The Value of Teacher Participation in a Professional Learning Community to Improve the Relevance of Supervised Agriculture Experience

Abstract

There is a significant need for young people to advance their education and prepare for science, engineering, math, and technology careers in agriculture. The Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) is a requirement of all high school students enrolled in agriculture education courses in Connecticut. SAE bridges the knowledge and skills developed in the agriscience classroom to career application. Successful SAE projects must extend beyond the traditional production agriculture and placement projects to secure student interest in agriculture careers. In 2015, the National Council for Agriculture Education identified the need to make SAE project-based learning more relevant and contemporary. It expanded the type of project and experience that qualified as an SAE project. Teachers cited a lack of time, resources, and familiarity with the newer SAE model, as factors that interfere with SAE facilitation. Previous research concluded that Professional Learning Communities (PLC) that engaged teachers in the change process were effective in school improvement. This research study identified the impact of agriscience teacher involvement in Professional Learning Communities on student engagement in SAE. Teachers participated in eleven PLC meetings to review data and develop instructional materials and strategies to engage all students in considering the value of SAE. This study reviewed changes in students' perception of SAE and hours logged into the online computer data system, the Agriculture Experience Tracker (AET), and found that students were more likely to value their SAE, cite specific soft skills developed through their SAE, and log 150 hours into AET after completing the instructional activities created by the PLC. Teachers reported that the PLC provided time to review data, collaborate and develop instructional materials that made SAE more relevant and valuable for all students.