AEC 4323:
Development & Philosophy of Agricultural Education
Fall 2014
Instructor
Andrew C. Thoron, PhD
Assistant Professor
307C Rolfs Hall
352-294-1992
athoron@ufl.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00-4:30 pm
Time and Location
Mix mode of delivery
Course Description
An analysis of evolving concepts and philosophies of agricultural education programs with emphasis
upon history, legislation, and principles underlying organization and practice.
Course Objectives
At the completion of the course, the learner will be able to:
1. Describe the need for public school education in agriculture.
2. Explain the significance and relevance of the Code of Ethics and the Principles of Professional
Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida.
3. Describe the primary responsibilities of an agriscience teacher.
4. Communicate personal beliefs related to a philosophy of effective instruction.
5. Explain the philosophical foundations of education and agricultural education.
6. Explain the relationship between the historical development of Agricultural Education, social
and industrial needs addressed by Agricultural Education and the current status of Agricultural
Education.
7. Describe the impact of the three components of the Total Ag Ed program on student learning.
Required Texts (Available at the UF Bookstore or other approved vender)
Phipps, L. J., Osborne, E. W., Dyer, J. E., & Ball, A. L. (2008). Handbook on Agricultural Education in
Public Schools. Thomson Delmar Learning
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
One on one conference
Meet individually with Dr. Thoron to discuss personal goals and philosophy of agricultural education.
Teaching Philosophy Paper
Formalize your philosophy of teaching by writing a 2-3 page personal philosophy paper. The paper
will address your philosophy of what constitutes effective instruction, your beliefs about the value and
role of teaching, and your perspectives on the Code of Ethics and Principle of Personal Conduct of the
Education Profession in Florida.
Guest Speaker/Field Trip Reflection Paper
Develop a 5-6 page paper summarizing your key observations of the many guest speakers and field
trips included in this course. Identify how these related to class discussions and how you can implement
this information into your own agricultural education program.
Exams
AEC 4323
Course Syllabus · page 1
This exam will be an objective assessment of your knowledge and understanding of the content
discussed since the beginning of the course. Particular attention will be placed on items related to
historical and current legislation, organization, funding, and curriculum issues of agricultural education
and vocational education. A variety of question types will be utilized in this assessment.
This exam will follow an oral presentation format. Each student will meet individually with the course
instructor at an agreed upon time to complete this assessment. The exam will consist of two major
sections.
Section 1: Research to Practice
Each student will create a 3-4 minute media (video/web) presentation with accompanying 3-5
page paper synthesizing the ideas of 3-5 articles published in the Journal of Agricultural Education or the
Journal of Career and Technical Education. The focus of the presentation and paper should connect to an
idea/theme presented in an article from The Agricultural Education Magazine. The goal of this activity is
to translate the research findings in the articles into practice in the SBAE classroom. The research ideas
should be related to a teaching philosophy or idea that leads to a specific teaching practice.
Section 2: Oral questions
Each student will be asked a series of 3-5 questions regarding the application of ideas discussed
throughout the entire course. Students will also be asked to 1) recite from memory the advisor’s portion
of the FFA Opening Ceremony and 2) discuss how they might modify their teaching philosophy statement
submitted earlier in the course in light of new information/insight they received in the later portion of the
course.
Attendance and other assignments
Developing an understanding of the total Agricultural Education program requires active participation
by every member of the class. Student class attendance will be noted.
Percent of
Final Grade
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
One on one conference
5
Teaching Philosophy paper
15
Guest Speaker/Field Trip Reflection paper
25
Exams (20% each)
40
Attendance and other assignments
15
Grading Scale
A = 93-100%
A- = 90-92%
B+ = 86-89%
B = 83-85%
B- = 80-82%
C+ = 76-79%
C = 73-75%
C- = 70-72%
D+ = 66-69%
D = 63-65%
D- = 60-62%
E = below 60%
Note: This Web address references the UF grades and grading policies:
http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationgrades.html
Attendance and Make-up Exams and Assignments
To receive the maximum number of points for an assignment, it must be completed and submitted by the due
date. No work will be accepted six or more days after its original due date, unless other arrangements have been
made with the instructor.
Students who are absent from class for any reason will assume complete responsibility for obtaining information
missed during their absence and for making up missed assignments and activities. College approved field trips, and
competitive and leadership development events (with prior instructor approval) are considered legitimate absences
with documentation. Make-up work should be arranged prior to the expected absence. In case of emergencies,
arrangements for completing make-up exams or assignments should be made immediately upon return to class. All
make-up work must be completed within one week of the student’s return to class.
AEC 4323
Course Syllabus · page 2
Academic Honesty
In 1995 the UF student body enacted a new honor code and voluntarily committed itself to the highest standards of
honesty and integrity. When students enroll at the university, they commit themselves to the standard drafted and
enacted by students.
