Open@VT
Open Access, Open Data, and Open Educational Resources
Introducing Methods of Teaching Agriculture, third edition republished as an open textbook
The Open Education Initiative at Virginia Tech is pleased to announce the republication of Methods of Teaching Agriculture, third edition by L. H. Newcomb; J. David McCracken; J. Robert Warmbrod; and M. Susie Whittington.
NOTE: This text was originally published by Pearson Prentice Hall in 2004 (ISBN 0131134183). Rights to the book have been reverted to the authors. The book was reformatted and republished in its entirety in 2025 and released as an open textbook under a CC BY NC 4.0 license.
Methods of Teaching Agriculture, third edition is a 406-page methods-of-teaching book. Providing a clear and concise framework for teaching and problem solving in agricultural education, Methods of Teaching Agriculture, third edition is a necessary text for any teaching methods course. It includes a comprehensive examination of theory and research in guiding principles for how students learn best. Numerous illustrations and graphs clarify all concepts discussed within the text.
The book is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 license (CC BY NC 4.0).
Instructors reviewing, adopting, or adapting this textbook are asked to please help us understand your use of the material by filling out this form https://bit.ly/interest_methodsofteachingagriculture.
Table of Contents
I. Foundations for Methods in Agricultural Education
1. Factors Influencing Decisions About Teaching
2. Principles of Teaching and Learning
3. Planning the Course of Study
4. Learning as Problem Solving
II. Methods for Teaching and Learning
5. Planning for Instruction
6. Group Teaching Techniques
7. Individualized Teaching Techniques
8. Managing Student Behavior
III. Application of Learning
9. Application of Learning: The Laboratory
10. Application of Learning: Supervised Agricultural Experience
11. Application of Learning: FFA
IV. Teaching Special Populations
12. Teaching Learners with Special Needs
13. Teaching Adults
V. Evaluation of Learning
14. Evaluation of Learning
Appendixes
Appendix A: Sample Unit of Instruction
Appendix B: Vocabulary Useful in Developing Objectives and Test Items at Various Cognitive LevelsMethods for Teaching and Learning
How to Access the Book
PDF, epub, and other versions: https://doi.org/10.21061/methodsofteachingagriculture
ISBN (PDF): ISBN 978-1-962841-17-7
ISBN (HTML/Pressbooks): 978-1-962841-18-4 https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/methodsofteachingagriculture
ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-962841-16-0
ISBN (print): 978-1-962841-15-3 order print here
The book is also listed in the Open Textbook Library, OER Commons, VIVA Open, and Merlot.
Contributors
Authors: L. H. Newcomb; J. David McCracken; J. Robert Warmbrod; and M. Susie Whittington
L. H. Newcomb, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership, and Former Senior Associate Dean and Director of Academic Affairs, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University.
J. David McCracken, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Education, The Ohio State University and University of Arizona.
J. Robert Warmbrod, Ph.D. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, and former Acting Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University.
M. Susie Whittington, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and former Executive Director of Academic Enrichment and the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program, The Ohio State University.
Project manager: Anita Walz
Cover design and production manager: Kindred Grey
The Open Education Initiative of the University Libraries at Virginia Tech provided rights-reversion confirmation, licensing, rights, and permissions, project coordination and oversight, and post-production marketing. Virginia Tech Publishing provided graphic design, typesetting, and layout.
Suggested citation
L. H. Newcomb; J. David McCracken; J. Robert Warmbrod; and M. Susie Whittington. (2025). Methods of Teaching Agriculture, third edition. Blacksburg: University Libraries. https://doi.org/10.21061/methodsofteachingagriculture. Licensed with CC BY NC 4.0.
License
Unless otherwise noted, this work is released under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY NC) 4.0 license which allows adaptation and redistribution with attribution for uses which are not primarily commercial. See the license terms and recommended practices for attribution for additional information.
