The Art and Science of Teaching Agriculture: Four Keys to Dynamic Learning is a 240-page methods of teaching book. Specifically, it is a collection of thoughts, best practices, strategies, and techniques for planning, delivering, and assessing teaching and learning. This resource is assembled from among the best teaching professors in agricultural communication, education, and leadership in America. The authors offer the opportunity to build confidence in planning, delivering, and assessing the depths of the variables inherent in learning for secondary and postsecondary educators in both formal and nonformal educational environments.

You will quickly grasp the four fundamental keys of solid, basic, time-tested formal and nonformal teaching: Laying the Foundation, Connecting with Students, Designing Instruction, and Applying Learning. These keys are shared with you through the unique voices of the authors to provide a multiperspective approach to teaching.

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How to access this book
The main landing page for this book is https://doi.org/10.21061/teachagriculture.
The open textbook is freely available online in multiple formats, including: PDF, ePub, and Pressbooks (https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/teachagriculture)
A paperback print version (in color) is available for order here: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Teaching-Agriculture-Learning/dp/1957213663.

ISBNs
ISBN (PDF): 978-1-957213-71-2
ISBN (Pressbooks): 978-1-957213-72-9
ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-957213-70-5
ISBN (print): 978-1-957213-66-8

Table of contents
The Discipline of Agricultural Education
Psychology of Learning
Principles of Teaching and Learning
Learning as Problem Solving
Inclusive Teaching
Dynamics of Teaching
Planning for Effective Instruction
Delivering Content With Technology
Assessing Agricultural Education
Applied Leadership Development through FFA
Supervised Agricultural Experiences
Effective Use of the Agriculture Laboratory Environment to Support Student Learning

Suggested citation
Whittington, M. Susie, Rick Rudd, and Jack Elliot, ed. (2023). The Art and Science of Teaching Agriculture: Four Keys to Dynamic Learning. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. https://doi.org/10.21061/teachagriculture. Licensed with CC BY NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en).

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Accessibility
Virginia Tech is committed to making its publications accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Open Education Initiative is committed to continuous improvement regarding accessibility. The text, images, headings, and links in the PDF and HTML versions of this text are tagged structurally and include alternative text, which allows for machine readability. Please contact openeducation@vt.edu if you are a person with a disability and have suggestions to make this book more accessible.

Illustration and cover design: Kindred Grey

Photography can do something that text on its own often cannot – draw the learner in and evoke curiosity about deeper meaning. When connected to storytelling, photographs can release an emotional response, which educators can harness to help students remember content. I whole-heartedly believe images created through the means of photography can be useful for teaching concepts in psychology or management fields that are new to students or tend to be difficult for them to grasp. Furthermore, photos may be especially helpful to demonstrate the meaning and subjective nature of individuals’ experiences as related to these fields due to the emotions they often evoke.

I hope this collection of photographs will serve as a teaching aid for educators and source of learning for students. I thoroughly enjoyed taking all the photos, editing them, writing compelling stories for each, and designing the book. I particularly believe that visual arts such as photography can help students of varying abilities, prior experiences, and backgrounds learn psychological content a bit more easily than traditional text-heavy books and therefore it was a worthwhile endeavor. I expect the book to push students to explore how various fields can meaningfully be integrated to understand the world around us. This book is an example of how visual arts and the sciences can be paired together to break down some of the illusory silos students often perceive between disciplines. As we go about our days, we understand our experiences in numerous ways including what we notice around us beyond written word. Our environment can illuminate understanding if we let it. Let’s help our students do this purposefully through photography.

NOTE: The images in this text are extremely high-quality. As a result, it may take some time to download and open the file.

Short Description:
This is an open educational resource (OER) co-created by students in undergraduate History and Systems of Psychology courses. Each chapter focuses on the life and contributions of a marginalized pioneering psychologist. [Image Attribution: Penn State Special Collection, https://goo.gl/WP7Dgc, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, https://goo.gl/Toc0ZF]

Long Description:
Understanding the history of a discipline requires looking at prominent figures and events that contributed to the growth of the discipline. Yet historical accounts are prone to including what those writing the accounts believe is most important to know. Within the discipline of psychology, women and people of color are noticeably absent from historical accounts, particularly those in traditional textbooks (Cramblet Alvarez et al., 2020).

This collection of chapters features the lives and contributions of pioneering women and psychologists of color–including their general biographies, important achievements, the historical context surrounding their work, and the historical impact their work has left on the field of psychology.

Each chapter was written by students in sections of History and Systems of Psychology courses at the University of North Dakota and the University of Nevada Reno, under the direction of their course instructors, Dr. Alison Kelly (UND) and Dr. Brittany Avila (UNR). Students worked in teams through multiple drafts of their chapters throughout the semester and were able to choose to publish their work as part of this compilation.

Word Count: 59343

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Are you able to use empathy to relate to others? Do you engage with others in a compassionate way? How do you feel about interacting with others in your personal life and in workplace settings? Learn more about compassionate collaboration and how to prioritize meaningful connection in your personal and professional life. Join us in Compassionate Collaboration.

Footage: Pexels.com

Word Count: 139697

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Part of a mini-series on stress, this short video includes various important aspects of stress including physiological, mental, familial and developmental Some mention of coping skills and burnout present. More videos to come soon.

How can you impact your community? How can you impact the world as a whole? Small actions can make a huge difference. Footage: pexels.com

Social cues are noticeable aspects of any given social situation. This could include body language or verbal cues of another individual, or even the location.

Footage: pexels.com

Self-awareness is a meaningful process for individuals that can help understand their own feelings, values, and thoughts. By understanding and regulating feelings, an individual is able to influence their own behavior and interactions with others.
Footage: pexels.com

Congratulations on completing this course! Continue practicing your skills to become a leader.Footage: pexels.com

Exploring Development from the End to the Beginning

Word Count: 24143

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

This textbook introduces students to the fundamental principles of what it is like to think like a psychology researcher in the contemporary world of psychology research.

Short Description:
Common Client Issues in Counselling: An Australian Perspective focuses on common mental health issues, such as grief and loss, anxiety, and depression, experienced by clients presenting for counselling. The focus throughout is on providing an Australian perspective, highlighting contemporary understandings, as well as suggesting practical and integrative responses to each common issue. All of the authors, reviewers, and editors work within Australian counselling settings, including private practice, not for profit organisations and academic contexts. By drawing on the authors’ extensive experience, and using a contextual rather than diagnostic approach, each chapter is brought to life with valuable insights and suggestions.

Word Count: 109287

ISBN: 978-0-6456796-0-1

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Edited by Catherine N. Hall

Short Description:
An open access textbook designed primarily for use by first and second year undergraduate students of British Psychological Society accredited Psychology degree courses in the UK.

Word Count: 124160

ISBN: 9781739214807

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)