In adopting this honor code, the students of the University of Florida recognize that academic honesty and integrity
are fundamental values of the university community. Students who enroll at the university commit to holding
themselves and their peers to the high standard of honor required by the honor code. Any individual who becomes
aware of a violation of the honor code is bound by honor to take corrective action. The quality of a University of
Florida education is dependent upon community acceptance and enforcement of the honor code.
The Honor Pledge: We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves
and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
On all work submitted for credit by students at the university, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On
my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”
The university requires all members of its community to be honest in all endeavors. A fundamental principle is that
the whole process of learning and pursuit of knowledge is diminished by cheating, plagiarism and other acts of
academic dishonesty. In addition, every dishonest act in the academic environment affects other students adversely,
from the skewing of the grading curve to giving unfair advantage for honors or for professional or graduate school
admission. Therefore, the university will take severe action against dishonest students. Similarly, measures will be
taken against faculty, staff and administrators who practice dishonest or demeaning behavior.
Students should report any condition that facilitates dishonesty to the instructor, department chair, college dean or
Student Honor Court.
(Source: 2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog)
It is assumed all work will be completed independently unless the assignment is defined as a group project, in writing
by the instructor.
This policy will be vigorously upheld at all times in this course.
Software Use:
All faculty, staff and students of the university are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements
governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual
violator. Because such violations are also against university policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as
appropriate.
Campus Helping Resources
Students experiencing crises or personal problems that interfere with their general well-being are encouraged to
utilize the university’s counseling resources. Both the Counseling Center and Student Mental Health Services provide
confidential counseling services at no cost for currently enrolled students. Resources are available on campus for
students having personal problems or lacking clear career or academic goals, which interfere with their academic
performance. The Counseling Center is located at 301 Peabody Hall (next to Criser Hall). Student Mental Health
Services is located on the second floor of the Student Health Care Center in the Infirmary.
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University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, www.counsel.ufl.edu
Career Resource Center, CR-100 JWRU, 392-1601 ext: 0, www.crc.ufl.edu/
Student Mental Health Services, Rm. 245 Student Health Care Center, 392-1171,
www.shcc.ufl.edu/smhs/
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program (ASAP)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Center for Sexual Assault / Abuse Recovery & Education (CARE)
Eating Disorders Program
Employee Assistance Program
Suicide Prevention Program
Students with Disabilities
The Disability Resource Center coordinates the needed accommodations of students with disabilities. This includes
registering disabilities, recommending academic accommodations within the classroom, accessing special adaptive
computer equipment, providing interpretation services and mediating faculty-student disability related issues.
0001 Reid Hall, 392-8565, www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/
AEC 4323
Course Syllabus · page 3
Assessment System Tasks and Ratings
Key Tasks assess your mastery of knowledge, skills and dispositions that the State of Florida requires of all
entry-level educators. In this course, we will cover several Accomplished Practices. We will pay particular attention to
the Accomplished Practices and indicators of your mastery of those practices on the following table. Your mastery of
each indicator will be measured by your work on a Key Task. To pass this course you must successfully complete all
Key Tasks and receive a rating of “Met with Weakness” or higher. No exceptions will be made to this rule, even if you
do not plan to teach after graduation. Students who receive a “Not Met” rating will be offered a chance to redo the
Key Task or, in some cases, to complete a comparable task assigned by the instructor. Students who do not
complete their makeup work satisfactorily (with a” Met-with-Weakness” or higher rating) will receive either “an
incomplete” or “a failing grade” in the appropriate fill-in at the instructor’s discretion. Students who fail the course
must repeat it later.
AEC 3323 Course Calendar
Dates
Week 1
Week 2
Topics / Learning Experiences
What is Ag Ed?
You as a Teacher of Agriculture
One-on-one meetings
Teacher Certification in Florida & AEC-TCH
No class meeting – Labor Day
Reading/Notes
Chp. 1
www.fldoe.org/edcert
Week 3
Sept 19 M
Foundations of Effective Teaching
Effective Teaching Behaviors & Characteristics
Chp. 12
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Professional Growth and Developmen
Historical Events Impacting SBAE & FFA
What is Florida FFA?
Chp. 22
Chp. 2
www.flaffa.org
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Role of CDEs as a teaching tool
Florida FFA Foundation
Philosophy and History of SAE
SAE Group Visit
Communicating with Parents and Managing Time
Balancing Professional & Personal Life
Cooperative Extension Service
Connecting Research and Practice
Program visits
Exam
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
AEC 4323
Chp 13
Chp. 26
Chp. 28
Chp. 3
Course Syllabus · page 4