In my opinion, engaging instruction is the most important component to an agriculture program's curriculum. Without this element, students are less likely to be engaged, cause more classroom management difficulties, and fail to learn at a deep level.
One of the most effective ways to make engaging curriculum is to use problem solving approaches. They are as follows:
Forked Road: This is where there is only two options, left or right, yes or no.
For example: Should we cull a cow: yes or no?
Possibilities Factors: This is where there are multiple solutions that can be right. There is no one concrete answer.
For example: Which outfit do I want to wear tomorrow to class?
Situation to be improved: A problem set in this context is asking how to improve something to be better or more favorable.
For example: How can beef producers increase average daily gain?
Cause-Effect: This is where analysis of a situation occurs to see what happened after some stimulus.
For example: Why did the cow get sick and die?
Each problem solving approach poses a new and exciting way to learn for students. These techniques allow students to feel that they are taking control of their learning, that they are solving important problems, and (most importantly) they are enjoying learning and developing life-long-learning skills.
Take a look at the infographic I created below to example each separate approach.
