Talk is cheep!
A hands-on agricultural education course, Teaching with Animals is offered by UGA's Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Agricultural education students learn to use wildlife as engaging teaching aides
In a classroom on the top floor of the University of Georgia’s Aderhold Hall, you can find a truly out-of-the-ordinary class during the fall semester. While the students inside are learning to teach like many others in the building, they have unusual assistants to help them in the process — live animals.
The class, cross-listed between the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, is AGED 2001, “Teaching with Animals,” and it is taught by Nick Fuhrman, a veteran in the field of educating with live animals.
Fuhrman, also known as “Ranger Nick” on Georgia Farm Monitor and RFD-TV, developed the class because he thinks learning to teach using animals is a great way to overcome public speaking anxiety while helping others learn more about wildlife.
“I think there are certain people that are educators, and that's their job, but all of us are teachers.”
The class is all about effectively and safely using animals as an instructional tool. A recent class featured a beloved turtle named Scooter and several week-old chicks that the students used to present their prepared lessons on chicks, turtles and the similarities between the two seemingly unrelated species.
“People’s attention is not on the speaker, but the animal,” said Fuhrman. “And it’s such a simple concept, but it really does help us to be better communicators.”
In addition to helping students overcome their fear of public speaking, the class breaks down how people learn and what makes an effective lesson. The animals also provide the opportunity to practice being flexible since students often must think on their feet to change their lesson based on what the animal is doing at the moment.
Fuhrman noted these skills are important because everyone has to present information and teach others at some point, regardless of what field they go into.
“To me, I think I've done my job if you can teach what I've taught you to somebody else,” said Fuhrman. “I mean there's not a person out there that's not a teacher. I think there are certain people that are educators, and that's their job, but all of us are teachers.”
Madison Ristroph, a senior agribusiness major at CAES, said the class has improved her public speaking by teaching her about effective communication.
“Dr. Fuhrman does a great job of teaching how to be a good public speaker – maintaining an audience’s attention, creating a lesson and having those hooks to draw people in,” she said. “Even though I’m not necessarily going on to become an educator, I’ve learned a lot of skills that are really useful in communication and my day-to-day.”
A still image of Fuhrman during a “Ranger Nick” segment on Georgia Farm Monitor.
A still image of Fuhrman during a “Ranger Nick” segment on Georgia Farm Monitor.
Students in Fuhrman's AGED 2001 course use a young chick and turtle to give a presentation to the class.
Students in Fuhrman's AGED 2001 course use a young chick and turtle to give a presentation to the class.
Fuhrman uses the whiteboard to give a teaching lesson during his “Teaching with Animals” course.
Fuhrman uses the whiteboard to give a teaching lesson during his “Teaching with Animals” course.
Two AGED 2001 students use a chick and turtle as an instruction tool.
Two AGED 2001 students use a chick and turtle as an instruction tool.
Accompanied by his trusty turtle, Fuhrman delivers a TEDxUGA Talk.
Accompanied by his trusty turtle, Fuhrman delivers a TEDxUGA Talk.
While Ristroph never envisioned confidently and safely handling animals for an audience to interact with, she said the class has been a great learning opportunity. She recommends it for anyone who is interested in learning more about animals, teaching or communication in general.
Fuhrman enjoys seeing his students gain a love for speaking and teaching by the end of the course. The students’ final projects for the course are presentations they prepare for the youth served through Extra Special People in Watkinsville, Georgia.
For Fuhrman, it’s a highlight to see how far his students have come over the course of the semester and the excitement in the faces of the participants at Extra Special People while learning from his students.
“The students really get to make a difference with that,” said Fuhrman. “The kids at ESP really enjoy it, and the students are like celebrities. It’s a perfect way to end the class.”
For information about learning opportunities in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, visit alec.uga.edu. To learn more about courses in Fuhrman's academic home of Warnell, visit warnell.uga.edu.
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