Preparing Students for a Successful Future: Experiential Learning and the 21st Century Student

Multiple times each day I get the question, "Miss Swinehart, are we doing something today? " Initially, I was frustrated by the exchange; however, I have come to find out my students equate doing something other than an interactive, hands-on activity with doing "noth- ing" during my class. I have learned my students thrive on learning ex- periences when they are able to use their hands in conjunction with their knowledge to master a concept. When selecting classes for next year, students specifically select lab and hands-on activity courses. Consider- ing the current changes in curriculum and the modern education emphasis on critical thinking and inquiry-based learning, shouldn't agricultural edu- cation be celebrating the fact that we have been practicing this in our class- rooms and programs for years? Suggestions from LiteratureMany pieces of literature over the years (Bloom, 1974; Carroll, 1989; Darling-Hammond & Falk, 1997; Glaser, 1963) have recom- mended this pedagogy for improv- ing student achievement and the teaching and learning exercised in many agricultural education class- rooms. Swinehart (2013) found that the strongest reason students enrolled in agricultural education courses initially was the opportunity for ex- periential learning. Roberts & Ball (2009) suggested that educators can use this experiential learning to teach more than just agricultural les- sons; the lessons could expand into teaching our students various life lessons. Cano (2005) stated that the field of experiential learning is vast and includes many different types of learning activities, assessments, and ways for the students to develop their knowledge. "Problem based learn- ing, which has been embraced in the career and technical education field, is also directly related to experiential learning" (Clark, Threeton & Ewing, 2010). Application to the Agricultural Ed- ucation ModelExperiential learning can easily be infused into your plans, regard- less of the part of the agricultural education model that you are hop- ing to address. Here are some sug- gestions and success stories from infusing experiential learning into the classroom, SAE, and FFA activi- ties. Students today are used to being entertained, so finding ways to help them enjoy school is becoming more difficult. However, if you are creative enough and willing to think "outside the box," engaging students is not a problem.Hands-on Labs in ClassroomsMy students especially enjoy doing hands-on labs. They love to bring the information from their notes to life. I am CASE certified in the AFNR course, and I am excited to be participating the Food Science and Safety course in 2014. I am add- ing the second CASE course at my students' request. They want to do more activities like this. My students enjoy seeing the real-life example of the information, they like being able to question the activity, and the entire time they are using critical thinking skills. I have been impressed with the outcome of using CASE in my classroom. Additionally, I have uti- lized similar labs and activities in my classroom, and the students are always surprised when the bell rings and they look forward to the next ac- tivity. Jeremy Ryan, instructor at West Muskingum High School in Zanes- ville, Ohio involves his students in a multitude of hands-on activities. He states that he utilizes Lab-Aids activi- ties at times to bring concepts to life for students. Additionally, Jeremy ex- panded on another hands-on, real-life activity students participate in during his greenhouse and nursery manage- ment course. "The students run a business within the class. They hold job inter- views within the company, and 2-3 days per week the kids are in charge of running the business in our green- house. The students create a business plan, play in the different roles within the business, and experience all the highs and lows of being in an entre- preneur. "Hands-on activities within the classroom require students to connect information happening in the activity to the prior knowledge obtained from their notes. …