Guest Blogger Series: Connecting Agriscience Fair to Inquiry Based Instruction

Editor's Note: This blog is part of a series of guest contributors from the National school-based agricultural education family.  Mrs. Gina R Neff is the Agricultural Education Instructor and FFA Advisor at Utica High School, in Utica, Ohio.  This is her 6th year of teaching, but her first year at Utica.  For the past 5 years, she taught at Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Ohio. She is a lead teacher for CASE and is certified in AFNR, ASA, ASP, and Natural Resources. Mrs. Neff is an active member in the Ohio Association of Agricultural Educators and the National Association of Agricultural Educators. She is currently serving a 3 year term as Treasurer for OAAE.  She is the 2013 and 2014 OAAE Outstanding Young Member Recipient, the 2013-2014 NAAE Region IV Outstanding Young Member and the 2015 Ohio ACTE Outstanding New Career andTechnical Educator.


Connecting Agriscience Fair to Inquiry Based Instruction.... thats a mouth full isn't it? But is is not as scary as it sounds!

Agriscience Fair projects have became one of my absolute, hand downs favorite projects in my ag ed teaching tool belt.  It's even more exciting now that I am in a new school that the science department wants to do a science fair of their own and my students and I have been asked to join in!!

When it comes to inquiry based instruction, it might be a little scary to your students.  The majority of my students are coming from classrooms where they are they are taught to memorize and then regurgitate that information.  And then forget it, never do anything with it! It is a HUGE disservice to these students and to their future careers.  So keep in mind, this project takes time and getting students use to inquiry can take a little time.  A great tool when it comes to inquiry is the essential features of classroom inquiry and their variations.  See below!

Essential Features of Classroom Inquiry and Their Variations

Less -------------------------------------Learner Self Direction--------------------------------------------More

More---------------------------- Direction from Teacher or Material-----------------------------------Less

FEATURE
1. Learner engages in scientifically oriented questions.	A. Learner engages in question provided by teacher, materials, or other source	B. Learner sharpens or clarifies question provided by teacher, materials, or other source	C. Learner selects among questions, poses new questions	D. Learner poses a question
2. Learner gives priority to evidence in responding to questions	A. Learner given data and told how to analyze	B. Learner given data and asked to analyze	C. Learner directed to collect certain data	D. Learner determines what constitutes evidence and collects it
3. Learner formulate explanations from evidence	A. Learner provided with evidence	B. Learner given possible ways to use evidence to formulate explanation	C. Learner guided in process of formulating explanations from evidence	D. Learner formulates explanation after summarizing evidence
4. Learner connects explanations to scientific knowledge	A. Learner given all connections	B. Learner given possible connections	C. Learner directed toward areas and sources of scientific knowledge	D. Learner independently examines other resources and forms links to explanations
5. Learner communicates and justifies explanations	A. Learner given steps and procedures for communication	B. Learner provided broad guidelines to use to sharpen communication	C. Learner coached in development of communication	D. Learner forms reasonable and logical argument to communicate explanations

Ideally, all teaching and learning is going to happen with learner self direction being more and direction from teacher or material being less.  It's not always possible in everyday classroom instruction (although it is a GREAT goal to figure out how to move at least one feature further down the essential features in each lesson).  However agriscience fair is going to get you in the D column every time!

Besides agriscience fair connecting to inquiry learning, it also does an amazing job of allowing student interest projects.  I know we all have a unit or subject that we love- but it might just bore our students to tears.  This is a great way to get that student to connect to a topic that they love. 

Another piece that I like about the agriscience fair is that it give the students the opportunity to connect a project in all 3 circles of the agricultural education model. They can complete the project in class for a grade, take it to an FFA sponsored science fair, and use it as their SAE.  In my old school, traditional SAE projects were hard to find, so agriscience fair became a great way for my students to have a project besides taking care of a pet or go beyond an exploratory project. 

Yet another thing I like- students have to talk to people about their project! Most cant seem to get away from their cell phone or how to speak to a person, so what better way to make them communicate then to get them talking about something they are interested in!

So- back to the inquiry piece of this- how can this connect?

As mentioned before, this can be put into the D column for each learner feature, but you do have to set it up right.

When starting an agriscience fair project, its important to allow your students time to free write/brainstorm.  I often ask my students, what is it you are interested in? What is something you have always wanted to know more about? How does this relate back to agriculture?  You will end up with quite the list of projects that may or may not be possible.  Be available to give them some feed back and some critiques to help them find a suitable project.  The first year that I started this project in the classroom, two of my students wanted to know: Which will be heavier: A dairy steer on feed or a dairy steer in the wild? We had a wonderful discussion on the problems a "wild" cow running around the county side could case and the students modified their project to being about rabbits raised on a pelleted diet vs. a "natural" diet.  The end result: 2 students who eventually went to compete on the National Level and place 7th with a silver rating.   

My students agriscience fair board/display that went to the National FFA Convention

To best make agriscience work in the classroom, I find it takes chunking the project into small pieces.  After all, you can eat an elephant, you just have to do it a bite at a time!

For my students, I find the best way to chunk it is to give them due dates and then check for a grade.  I also give them LOTS of feed back.  Sometimes my feed back is simply asking them multiple questions, but it's always meant to make them THINK about their project.  After all, that is the goal of inquiry, is to teach the kids how to think!  

So, overall don't be scared of inquiry! Agriscience fair is a great way to practice it in the classroom! 

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at gneff@uhs.laca.org.  Friend me on facebook or follow me on instragram- gneff85.