Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) provides authentic and relevant contexts for applying STEM concepts to solve real-world challenges. Land-grant institutions have expertise, mission-aligned values, and infrastructure to make local connections with K-12 teachers and students to support the integration of AFNR in STEM teaching. This…

Agricultural Education teacher licensure programs face a growing list of coursework needed to meet requirements with a shrinking number of credit hours available. A new course -- 'Greenhouse and Landscape Fundamentals for Educators' was developed at Purdue University with an Agricultural Education Teacher Licensure B.S. degree program. Data…

Digital games have been used in various disciplines to enhance students' learning interest and effectiveness through the gaming contexts. However, most of the digital educational games use multiple-choice questions to confirm students' learning status, implying the challenge of understanding the actual learning status of students. Also, the gaming…

The date palm occupies a special place in the Arab cultural heritage in general, and the Omani heritage in particular. The development of the agricultural sector and date palms cultivation depend mainly on the human factor represented by the farmlands with scientific skills and knowledge. This study explores Omani school students' knowledge,…

This investigation used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to examine the effects of using a simultaneous prompting procedure to teach four secondary students with mild intellectual disabilities the employment task of caring for plants in a greenhouse. The instructor also embedded photosynthesis science content as nontargeted information…

Student interest in plants is lacking. Therefore, we investigated potential drivers of situational interest in cultivated plants and interactions between different dimensions of interest, i.e. topic, context and learning activity. A total of 462 high school students (14-17 years of age) rated two sets of questionnaire items combining eight plants…

The environmental issues surrounding agrochemical products facing people today include serious health and ecological problems. Scientific literacy is necessary for students to understand scientific knowledge and get ready for the future world. Therefore, this action research aims to promote scientific literacy, in the area of plant growth by using…

This study was conducted in three parts. Parts one and two compared students at Fayetteville School (FHS), Drew Middle School (DMS), and Lincoln High School (LHS). FHS comprised the experimental group, whereas DMS and LHS served as the control group. FHS participated in a landscape project prior to this study that involved planting over 400 trees…

In 2005, The National Council for Agricultural Education (NCAE) unveiled The Long Range Goal for Agricultural Education also known as 10 x 15. According to NCAE, the primary goal of 10 x 15 was to create 10,000 new agricultural education programs by 2015 that focused on an integrated model of classroom and laboratory instruction, experiential…

At Montpelier High School (MHS) in Vermont, students are accustomed to making changes in their school and community. Over the last six years, MHS students have participated in the Annual Winooski River Cleanup Project, the construction of a solar-powered greenhouse that provides produce for the school's cafeteria, and a thriving composting program…

Biodiversity and the conservation of biodiversity have received increased attention during the last few decades and these topics have been implemented into many G7-12 science curricula. This work presents an exercise that may be used in middle and high school classrooms to help students better understand spatial aspects of biodiversity. The…

Teachers find themselves continually challenged to develop curricula, activities and strategies that satisfy evolving federal, state and district standards. The introduction of high-stakes testing and constantly changing reforms have brought about a significant shift in their responsibilities. With so much governmental focus on standards, teachers…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Each month, "American School & University" provides a mix of thought-provoking features, how-to-articles, industry reports, exclusive surveys, new sections, insightful columns, new product introductions and case histories to assist education officials in better performing their jobs. This June 2005 issue includes the following: "Raising the Bar"…

It is essential for students to think clearly about fundamental biological concepts. One of the benefits of writing is that it promotes and enhances thinking. If students can write clearly, they are thinking clearly. Writing helps to connect new knowledge with prior knowledge and promotes the construction of knowledge. Writing-to-learn activities…