Filling the Third Circle with Interdisciplinary Lesson Planning: A Case Study of Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

The three-circle model of agricultural education focuses on the importance of in-class instruction, supervised agricultural experiences, and FFA involvement. The agricultural communications career pathway is available to students through agricultural communications supervised agricultural experiences (SAE) programs and career development events within FFA. However, specific curriculum that teaches agricultural communications in the classroom is not readily available. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the interdisciplinary lesson planning and integration process of pre-service teachers with focus on opportunities and limitations to teaching communication in the agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) curriculum. In this case study, four pre-service teachers worked with agricultural communications faculty to develop communication curricula and lesson plans to be incorporated into high school AFNR classrooms. These pre-service teachers developed interdisciplinary lessons prior to student teaching and, when appropriate, used these lessons in their classrooms. While current research regarding teaching science in the AFNR curriculum is ongoing, the literature is silent regarding teaching social sciences such as communication in the AFNR curriculum. These pre-service teachers want more opportunities to develop interdisciplinary lessons. They believe teaching communication skills while tying them to the content area can improve student knowledge, retention, and engagement in the learning process while exposing them to the agricultural communications career pathway.