Are You "Plugged In?" - Using Technology to Enhance Your Secondary Agriculture Program

Introduction Prior to the adoption of the National Vocational Education Act (Smith-Hughes) in 1917, students (boys) studying agriculture (farming) in schools were involved in hands-on learning. Rufus Stimson had formulated a new way of teaching agriculture, using what he termed the home project method (Moore, 1988) in his school in Massachusetts. The subsequent Smith-Hughes Act specifically called for directed or supervised practice for students enrolled in the newly-established vocational agriculture programs in the public high schools. Students were to be provided the opportunity for such experiences either on the home farm or by the school (Roberts & Harlin, 2007). Over the years, the concept has developed and the term to describe it has evolved. Students conducted supervised experiences (SOE) as part of their supervised occupational experience program (SOEP); eventually "occupational" was replaced by "agricultural." SAE and SAEP continue to be the common terms (Camp, Clarke & Fallon, 2000). The Vocational Education Amendments of 1 963 and 1 968 broadened instruction in agriculture but the concept of hands-on experiences continued. Camp et al. (2000) reported the results of a Delphi panel study about supervised agricultural experience. While several recommendations were posited, no official action has been taken to adopt them. The most recent national publication regarding SAE is Experiencing Agriculture: A Handbook on Supervised Agricultural Experience (Barrick et al., 1992). Definitions, models and descriptions of various types of SAEs were distributed along with lesson plans for teachers to use in the classroom. The National Research Council study (NRC, 1988) promoted the new dual concept of instruction in agriculture and instruction about agriculture. But with that differentiation in instructional programs, there was no indication that SOEs [sic] should differ among students. Perhaps agriculture teachers have experienced difficulty in identifying suitable opportunities for students studying about agriculture as well as those students studying in agriculture. Renewed Effort In March 2010, the National Council for Agricultural Education "created an Experiential Learning Planning Committee as part of the National Council for Agricultural Education ... [to include a] report on the literature on experiential learning, [and] identify objectives" (unpublished minutes, March 2010). That was translated to the following objectives. 1. To bring all organizations together to create a definition of experiential learning. 2. To identify the educational merits of experiential learning. 3. To add SAE to the college-ready/ career-ready conversations. 4. To identify strategies that will help get SAE implemented by teachers. 5. To answer the question, "What does the construct of experiential leaning contribute to learning?" 6. To identify resources that exist to make SAE happen. The renewed effort to address experiential learning in agriscience leads to two primary questions: (a) Are long-established assumptions about agricultural experience programs still valid? (b) What should be the new, innovative experience programs in agriscience education? Principles and Assumptions About SAE A comprehensive review of the literature has been conducted on two topics: experiential learning, and supervised agricultural experiences. From that review a listing of the philosophical and theoretical principles that are frequently used in the study of SAE has been established. The literature also reveals a set of commonly held assumptions about SAE. A report of the research that affirms (or contradicts) those assumptions has been developed. Theory, Philosophy, Definitions and Assumptions Various philosophical and theoretical concepts have been reported to be the foundation of SAE. In addition, the concept of experiential learning as developed from Dewey (1938) and expanded by Joplin (1981) and KoIb (1984) provide the background for a definition that pertains to SAE. …