The Foxfire Curriculum
The Foxfire curriculum began in 1966 in Appalachian Georgia as an attempt “to engage rural youth in relevant community-based experiences that would both develop their literacy skills and preserve local tradition” (Kugelmass 1995, p. 3). The Foxfire approach, developed by Eliot Wigginton, began as “an experiential education program originally intended to teach basic English skills to high school freshmen” through cultural journalism (Starnes 1999, p. 1). Wigginton’s Foxfire project called for students to interview “community members who had expertise or historical perspectives and [write] about what they learned” (AASA, online p.1). At the heart of the Foxfire curriculum are the student-produced Foxfire Magazine and a series of books on Appalachian life.