Finding Ag-STEM in the Real World - Connecting to Community Resources
2015; Agricultural Education Magazine; Volume: 87; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0732-4677
Autores Tópico(s)Diverse Educational Innovations Studies
ResumoAs professionals work to re-emphasize the connections among agriculture and the foundational STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines, we don't want to overlook the vast learning resources that exist outside the traditional classroom. In the United States, the amount of time spent learning STEM in a formal school setting is a tiny fraction of our overall waking hours; the school year lasts only nine months, each of those months there are at least eight weekend days, and even on school days, the hours we spend in school and especially on science are limited (Falk & Dierking, 2010). We also know that students learn STEM more readily when the concepts are integrated with their everyday experiences.The resources to which I refer may be called non-formal, informal, out-of-school, lifelong, or freechoice learning resources, depending on your position in education (Stofer, 2015). Whatever they are called, thinking broadly about the ways we can make use of opportunities in our surrounding communities will contribute to our overall goals of truly connected Ag-STEM. Many of these resources may not explicitly sell themselves as Ag-STEM, but if we look at them creatively and with new perspectives, it is easy to see how they can complement our formal curricula. And while funding for field trips may be limited, suggesting your students visit with their families or friends for extra credit or even for a homework assignment can accomplish similar purposes of getting them out into the real world and making those connections.If you are searching for these resources, one starting point is your local tourism board or visitor and convention bureau. These groups compile resources for people who are visiting or new to town and aim to showcase all the area has to offer. As a result, their listings are diverse and comprise a number of sectors including fine arts or entertainment, which neither STEM nor agricultural educators may normally consider as prospective learning opportunities for their disciplines. However, just as there are several movies and documentaries about science that you could relate to agriculture, there could also be theatrical performances or art shows that relate as well.Tourism and visitor bureaus or chambers of commerce will also list other partners, such as sports leagues, that may offer other ideas such as lists of athletic facilities, events, fields, parks, and equipment like rock climbing walls that can be used to demonstrate physics or mathematics or engineering. Touring a baseball stadium with natural grass, for example, can lead to discussions about care and maintenance and even the requirements for grasses based on the physics of the game. Other listings may include events such as speaking engagements or farmer's markets which could be related to your Ag-STEM curricula. Last year, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, was a featured speaker at the performing arts center for the University of Florida. Festivals, fairs, and markets such as farmers markets could even just be a place to get your students outside and themselves thinking beyond the walls of the classroom.Visitor bureaus also may not be aware of or think about what educators may view as a learning situation, so their lists may only be a starting point. One major resource that tourism boards may not consider is Extension. Extension is a partnership among universities and state and federal governments bringing research results to your life (Extension, 2015). Your local county Extension events may not make it to the tourism board listings, yet they are obvious sources of Ag-STEM learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom. Extension may offer canning classes, where pressure and temperature and food safety are covered; gardening classes involving plants, insects, and chemistry of pesticides and herbicides; or green cleaning, talking about water systems, land use, chemistry, and the environment, to name just a few. …
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