Agricultural education

Agricultural education

            Agricultural education can be described as a systematic program of instructions availed to students in the field of business and science of plant and animal production. However, agricultural   education stretches to include environmental and natural resource systems. Agricultural education equips students with knowledge on agriculture, food and natural resources (Foster $ Smith P.7).  The subjects on agricultural education, teach students varieties of skills based on science, math, leadership, management and technology. In addition, students learning agricultural education are taught concepts on marketing, production and processing of agricultural products.

Agricultural education program is organized into three basic areas. These areas are; classroom- laboratory based instruction, experience programs on supervised agriculture and FFA student organization activities (Gill et al P.406). Classroom instructions involve the mechanism of ‘learning by doing’ both inside and outside agriculture. On the other hand, supervised agricultural experience program demands students to apply knowledge and theory in the learning of relevant, experimental and agricultural projects. Through completion of SAE projects, students acquire principles and concepts that they may be required to apply in the real life situations (Foster $ Smith00 P.8). Finally, the FFA student organization programs equip students with vast experience on career success, personal growth and premier leadership.

According to Gill et al (P.410), there is a much difference between agricultural education and high school teaching. While high school education explains shallowly about the business and technology of plants and animals, agricultural education touches deeply on the concept learning and application, with real lab experiments. According to Stripling et al (P.112), agricultural education bases majorly on teaching the teachers about the concepts and then the teachers pass the knowledge to students. So, Agricultural education concepts must be installed in the mind of the teacher so that the knowledge can be transferred to the high school students. Hence agricultural education involves more work as compared to high school teaching.

There are roles and responsibilities of a student and teacher in the agricultural education sector. Students are expected to explore the available career options in the field of agriculture and assist those involved in developing and future planning (Gill et al P.413). Secondly, students should focus on the connection between school instructions and work-based learning instructions. On top of this, students are expected to seek for technical skills training in order for them to succeed in an agro-based career. Thirdly, agricultural education students are expected to have a competitive advantage among themselves, which will spear head their success in the international economy (Gill et al P.409). The fourth important role of an agricultural education student is to alias with leaders and organizations in projects that will enhance community development and service. Finally, students should avail themselves in personal and leadership development trainings, which will enable them succeed in the field of agriculture, problem solving and communications.

Agricultural education teachers play a major role in agricultural field. Agricultural extension teachers, are expected to carefully follow instructions offered in the document (True P.36). One of the major responsibilities of Agricultural education teachers is to maintain a good relationship with students and parents. Additionally, a better understanding of the content enhances preparation of agricultural education teachers before delivering the information. (Foster &. Smith P.8). Cooperation teachers and students creates unity hence quality delivery. Teachers should avoid ‘coming and going’ mechanisms. It creates confusion to student’s brains hence poor performance. Students always admire to have one round teacher, whom they are aware of her ways of teaching.

Teaching methods can be described as techniques that teachers use to pass instructions based on the content to the students. Basically, the nature of the teaching methods used are depended on the subject and the capability of the learner (Gill et al P.415) All learners have different rates of mental grasping of the content hence teachers need to use the best appropriate teaching methods that suites the learner. The content of the material is an information read by the teacher, elaborated and passed to students. Agricultural education content comprise of the information based on food and agriculture.

Works cited

Foster, D., R. Lawver, and A. Smith. “National agricultural education supply & demand study.”   Agribusiness 64 (2014): 8-6.

Gill, Tom, Kristal Jones, and Tom Hammett. “Agricultural education and training system capacity             development for sub-Saharan Africa: The role of Innovate.” Journal of Development and Communication Studies 4.2 (2016): 401-415.

Stripling, Christopher T., and T. Grady Roberts. “Florida Preservice Agricultural Education          Teachers’ Mathematics Ability and Efficacy.” Journal of Agricultural Education 53.1            (2012): 109-122.

True, Alfred Charles. A history of agricultural education in the United States: 1785-1925. No. 36.             US Government Printing Office, 1929.