A Project Funded by the National Science Foundation
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Developed at Michigan State University
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Developed at Michigan State University
What is FACTS?The Future of Agriculture Curriculum for Teaching Sustainability (or FACTS) is an educational research project at Michigan State University that is funded by the National Science Foundation. Through collaborations with teachers, researchers, and agriculturalists, the primary goal is to develop rigorous instruction and relevant curriculum for high school agricultural programs in order to increase the likelihood that students will adopt sustainable knowledge and practice in their own lives.
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Why Use FACTS?
It is research-based
FACTS is based on the most recent breakthroughs in educational research, particularly in regards to the development of scientific literacy, evidence-based reasoning, and explanatory models through three-dimensional science learning.
It is standards-based
FACTS is aligned to both the Next Generation Science Standards and the National Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Academic Standards. FACTS also fully utilizes the Three Circle Model of Agricultural Education in its design.
It is authentic
FACTS utilizes the Three Circle Model of Agricultural Education in order to take advantage of community-based learning opportunities such as job shadowing, entrepreneurship, service learning, and research.
It is teacher-tested
FACTS is being developed in collaboration with high school agriculture instructors, and their feedback and input is a central component of the design process. The lead author and researcher is also a former high school agriculture instructor with a decade of classroom teaching experience.
FACTS is based on the most recent breakthroughs in educational research, particularly in regards to the development of scientific literacy, evidence-based reasoning, and explanatory models through three-dimensional science learning.
It is standards-based
FACTS is aligned to both the Next Generation Science Standards and the National Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Academic Standards. FACTS also fully utilizes the Three Circle Model of Agricultural Education in its design.
It is authentic
FACTS utilizes the Three Circle Model of Agricultural Education in order to take advantage of community-based learning opportunities such as job shadowing, entrepreneurship, service learning, and research.
It is teacher-tested
FACTS is being developed in collaboration with high school agriculture instructors, and their feedback and input is a central component of the design process. The lead author and researcher is also a former high school agriculture instructor with a decade of classroom teaching experience.
Scientifically designed.
Real-world tested.
Real-world tested.
WHO IS DOING THIS?
The FACTS Curriculum and Instruction is being developed as part of a National Science Foundation-funded research project at Michigan State University. This project is being led by Craig Kohn, a Ph.D. student and former agricultural instructor. Secondary agricultural instructors throughout the United States are contributing feedback to help shape the curriculum. The research also involves qualitative interviews of farmers, ecologists, agricultural scientists, engineers, marketers, nutritionists, sociologists, and many others inside and outside of the agricultural industry in order to determine how we should be teaching the next generation of agriculturalists.
The ultimate goal is to ensure that we can produce as much food as possible for as many people as possible for as long as possible with minimal harm to ecosystems and maximum benefits to rural communities.
The ultimate goal is to ensure that we can produce as much food as possible for as many people as possible for as long as possible with minimal harm to ecosystems and maximum benefits to rural communities.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Grant No. DGE-1424871. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation