EAGR 4350/6350

Curriculum and Program Planning in Agricultural Education

 

Course Syllabus

Fall 2004
Mondays: 4:30 p.m. Ð 7:15 p.m.
307 Conner Hall

The Course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

Course Description: The course is designed to prepare individuals for teaching middle and high school agricultural education. Emphasis will be placed on curriculum management and program planning. Topics to be covered include program organization and content identification, preparation of instructional objectives, guidelines for the selection and development of instructional materials, adult education programs, classroom management, as well as FFA and SAE development. Please refer to the course calendar for a more complete list of topics.

Faculty Objectives: To teach students the means to developing effective agricultural curriculum, and planning a successful agriculture education program at the middle and/or high school level through a process of group interaction, lecture, field study, and presentations.

Student Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Construct curriculum for use in an Agriscience Program.
  2. Prepare and use performance-based objectives.
  3. Determine the needs of the community (needs assessment study).
  4. Design a curriculum that will be current and consistent with the needs of the community.
  5. Organize curriculum into a logical sequence of course work.
  6. Utilize the four components of the agriculture program in curriculum design.
  7. Design a program of study for the agriculture program.
  8. Design a competency-based budget.
  9. Plan and evaluate curriculum for adult programs.
  10. Implement a plan for professional development.
  11. Develop a program recruitment brochure, poster and/or video.

University Honor Code and Academic Honest Policy: All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty." Each student is responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. Further information is at: http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/academic_honesty/flowchart_honesty.htm,

Instructors:

Dr. Dennis W. Duncan
Office: 106 Four Towers Building
Telephone: 706.542.1204
Fax: 706.542.0262
E-mail: dwd@uga.edu

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 9:30 Ð 11:00 a.m. If I am out of the office see Melissa (542-8913) or Brandie (542-8935) to make an appointment.

Dr. Jason B. Peake
Office: 116 NESPAL Ð Tifton, GA
Telephone: 229.386.3085
Fax: 229.386.3158
E-mail: jpeake@tifton.uga.edu

Academic Support: Any student who feels that they may need an accommodation because of a disability (learning disability, attention deficit disorder, physical, etc.) please make an appointment to see me as soon as possible or contact the Office of Disability Services at 542-8719 or http://www.dissvcs.uga.edu/index.html

Required Text/Resources: Georgia Curriculum Resource & Reference CD; LPS Resource Guide (CD or Web) Available: http://aged.ces.uga.edu/, selected and assigned readings.

Suggested Texts: 2nd Edition Program Planning Guide for AgriScience and Technology Education by Jasper Lee [available at amazon.com]; Handbook on Agricultural Education in Public Schools by Phipps and Osborne [available at amazon.com]; and Curriculum Development in Vocational and Technical Education by Crunkilton and Finch

Course Assignments and Point Values:

Grades: 900-1000=A; 800-899=B; 700-799=C; 600-699=D; <600=F

Format: All assignments are to be (a) typed, (b) double-spaced, (c) one inch margins, (d) 12 point font, (e) emailed as an attachment, and (f) in Word. The Program Plan should also be computer generated (PPT, FRONTPAGE, WORD, etcÉ) and professionally done.

Attendance: You are required to attend all classes and participate in discussion. Ð 100 points

Reading assignments: Before many classes there will be reading assignments. You may be directed to the Internet to get a specific reading; the departmental library; the University library; or a class handout. Other times you will be asked to find a reading of your choosing within an assigned topic. Readings will be discussed in class, sometimes with a quiz, and will always be on the exams. READ THE READINGS!

Thinking papers: Pay attention to the course schedule and listen during class. There will be 4 one-two page thinking papers. In each paper, you will be expected to briefly (4-5 sentences) summarize the reading, the guest speakersÕ comments, or the field trip; summarize other points of view concerning the topic; and finally, summarize your thinking regarding the activity and you will apply it to your teaching program. Ð (4@50 points each)

Program Plan: The Program Plan is actually several assignments rolled into one. Parts of the Program Plan will be turned in at different points during the semester (See Appendix A and B). At the end of the semester, the entire Program Plan will be submitted as one document. Suggested changes made after the first submission of each section should be corrected.

Ð 300 points

Mid-term exam: Details later. Ð 200 points

Final exam: Details later. Ð 200 points

Make-up Policy: Students who miss class for any reason assume complete responsibility for all information missed. Students who miss class because of an officially approved absence are responsible for making up any missed assignments. Officially approved absences should be approved by the instructor prior to the absence (i.e. participating at the National FFA Convention). If an officially approved absence occurs on a date in which a course assignment is due, it is still the responsibility of the student to turn the assignment in on or before the assigned due date. Late assignments will be deducted 25% each day.

Appendix A - 4350 Course Calendar (Tentative)

Date

Topic(s)

Presenter(s)

8/23

Welcome, introductions, course syllabus (expectations and assignments); Changing Trends in Agricultural Education; The Local Agriscience Education Program; Types of Programs: Traditional, Agriscience, and UrbanÑ"How do they differ and how are they alike?" Where does one begin????

Dr. Duncan & Dr. Peake

8/30

Planning Agriscience Education; Community Snapshot; Curriculum Basics; Curriculum Structure and Components; Developing and Using a Course Calendar; Developing Courses, Units, and TopicsÉTHINKING PAPER 1 DUE

Dr. Duncan

9/6

Labor Day Holiday

---

9/13

Using the Curriculum Resource and Reference CD, v. 8 ITEMS 1-5 DUE

Dr. Frank Flanders

9/20

Adult Programs: Purposes, Structure, Benefits, How to Arrange, Recruiting Students, Conducting Classes, Using Area Teachers for Curriculum Development and AssistanceÉ

Dr. Teri Hamlin

9/27

Advisory Councils: Purposes, Selecting Members, Conducting Meetings, and Using Advice to Develop Curriculum. ITEM 6 DUE

Dr. Ray Herren, Mr. Shannon Lawrence

10/4

Mid-term = POW Assignment??

Dr. Duncan

10/11

Writing Instructional Objectives; Preparing Learning Experiences Based on Objectives (Planning Lessons); Evaluating Student LearningÉ; What do I do in the summer: professional development, leadership camp, WLC, continuing ed., SAE, etcÉ

THINKING PAPER 2 DUE

Dr. Duncan

Mr. James Woodard

10/18

Field Trip: Apalachee High School Agricultural Education Program

ITEM 7 DUE

Apalachee H.S. Agriculture Teacher

10/25

Where to Find Curriculum Materials and Other Teaching and Learning ResourcesÑStaying Up-to-DateÉ ITEMS 8 & 9 DUE

Dr. Frank Flanders

11/1

Classroom Organization and Management; Organizing and Storing Information, Data, and Resources; Coordinating Program ComponentsÉ ITEMS 10 & 11 DUE

Dr. Duncan and Dr. Peake

11/8

Field Trip: Morgan County High School Agricultural Education Program THINKING PAPER 3 DUE

Morgan County H.S. Agriculture Teacher

11/15

Classroom and Laboratory Management: Managing Student Behavior (Discipline), Maintaining Appropriate Student/Teacher Relationships, and Working with Diverse Student PopulationsÉ ITEM 12 DUE

Dr. Duncan

Agriculture Teacher Panel

11/22

Facilities Management: Planning and Designing, Organizing and Cleaning, and the Importance of Safety Procedures and Equipment; Selecting and Purchasing Equipment; Maintaining a Productive and Safe Ag Mech Laboratory

 

Mr. Von Peavy

11/29

Program recruitment Ð brochures; posters; videos; web sites; school open houses - THINKING PAPER 4 DUE

Dr. Dick Hudson

Dr. Peake

12/6

Total Program Plans are Due

  

12/13

Final Exam

  

Appendix B - Outline for the Program Plan

The program plan should contain the following components:

1. A Title Page that contains your name and the particular school for which the plan was developed. The school should be the one for which your community survey was developed and/or the school where you hope to student teach.

2. A Table of Contents that lists where the components of the plan are located.

3. Your Personal Philosophy for the Agriculture Program. Your philosophy should focus on what you believe about the nature of a comprehensive Agricultural Education Program. You should emphasize the four components of a program and how they work together to form a cohesive and comprehensive whole. Notes and resources from EAGR 4340/6340 and EAGR 4360/6360 should be helpful when developing your philosophy.

4. Department Objectives. This is a brief statement as to what is to be accomplished by the program. It should address the following questions: What is the purpose for the programÕs existence? How does the program add value to the career and life preparation of students? How does the program add value to the school as a whole? How does the program add value to the community at large?

5. Department Policies. What are the general policies governing the operation of your program? What is expected of the students? What is expected of the departmentÕs teacher(s)? What are the expectations for the studentsÕ parents? What are the expectations for other school personnel, including guidance counselors and administrators? What are the expectations for other program supporters, community patrons, etc? Classroom Policies? Lab policies? Facilities? Safety?

6. Outline of All Courses and Course Calendar. All courses or areas to be taught in one year or for four grades should be derived from the Curriculum Resource and Reference CD, v. 8 (July 2004) or the LifeKnowledge CD. This should be the equivalent of eight semester courses. Lesson plans from EAGR 4360/6360 that fit the curriculum outline should be included. This section should contain a list of the units that will be taught in a particular year. The time when each unit will be taught should also be listed. Important program-related events such as FFA activities (activities that directly relate to the one course you are scheduling) should be included in the calendar. Estimate the number of days you will be in the (1) classroom and (2) laboratory, and (3) miscellaneous days. Additionally, this section should also include all of the activities (Summer Calendar) that should be conducted in the summer. (professional development, SAE visits, etcÉ)

7. A plan for an Adult Program should be a part of the document.

8. FFA Development. How will FFA fit into the curriculum? This section should include all the FFA activities (FFA Calendar) for a calendar year. Your POA can be added or linked here as well.

9. SAE Development. What is your plan for making sure everyone has an SAE? What type of SAE will or should your students be involved in? You should include a schedule for visitations.

10. Recruitment Plan. This section should detail the steps that will be taken to make sure your agriscience program has quality and quantity of students.

11. Professional Development Plan. Outline how you continually make yourself a better agriculture teacher.

12. Facilities Plan Ð Draw a facilities plan.

13. Reflection Ð The last piece of the Program Plan is a written representation of your thoughts, concerning the value of the program plan. Be sure to think about how this plan will help you as an agricultural education teacher (one Ð two page maximum).

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