Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to describe various types of school-based agricultural education (SBAE) programs and explain the process to develop a comprehensive agriscience course in a career pathway of a SBAE program. Current issues and challenges associated with curricular decision making are posed and curriculum is clearly defined. Strategies to develop a school instructional program plan, facility use calendar, and a curriculum map are presented as steps to build the scope and sequence and align content with the course objectives. The principles of the understanding by design curricular model are demonstrated in three stages (identify the desired results, determine acceptable evidence, plan learning experiences and instruction). The chapter concludes by identifying the components of a quality course syllabus to arrange relevant information to design a document that can be utilized to describe the course, communicate expectations, and outline guidelines for learner success.
TopIntroduction
Chapter 5 will identify and describe types of School-based Agricultural Education (SBAE) Programs while introducing the process to develop an agriscience course. Strategies will be presented to design curriculum and develop an effective course outline to provide a framework for a complete SBAE program. The objectives of this chapter are to 1.) explain SBAE programs and the course development process, 2.) examine strategies to develop an effective SBAE course outline, and 3.) develop a comprehensive course for a SBAE Program.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Understanding by Design (UbD): Curricular model developed by Wiggins and McTighe (2005) , encourages the curricular designer to begin with the end in mind.
Career Pathway: A focused area of study where students complete a sequence of coursework that aligns content and skills to industry certifications, and preparation for post-secondary college majors affiliated with careers in agriculture, food, and natural resource sectors.
Enduring Understandings: The concepts and information learners should retain deeply to later transfer and apply to situations as a result of what they know, understand and can do.
Facility Use Calendar: An inventory of facilities and resources accessible for program/course development over a predetermined time period.
Curriculum: Learning experiences that are planned in a sequence of units outlining the content and skills learners will be taught to attain educational goals in a specified area of study.
School Instructional Program Plan: Organization of the SBAE program to categorize the career pathway (s) into a sequence of courses. While the school instructional program plan is a valuable tool to assist with the development of each course in the career pathway sequence, the plan may also be used to design a marketing tool for the SBAE program.
Course Objective: Intended outcomes written to help guide instruction for what the students will learn in the course.
Syllabus: A contract and communication tool between the teacher, the student, and the parent.
Essential Question: An open-ended, provocative question that focuses instruction and helps elicit inquiry.
Curriculum Map: A document used to organize information about the content in a course to determine the basic flow and timeline of instruction.