AgConnect: Connecting Agriculture with Science in the Classroom
Teaching & Educational Technologies
Lindsey Ruhl
Agronomy Research Professional
University of Vermont Extension
St. Albans
Abstract
The What: AgConnect is a free, teacher-controlled platform with an agricultural focus that guides students through lab and field-based experimental design and the scientific method. It brings agriculture into the classroom with student-driven experimental design and implementation. AgConnect helps connect science to everyday life.
AgConnect, along with its free accompanying curriculum, 360° farm photo tours, and virtual farm water quality and soil health games prepares 21st-century students for climate-smart solutions for agriculture. AgConnect engages students through inquiry-based learning using new technology that makes science relevant to their lives by connecting the food they eat to the landscape they live in. Learn more at the Resources for Educators webpage of the University of Vermont Extension’s Northwest Crops and Soils Program: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/nwcrops/resources-educators.
The Who: For educators interested in incorporating an engaging and interactive curriculum that teaches middle and high school students how to use scientifically informed approaches to improve agricultural productivity and protect the environment.
The How: In this workshop, learn how to integrate AgConnect into your classroom activities and where to access the suite of learning materials. It is strongly encouraged that attendees bring a laptop to fully engage.
The Why: Agricultural literacy is low in the United States. A meta study of two decades of agricultural literacy research found that teachers and students were “found to be agriculturally illiterate.” This outcome reflects an American public that is losing its connection to agriculture. Less than a century ago, in 1935, when employment in agriculture was highest, one out of every 25 people was employed in agriculture. Now that number is less than one in 100. The meta study also found a growing demand for agricultural workers in the private and public sectors, yet graduation rates in these fields indicate that only 61% of these positions will be filled. For high school-aged children, science scores have remained stagnant, and 40% of high school seniors had a ‘below basic’ understanding of science. Increasing scientific understanding through agricultural literacy can fulfill school learning standards and help meet public and private sector goals.
Authors: Lindsey Ruhl
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Lindsey Ruhl Agronomy Research Specialist, University of Vermont Extension, Vermont, 05478-1866