Support for agricultural education in South Australian schools is set to continue into 2024 with the SA Sheep Industry Fund (SIF) committing to fund the role as one of its 2023-24 approved projects.
AgCommunicators’ Sue Pratt will build on the success of the pilot phase of the Lead Ag Teacher project funded by the South Australian Grain Industry Trust.
In her role as Lead Ag Teacher, Sue will work with schools on-site, a deliberate strategy to support regional teachers who can find travelling to access expertise and professional development a barrier to progress.
Sue said she was keen to see food and fibre education introduced in more schools across all year levels.
“Having visited over 40 sites in the last 12 months, I have a clear picture of the key components of successful agricultural programs in schools and also the aspects that require the most urgent attention,” she said.
“The first step is mapping out how and where food and fibre content is being delivered to identify gaps and highlight where we need to spend some time with the ag team at a school.
“There are numerous ways ag can be built into the curriculum, so I can help a site work out the best plan for them, whether they have a school farm or not.”
The support provided by Sue has been well received by teachers and students with feedback highlighting increased confidence and enthusiasm for teaching agriculture after working with her.
“We have a lot of educators new to teaching ag who need support with curriculum, managing a school farm and budget, show programs and strategic planning but it has also been excellent to spend time with more experienced teachers who are really keen to fine-tune their programs to reflect what is happening in industry and inspire their students.”
One of the key strategies to be used in the coming year is a structured program of teacher professional development that will combine face-to-face workshops with quick “after school” online sessions to reduce time away from school.
They will cover industry content like biosecurity and animal welfare but also look to extend teachers by considering new and emerging technologies and enterprises.
Livestock SA President Joe Keynes said the livestock industry continued to work on addressing the labour challenges it currently faced and the Lead Ag Teacher project was an important initiative in promoting agricultural careers.
“Industry blueprints identify the strategic investments needed and one of the priority areas of the SA Sheep Industry Blueprint is fostering a growing, skilled workforce,” he said.
“The SIF considered the Lead Ag Teacher project was an important component to achieving this and it made sense to capitalise on the success of the project’s pilot year that was previously funded by the grains industry.”
Access to the Lead Ag Teacher is free for South Australian teachers planning or currently delivering food and fibre programs in Government, Catholic and Independent schools.
