Efforts in Animal Welfare Education Dr. David Coffey Western Kentucky University Introduction Acquiring contemporary, non-biased teaching materials is a problem for all educators. The National FFA Foundation in cooperation with the Council for Agriculture education has been involved in a four year project to write, field-test, revise and disseminate materials in the areas of animal welfare. Representatives from each state are then "trained" representatives in agricultural education to go to their states to be resources in implementing materials into their current curriculum. Objectives of the project materials are to develop an appreciation for the necessary role of animals in our lives, make informed decisions on issues related to treatment and uses of animals and animal products, distinguish differences in perceptions of animal welfare vs. animals rights, provide management guidelines, audio-visual and other instructional resources related to animal welfare issues and to develop studentsÂ’ critical-thinking skills. History of Project In 1992, the National FFA Foundation began seeking funding for the project and Dr. David Coffey, teacher educator at Western Kentucky University, was selected as project director. An Action Force of 16 professionals from commodity and agricultural advocacy organizations, industry, animal science, teacher education in agriculture and science, urban and rural ag-ed programs met in Kansas City to determine the content and scope of the project. Determined that needed content was determined to be broader than agricultural issues. A subcommittee of Drs. Jack Albright, John Boyce, Jeff Goodwin and Janice Swanson, commodity representative Earl Dotson and ag-ed instructors Krista Paynton, Eddie Stephens and Cary Trexler met and/or communicated with Project Director regularly for content validity and instructional feasibility. Lessons developed relate to six areas and are entitled: | |
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