Farmer Presentations

Situation:

Specialized/concentrated workshop introducing students, freshman/sophomores at Parkland Community College in an introductory Soil Analysis class, to soil conservation and management.

Students:

Throughout this unit you have been introduced to sources of soil erosion, damage caused by soil erosion, and conservation practices, management techniques and programs. In this assignment you and your group were asked to imagine you were a farmer and come up with all the different ways you would protect your land from soil erosion (wind barriers, no-till, waterways, etc.) Use information discussed in class, and any other sources of information, about sources of soil erosion and different conservation practices to determine what the best management strategies would be for your farm.

As far as the presentation is concerned, I will be looking for:

Ø  Speaking skills- Could you be heard? Was the pacing too fast? Did you just get up there and read off of a paper, or did you engage the audience?

Ø  Coherence & Organization- Was your presentation well thought out, or did you wing it? Was there a logical flow from topic to topic? Was it presented in a way for the class to understand?

Ø  Knowledge of Subject- Do you show understanding of the subjects, concepts, and ideas discussed in class?

o  Understanding of the impacts soil erosion (past, present, and in the future). What will happen to your yield? Your yield?

o  Understanding of the sources of erosion (water, wind, lack of vegetation, etc.)

o  Understand different conservation practices and recognize some of the differences between them (chisel plow vs. no- till).

o  Understand the benefits of using good conservation techniques.

Ø  Group Participation- Did your group present well as a team (i.e. didn’t interrupt each other, didn’t distract while other group member are presenting)? Were all group members involved?

Ø  Support, Elaboration, and Reasoning- Can you explain? Can you defend your decisions and help the class to understand your management choices? Are your ideas explained fully and clearly?

I encourage you all to relax and have fun with these presentations. No one expects you guys to be experts on this subject. Some of you are new to the world of farming some but you should not be discouraged. Think about the example of the farmer we discussed in class. What problems with erosion did he have? What did he do in order to combat these problems? Consider costs, conservation programs, tilling practices, crops, etc.

If you have questions my door is always open. Let me know if I can get you in contact with the local farm bureau, extension services, or the NRCS. Don’t hesitate to ask local farmers! Be creative, think outside of the box! Don’t just stop with no-till and be done, keep thinking of all the ways you could improve your field. Come up with your own ideas! Good Luck.

Criteria / Unsatisfactory
(0-4) / Good
(5-9) / Very Good
(10-14) /
Score
Speaking Skills
/ Inaudible or too loud; no eye contact; rate too slow/fast; speaker seemed uninterested and used monotone / Clear articulation but not as polished. Some mumbling; little eye contact; uneven rate; little to no expression / Poised, clear articulation; proper volume; steady rate; good posture and eye contact; enthusiasm; confidence
Coherence and Organization / Presentation is choppy and disjointed; does not flow; development of thesis is vague; no apparent logical order of presentation / Most information presented in logical sequence; generally very well organized. Concept and ideas are loosely connected; lacks clear transitions; flow and organization are choppy / Thesis is clearly stated and developed; specific examples are appropriate and clearly develop thesis; conclusion is clear; shows control; flows together well; good transitions; succinct but not choppy; well organized

Knowledge of Subject

/ Shows understanding of only few aspects; teaches little significant information for this grade; provokes limited audience response; answers questions in limited manner / Shows understanding of some aspects; teaches some significant information for this grade; provokes some audience response; answers some concrete and abstract questions effectively. / Thorough, broad, insightful understanding of the topic; teaches significant information and concepts at and beyond this grade; provokes thoughtful audience response; answers almost all questions and extends audience responses effectively and with ease

Group participation & Teamwork

/ One member spoke. Group did not present as a team. The presentation was off balance, other presenters dominated one another. All group members were not aware of their roles in the presentation. / Some of the group spoke. Groups’ members were fairly courteous. There was some interrupting, and talking time was a little off balance. All group members vaguely knew what to do. / All of the group spoke/got the audience to respond in some way. Group members were courteous to one another, didn’t interrupt, no group member dominates the rest. All group members knew what to do

Support, Elaboration, and reasoning

/ No support. Little use of examples or references to information learned in class. Reasoning is unclear and ineffective. Student shows little ability to defend their management choices. / Some of ideas are supported by information discussed in class. Reasoning is fairly clear and effective. Student can moderately defend their management choices. / Fully supported using examples from class and even beyond classroom discussion. Reasoning is clear and effective. Has shown ability to defend ones management choices.