When it comes to agricultural
education, there are three components that are involved- Classroom Instruction,
Supervised Agricultural Experience, and FFA Leadership. These components are
known as the three circle model of agricultural education. Through classroom
instruction, students develop their core knowledge of the diversity of
agriculture and the essentials of what goes on behind the scenes of livestock
and plant production, as well as the process of how food goes from the field to
the table. According to the Teach Ag website, there are fourteen different
classes that an Ag teacher can teach- Animal Science, Welding, Horticulture,
and Food Chemistry are just to name a few. To see the full list you can visit
the NAAE website or follow the link below.
The second element of
agricultural education is Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). This is
where students get a hands-on learning experience outside of the classroom. The
four categories of SAE’s are as follows: Entrepreneurship (which is where you
own and operate your own agricultural business such as a lawn care or picking
rock service); Placement (which is where you get a job or internship for an
agricultural business, farm, ranch, or laboratory); Research and Experimentation
Plan (which is where you create a hypothesis and then conduct your own
scientific experiment); and Exploratory (which is where you explore possible agricultural
career opportunities by attending a career fair or shadowing a person in the
agricultural work field). SAE’s are a great way for students to find what their
interests are in agriculture and how they can use their own talents in the
agricultural work field.
The final section of agricultural
education is FFA Leadership. According
to the National FFA Organization, “FFA is committed to the individual student,
providing a path to achievement in premier leadership, personal growth and
career success through agricultural education. FFA helps the next generation rise
up to meet their challenges by helping its members develop their own unique
talents and explore their interests in a broad range of agricultural career
pathways.” One of the ways that FFA helps students find their interests in
agriculture is through Career Development Events (CDE). CDE’s are agricultural competitions
which are based off of real agricultural careers. There are twenty-four different
events that students can participate in ranging from public speaking to
mechanics to floriculture. Through these competitions, students are tested on
their knowledge and ability to do different tasks within their competition
field. Another area of FFA is leadership camps. Through this opportunity you
can meet with other students who have a passion for agriculture on a regional,
statewide, and national level. At these camps they stress the importance of
sharing a positive message of agriculture with others, help you develop a lifelong
Living To Serve plans, as well as challenge youth to step outside of their
comfort zones to find their passions in agriculture.
Classroom instruction, Supervised agricultural experience, and FFA leadership all play a critical role in developing students knowledge of the diversity of agriculture, where their food comes from, and what role they can play in the future of agriculture. Without this knowledge, people will make uneducated decisions when it comes to political and social issues which in turn will have a huge impact on the future of agriculture production.
Resources:National Teach Ag Campaign Website: http://www.naae.org/teachag/faq.cfm
National FFA Website: https://www.ffa.org/about/what-is-ffa
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