3. ANÁLISIS Y DISCUSIÓN DE RESULTADOS
3.2 De los docentes
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they have used the ability being taught. It is not enough to teach about some job in class. Information may not carry ever from the classroom to the farm or agriculturally-oriented business. Classroom instruction must be based on agricultural activities, and what is learned in class should be used in performing these activities. Learning-by-doing is closely related to use and readiness.
The successful development of an effective programme of agricultural education is facilitated by the use of advisory council and committees and by the development of written policies. The following steps are carried out in developing course contents for young and adult farmers having considered the principles of teaching and general principles of developing a programme of agriculture. A course plan is a detailed presentation of the overall programme of the department, and its development should be based on the general principles of effective instruction.
Agricultural subject matter for production agricultural occupations and for off-farm agricultural occupations maybe divided into four levels.
They are: operational; skilled; technical and professional. Most occupations have workers at all four levels. For example, at the operational level a worker could operate a machine. At the skilled level the worker would be able to operate and repair the machine. At the technical level the worker could build the machine, and at the professional level the worker would design the machine.
Proper Content Essential: It is very important in developing the content of a course to make sure that it contains activities which provide for learning-by-doing. According to Phipps (1963), the success or failure of young and adult farmer course is largely dependent on the course content and the teaching procedures used by the instructors. Provision must be
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made in a course for the development of essential abilities, skills, attitudes and understandings pertaining to the immediate problems common to the farmers.
Teacher Plans: Planning done prior to the first meeting of a course is of value in getting a course off to a good start. The following procedure is suggested:
- Review the local situation through surveys, the immediate problems of the enrollees.
- List the abilities you hope enrollees will develop.
- Consider the facilities available for developing needed abilities.
- Decide on the objectives of the course-that is, what you hope to accomplish; and decide on how you propose to achieve the objectives.
- Consider the qualifications and abilities of the special instructor if one is to be used.
- List the activities or problems you propose to include in the course.
- Review these activities with the advisory committee for the course and make any revisions that are necessary.
- Use the proposed outline as a guide in developing the course content with the enrollees at the first meeting.
Selecting Course Problem Areas:
At the first meeting of a course, the instructor should discuss and formulate with the enrollees the objectives of the course. The farmers should then be given an opportunity to suggest the problem areas and activities they think should be included in the course. These activities
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may be listed on the chalk board by the instructor. The instructor and the group should then review this list, keeping the following in mind:
- The specific needs of the farmers enrolled.
- The facilities available.
- The availabilities of essential experimental data.
- The activities which will provide for the development of needed abilities.
After these problem areas and activities have been carefully evaluated in terms of need and after the feasibility of including them in the course has been discussed, selection of problem areas and activities may be made. These may then be listed on the chalk board by the instructor approximately in the order in which they will be discussed in the course, considering the seasonal sequence of each problem areas activities which are closely related should be taken up consecutively in order to bring out interrelated associated information.
4.0 Conclusion:
It is true that adults geometrically age out of farming business. It is equally true that youths are better nurtured to replace these going farmers by introducing and integrating interested courses through effective development of course contents. Exposure of both youth and adult farmers to the seven programmes in agriculture equips them with saleable skills and knowledge for better productivity of sustenance of agricultural produce and products for the rural poor and growth of our economy.