Research shows the perhaps only 50% of agricultural students have SAE programs. The traditional approaches to SAE may not be working well with the millennial students who are now taking agricultural classes. At NC State we are exploring a new approach to SAE. This new approach is called GALA – Guided Agricultural Learning Activities. GALA is intended to be an additional tool in the teacher’s SAE toolbox – it is not designed to do away with any of the already established approaches to SAE.
GALA consists of a series of interactive, on-line, activity-based learning modules that focus on different careers in agriculture. Students learn what professionals in various agricultural careers do on a daily basis, the type of education required, working conditions and salary. There are video demonstrations of agricultural workers performing specific skills and interviews with them. There is also technical content with which the students engage.
After learning about the career, the students then engage in a variety of hands-on learning activities related to that career. A typical GALA has 8-10 hands-on learning activities that progressively become more challenging. These activities are performed under the guidance of a teacher, parent or agricultural professional. The student is required to demonstrate mastery of the activity/skill through the development of an electronic portfolio with written and/or visual evidences. Upon successful completion of the GALA the student’s mentor checks off the completion of the GALA.
So that is the idea. However, there is much work yet to be done. Several NC State students have taken the GALA “idea” and created a potential prototype for the GALA modules. They were told generally about the idea but were not given specific guidelines or directions. We wanted to see what they would come up with. There is a good bit of variability in what has been produced. You are welcome to see what they have done to see if you might be able to use or modify what exists.
I recently retired from North Carolina State and have focused on completing other ongoing professional activities. My plan is to return to working on the GALA approach in the near future. After reviewing what the students have developed and gathering input from teachers, I plan to develop a model GALA module, develop a list of potential GALA modules, and then ask for teachers across the United States to volunteer to develop the GALA modules. They will then be posted on this website. So this is basically the beginning step. I will also be looking at finding a grant to support the development of the GALA modules.
If you have any thoughts, ideas, questions or want to help please contact me at ncsumoore@gmail.com. I can also be reached at 919-280-7047.
Gary Moore