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Professional development participation by teachers facilitated student exposure to agriculture
Author(s) -
Lindsey Alexander J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
natural sciences education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2168-8281
DOI - 10.1002/nse2.20034
Subject(s) - agriculture , agricultural education , curriculum , professional development , perception , medical education , psychology , session (web analytics) , pedagogy , business , medicine , geography , archaeology , neuroscience , advertising
The use of modern technological advances to aid with agricultural production has led to many new career opportunities in the agricultural industry especially for those with strong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) training. However, limited exposure to agricultural content in middle and high school education may affect how many students enter the industry. Professional development sessions and post‐session surveys for teachers were designed to raise teacher awareness of careers in agriculture and current agricultural facts, quantify use of professional development materials in the classroom, and measure change in behavior of teachers and student perceptions in response to participation. Four professional development sessions were offered from 2017 to 2019 for teachers of grades 6–12. Sessions consisted of presentations, hands‐on activities, and reflection and discussion on topics related to technology in agriculture. Although direct knowledge of agricultural facts did not increase ( P = .2), teacher comfort in teaching about technology in agriculture and career opportunities did increase both in the short term and long term ( P < .02). Curriculum related to nitrogen cycling and soil properties were most widely used, and 90% of survey respondents reported positive changes in student perceptions of careers in agriculture. These results suggest the professional development sessions were effective at enabling teachers to teach on these subjects, and student perceptions were positively impacted from teachers participating in the sessions.