Starting an agricultural education program
Most importantly, FFA is a part of the teaching program in agricultural education. The first step is to ensure an agricultural education program exists at your school. FFA activities are an outgrowth of the classroom and supervised independent enterprises and projects. It is impossible to have an FFA chapter without a complete agricultural education program. The Agricultural Education Program consists of three elements:
Classroom instruction is the classroom component carried out in the practical application of instruction in a laboratory, shop, greenhouse, school farm, and/or the extended classroom or field trips.
Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is the individual student application of knowledge and skills acquired through the instructional component put to practical use outside the classroom, under the supervision of the agricultural education teacher.
FFA activities require a combination of classroom instruction, laboratory activities, and the supervised agricultural experience programs. Numerous FFA activities exist which require that students become prepared by study and experience in each of the three phases mentioned.
The close correlation between instruction, activity, and experience makes the program vocational. The FFA, which is an integral part of each of the program elements, has the unique characteristic of binding them together. It often serves as a catalyst, advancing the student more rapidly toward the intended objective. Below you will find 11 steps to establishing a program in your school.