Growing Young Minds

Many agricultural educators continue to develop new and innovative methods to reach 21st century students. However, if every student routinely expects information to be downloaded, updated, and delivered with startling speed across the globe - what can our curriculum do to compete? Granted, instant and unlimited access to information worldwide is a hard act to follow. We in agricultural education still have powerful ways to encourage students to invest in their own education. The question close to our hearts is: Can agricultural education apply the time-tested model of by doing to other learning settings? Colleagues in our College and state took on this challenge in 2010. GROW Program In the spring of 2010, Tarleton State University's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (Stephenville, Texas) partnered with Erath County's Solutions Toward Addiction Recovery Council (STAR) to create a communitybased, after-school program for at-risk youth. STAR is located in Stephenville, Texas and focuses on providing services to individuals afflicted by problems related to substance abuse. Target audiences include adolescents, pregnant or postpartum women, and driving offenders (DUI/DWI). The after-school program utilized work-based agriculture involvement to address serious unmet needs of members of our communities. The Getting Ready for Our World program (GROW) received permission to utilize Tarleton State University's Horticulture Center; complete with a traditional classroom and access to a propagation greenhouse, a tool shed, and a 40 ? 50 foot plot of earth freshly tilled by the local Erath Antique Tractor Club. GROW's curriculum was designed to use garden-based activities to provide, complement, and supplement education touching on healthy nutrition, human life processes, horticulture, shop basics, community involvement, and the role of agriculture in the students' lives. The program was successfully implemented for three months; closing when Stephenville ISD released for summer vacation. Factors for Success The GROW program received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students, parents, the students' counselors, and parole officers. When determining why the program received positive feedback, many indicated that GROW offered a rich learning environment which encouraged students to engage in their own education. GROW implemented three important curriculum components: immersion, integration, and product. The program intentionally promoted students' engagement. Snapshot of GROW Activities Every afternoon the GROW program began with a gathering of students and staff in the to weed and perform minor maintenance. Instructing the students to meet in the the moment they walked onto the premises provided opportunities for students to readily engage their senses, muscles, and thinking energy in the program. Students were encouraged to use garden time to (a) expend pentup energy; (b) air complaints about school, family or friends; and (c) focus on the program. The full attention and commitment of the students at the onset of each session enabled a successful transition from arrival to the delivery of the content lessons in the afternoon. Lessons usually incorporated images of insects and plants; instructional materials such as notepads and worksheets, and puzzles; and active facilitation by instructors of students' questions, responses and brainstorming. The physical setting varied from: (a) classroom, (b) construction area, or (c) laboratory area, according to the skill or subject discussed for the day. Immediately following the lesson the students had the opportunity to immediately apply what they learned to an activity. Often, the activity provided an endproduct from their work. Anticipation of learning about, and then creating, a product related to agriculture increased motivation. GROW maintained student involvement with the natural environment mentally and physically; and thorough use of educational materials and construction tasks. …