Experiential Learning through Agriculture (SAE) Lesson 3.1 Experiential Learning through Agriculture (SAE)

Lesson Outcomes Explain the importance of learning through experience Compare and contrast the four main types of Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE) Develop a plan for a personal SAE, including evaluation of interests and resources SpeedKingz/Shutterstock.com

Lesson Outcomes Set both short-term and long-term goals for your SAE Apply proper recordkeeping skills related to an SAE program SpeedKingz/Shutterstock.com

Agricultural Education Agricultural education classes provide many opportunities for you to learn through experience. Review the three components of agricultural education.

Classroom and Laboratory There are many different agriculture classes from which to choose Ask students to list agricultural classes that use labs and/or shops or other hands-on facilities. Facilities used for hands-on activities in agricultural classes include greenhouses, gardens, animal labs, agricultural mechanics facilities, school farm plots, woodworking shops, food science facilities (kitchens, processing areas, testing labs). Courtesy of Jason McKibben

FFA Activities Allow you to learn concepts in class and apply them through leadership development and career development events The National FFA Organization is an intracurricular part of an agricultural education program Facilitate discussion on chapter membership and participation. Are you an FFA member?

Agricultural Education Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) are personalized experiential learning programs made up of projects tailored to meet your needs and interests wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com

Supervised Agricultural Experiences The main differences between SAE types is the nature of resources invested and the outcome of the project. All SAE types require records of the experiences and resources to be kept.

SAE Interests Choosing your SAE allows you to choose what you want to learn about, and your personal interests come into play skyfish/Shutterstock.com MJTH/Shutterstock.com CREATISTA/Shutterstock.com

SAE Categories Animal Agribusiness Biotechnology Environmental service Food products and processing Leadership, education, and communication Natural resources Plant Power, structural, and technical Refer to textbook Figure 3-9 (page 105) for a detailed chart. The figure is also used in an interactive activity on the G-W Learning Companion Website.

SAE Resources Three main considerations that should be taken into account Time Money Equipment Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com

Selecting Your SAE Select an SAE that interests you and fits into your schedule and financial situation Commit yourself to learn new skills so your SAE will be successful Refer students to the SAE decision tree on textbook page 109 (Figure 3-14). yuris/Shutterstock.com

Setting SAE Goals Short-term goals are goals that you plan to accomplish in the immediate future Long-term goals are goals that may take several years to accomplish The same goal may be a short-term goal for one person and a long-term goal for another. For example, someone who has been showing livestock for many years may have a short-term goal of exhibiting a grand champion at the county fair. For someone who is new to showing livestock, the same goal would be a long-term goal. CREATISTA/Shutterstock.com

SAE Awards and Recognition Proficiency awards School science fair National Agriscience Fair Proficiency awards are given on the local, state and national level for student SAE projects that have shown growth and development of skills related to success in the SAE area.

SAE Recordkeeping The records you keep depend largely on the type(s) of your SAE enterprises Exploratory: experiences and skills learned Research: research methods, results, and conclusions Placement: time spent working (paid and unpaid) Entrepreneurship: what has been done with the enterprise, skills you have gained, inventory, income, and expenses

SAE Recordkeeping Journaling experiences Keep an accurate journal of time spent and experiences you have had with each enterprise Your record book should explain the what, how, and why

SAE Recordkeeping Recording finances You may need to record many financial transactions or none at all Rrraum/Shutterstock.com

SAE Recordkeeping Methods for Recordkeeping Records may be kept in a written or electronic journal The most prominent electronic recordkeeping solution for SAEs is the Agricultural Experience Tracker, or AET Explain to the class the type of record system they will be using.