It's Not Rocket Science. It's Better!

THEME ARTICLE First of all, for those that may discredit my comments because of my current job title, let me reassure you that less than two years ago I was still a valuable member of society... I was a classroom agriculture teacher. Seriously, working at the department of education has helped intensify some of the beliefs I have developed after 14 years of working to build a strong, comprehensive, high school agricultural education program. (If you continue to read you may also be corrupted my beliefs.) Why Integrate Science? I distinctly remember a discussion with my high school principal in 1993. He had observed that several of the students who were failing high school biology were doing quite well in agriculture classes. He then inquired if I had ever considered utilizing my biology endorsement to create a class to help these students succeed in science. One year later, I started teaching an Applied Biology course. In addition to teaching my traditional sophomore Ag 2 class, I taught an additional period ofApplied Biology to the same group of students. The Applied Biology course fulfilled their high school biology requirement and enhanced my Ag 2 curriculum. The relationship between the animal science content of my Ag 2 course and the Applied Biology curriculum was amazing. By coordinating the instructional units I could mesh the teaching of scientific theory with the application. It was a perfect fit. I enjoyed watching as students became more interested in science and developed a better understanding of the agricultural applications. During my 14 years as a classroom teacher and 2 years as a state supervisor of agricultural education, I have developed some definite opinions about the integration of science. I will outline my opinions based on the following perspectives: 1. The parent perspective; 2. The business and industry perspective; 3. The school administrator perspective; and The instructor perspective. The Parent Perspective A common parental concern is that career and technical education programs will limit their student's opportunity to go to college. Parents want their children to be prepared for a broad range of opportunities, and to succeed in college. Altering my curriculum to include more science gave the program more credibility. The contextual learning approach offered in agricultural education provided the opportunity to take students to a higher level of understanding, and activities like DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, and conjugative plasmid transfer generated a new appreciation for the challenging curriculum of the agricultural education program. The Business & Industry Perspective Human resource managers from business and industry speak about the importance of developing employees with a strong grasp of science, math, and communication skills. From their perspective, employees with a comprehensive knowledge of science are best suited to grow and adapt within a rapidly changing workplace. They want employees with the raw skills to adapt and thrive as they transition through different careers. The Administrator Perspective Standardized scores are consid ered an indicator of success and are highly visible to the public. Many school administrators want programs to develop students who can perform well on standardized tests. Some estimates show that 80% of the future jobs will require postsecondary education; the old vocational education model of preparing students for entry-level jobs upon graduation is out-of-date. The Instructor Perspective But I just want to teach ag! …