Esperance Senior High School breaks new ground with agricultural courses

Esperance Senior High School is breaking new ground in the delivery of two new senior secondary school courses.

 

The school is currently trialling Plant Production Systems and Animal Production Systems before their implementation in schools across the state next year.

 

Program coordinator for Agriculture at the school’s Esperance Farm Training Centre, Adam Cope, said students attracted to the course were those who preferred to learn in a hands-on manner and relished the opportunity to take on responsibility. They are all interested in a career in agriculture in the Esperance region.

 

Forty per cent of the students enrolled in the courses are girls and 25 per cent are indigenous.

 

“The students attracted to the course are those who typically aren’t planning to go directly to university,” Mr Cope said.

 

“Most of them want to complete a Certificate II in Agriculture and complete a traineeship. Some may attend university a few years down the track.”

 

“The inclusion of 1C and 1D in both courses means split classes like mine can be taught more easily.

 

“The challenge for teachers is time management; knowing how much time to allocate to each task when there is so much to fit into the course.  This will get easier in the years ahead.

 

“In a farm environment, it is also challenging to fit the course into the seasonal activities of the farm.” 

Practical tasks undertaken at Esperance Farm Training Centre include propagation of native trees for shelter belts and bio-diversity and prime lamb production.

 

In lamb production, students assist with artificial insemination of the ewes, as well as crutching, drenching and worm egg counts.

 

In the classroom, students look at the theory behind animal production and physiology.

 

Mr Cope said a visit to the school by the Curriculum Council’s Animal Production and Plant Production Systems course officer was greatly appreciated.

 

“Attending professional development in Perth can put a lot of strain on teachers’ time. To have the course officer visit our farm and help with developing the program, showed a commitment from the Curriculum Council to make the course work.”

 

Curriculum Council course officer for the two courses, Misha Mamo, said the courses were relevant to students because they focus on the fundamentals of agriculture, taking into account the sustainability, social, environmental and economic impacts of animal and plant production.

 

“Esperance Farm Training Centre is doing a good job delivering the new courses. The school has related the specific content to their available resources and agricultural region, making the delivery relevant to their environment,” Ms Mamo said.

 

“The courses are flexible and hands-on and are available from preliminary through to stage 3 levels,” she said.

 

“TAFE units of competency can easily be integrated within the two courses. In addition, the Council is developing an industry-specific course based on the Rural Production Training package.

 

“In the previous course, teachers had to cover extensive and intensive agriculture. Now teachers have to meet content and course requirements, but there is no requirement to include extensive agriculture, so there are more opportunities for metropolitan schools to offer the course.

 

“For example, if a school has access to a bit of land, it could offer Plant Production Systems in the context of a plant nursery enterprise.”

 

For more information about the Plant Production Systems and Animal Production Systems courses, visit the following link at the Curriculum Council website at http://www.curriculum.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/Courses/