential benefits of time away from screens on a farm setting. The afternoon will conclude with a fireside discussion and talk with Jo Clark – pioneering educator and director of On The Hill in the Cob Barn, with food served for attendees afterwards. All food and refreshments will be provided.

The event is jointly led by Dr Lewis Winks from the University of Exeter and the team at On The Hill, who have partnered with University of Exeter research projects since 2013.

This event is aimed at teachers, educators and those engaged with transforming education.

While we welcome families to this event and all will find interest in the farm activities including feeding the animals and a farm tour, the event content and discussion is aimed at educators and teachers and those particularly interested in finding a new way forward in educating the next generation. We invite families with young children to attend and to stay for an early dinner at 5pm if leaving before the talk.

Host or Publisher Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health