AEE 501 Foundations of Agricultural and Extension Education
 
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 Principles of Agricultural and Extension Education
Introduction: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand." Matthew 7: 24-26

The above passage from Matthew is familiar to many. When building a house it is important to have a solid foundation.

Agricultural and Extension Education is built on a strong foundation. The strong foundation is a set of principles that have guided us over the decades. These principles serve as the foundation for how we operate in agricultural and extension education. 

In case you are not sure what is meant by "principle",  some definitions include:
  • a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their principles of composition ...
  • a rule or standard especially of good behavior; "a man of principle"; "he will not violate his principles"
  • a basic truth or law or assumption; "the principles of democracy"

    • In this lesson we will be examining some of the principles that under gird the practice of agricultural and extension education. When I was a graduate student at Ohio State we had an entire course that focused just on the principles of career and technical education. Colorado State and West Virginia University both have courses on "Principles of Extension."So it will be challenge to have just one lesson on this topic.


     
    Lesson Objectives:
    		At the completion of the lesson you should be able to:
    Discuss Prosser's 16 theorems of  Vocational Education (this is considered to be one of the foundation documents in the profession)
    List and describe 10 principles that should be utilized in agricultural education.
    List and describe 10 principles that should be utilized in extension education.

     
    Learning Activities:
    		  Read Prosser's 16 Theorems. Concentrate on each theorem and determine what the theorem is saying. (In a later lesson we will look at who is Prosser)
    In 1918, a committee appointed by the National Education Association, identified the Seven Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education. Are these principles still valid today or have they changed?
     A number of principles for use in Career and Technical Education are presented by Dr. Martinez in this PowerPoint presentation titled "Evolving Values and Principles for Career and Technical Education."
    Dr. Martinez goes into considerable more detail regarding principles of career and technical education in his article "An Evolving Set of Values-Based Principles for Career and Technical Education" from the Journal of Career and Technical Education, Vol. 23, No. 1, Fall, 2007. His article includes several principles from the work of other educators.

    In 1927 A. B. Graham (who is considered by many to be the Father of 4-H) wrote an article titled "Some Principles of Extension Teaching" in the Journal of Animal Science. Read this article and see if these principles are still applicable today.
    Are the Principles of Extension from India applicable in America?
    Read Dr. Place's article on Principles of Effective Extension Educational Programs.
    Since the primary audience for a lot of the extension programming are adults, a look at some principles of teaching adults would be appropriate.
    Look at the University of Georgia Extension Organizational Principles.
    The University of Arkansas Extension has five principles for community leadership.
    Evaluation is an important component in Extension. The American Evaluation Association has five principles that are used to guide evaluations.
    While not exactly on the topic the 10 Principles of Clear Writing from Missouri Extension might be helpful as you work on some of the assignments in this class.
    View the PowerPoint from class on Principles.

     
    Assignments:
    		Develop you own Seven Cardinal Principles of Extension Education, Agricultural Education, or what ever your profession is all about. Your are to identify seven basic principles that should guide practice in your discipline. These can be your own ideas or you can benefit from the thinking of others. For each principle write a short paragraph explaining that principle using your own words. You should save this as a word document and e-mail it to the instructor. An example might be:

    1. Extension programming should be based on the needs of the community.  Then dissuss this principle.

    Another example.

    1. In deciding upon what courses should be taught in agricultural education,  the  job market should be considered.  Then discuss this principle.
     

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