Zhudong Junior High School in Hsinchu County - A small town boy’s forest farm diary: Understanding oneself through exploration in the mountains and forests

We live in an era where a large amount of information circulates on the Internet, enjoying the speed and convenience brought by technology, but at the same time, people are gradually alienated from the real environment. We know how things work, but we don’t have the skills to do it; we know other people’s perspectives, but cannot express our own; we experience other people’s feelings, but are unaware of our own.
The on-the-spot diary of a young man in a small town tries to "slow down" the experience so that he can learn "faster". This course leads students to use various senses and go into the forest farm of their hometown. Through the process of exploring the mountains and forests, making woodwork, and walking and recording, they can experience self-awareness and growth in which the external senses and inner feelings are consistent.
Echoing the United Nations SDG 15 "Conservation of terrestrial ecology" and SDG 11 "Sustainable urban and rural areas", from learning to conserve and sustainably utilize terrestrial ecosystems to building inclusive and sustainable cities and villages as the ultimate course goal. By discussing global environmental issues, students are trained to become global citizens who can identify and solve problems.
Through thematic course design, we plan mountain forest exploration, take students to actually visit the mountain forest, learn techniques such as lumber gathering and thinning, and continue to plant saplings to regenerate the forest. It further explores the rise and fall of Zhudong's forestry industry, records the worksite of the elderly, and passes on the memories to the next generation. The stories of the visits and the process of self-awareness are included in Zhudong's local publication "Step by Step Eastward". Finally, combine carpentry skills and use local wood to transform the classroom and allow students to design a new learning environment.