Learning By Doing

Learning By Doing (LBD)
The Zamorano Way
Written By Dr. Jay Hettiarachchy
Professor Emeritus, Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI 49307
Oct. 2014

Educators are constantly striving to discover more effective and efficient ways of delivering the highest learning experience to their students. Total Quality Learning, Outcome-based Learning, Student-centered Learning, Team-Based Learning, are some of the popular teaching and learning methods adopted by 2-year and 4-years degree granting colleges and universities in certain North American colleges and universities. With the introduction of the Internet, the use of online education and e-learning to promote education and learning experience has taken an unprecedented leap in disseminating education in the recent years.  Choosing the most effective and efficient delivery method to impart information, knowledge, experience, and decision making ability they have accumulated over a lifetime to their students is in the minds of educators who are in the teaching profession.

The author of this paper born in Sri Lanka (the old serendib), was in no way in search of “leaning by doing” – it was indeed a surprise finding of this hidden treasure in Zamorano when he visited Escuela Agricola Panamericana, Zamorano (Pan American Agricultural School), of Honduras. His amazement at what he saw there in action increased his desire to find out more about this learning by doing process practiced by every student who graduated from this private learning center, for more than 70 years as well as about the initiator and developer of this method of learning in this picturesque valley of the Rio Yeguare, 25 miles east of Tegucigulpa, the capital of Honduras, and continued faithfully by his successors and teachers to this day.

The founder of this college of agriculture was Wilson Popenoe, the agricultural explorer, educator, and friend of Latin America whose legacy of educational philosophy of learning by doing is still preserved in action in its original flavor to this day. Although learning by doing is adopted in many other educational institutions, especially in subjects involving laboratory work, the Zamorano way of learning by doing has its uniqueness that makes it stand out from the rest. The learning by doing way of learning at Zamorano struck the author as a well kept secret of this unique place producing one-of-a-kind productive agriculturists in Central America who go through a hard student life literally getting their hands dirty and feet wet for four years learning by doing the things that they could do for themselves by developing their own farming enterprises or by providing their services to employers who are willing to hire them.

Zamorano was the brain child of Mr. Samuel Zemurray (1877-1961), President of the United Fruit Company of the United States of America. He was a philanthropist who made a fortune in Latin America and commissioned the task of initiating an agricultural school to Dr. Wilson Popenoe who was one of his trusted employees at the time. This was perhaps Mr. Zemurray’s way of helping the country and countrymen of Latin America that helped him achieve his childhood dreams. Zemurray’s humble origins gave him a clear understanding of poverty and deprivation and an uncommon sensitivity for the needy. He felt that education was of utmost importance and considered it basic for the region to have human capital with quality agricultural training (source: http://www.zamorano.edu/english/explore-zamorano/about-us/history-legacy/samuel-zemurray/). An interesting book about Samuel Zemurray is:  “The Fish That Ate The Whale.” (Ref: http://www.amazon.com/The-Fish-That-Ate-Whale-ebook/dp/B0071VOLN8).

The name Zamorano derives from the family that owned the hacienda and traced its origins to the province of Zamora in Spain. - See more at: http://www.zamorano.edu/english/explore-zamorano/about-us/history-legacy/history/#sthash.YDK008Es.dpuf

Following are some of the visual highlights of the unique and “well kept secret of learning by doing,” the Zamorano way as seen by the author during his five day visit to Zamorano.

The very first thing that would strike an observer who is interested to know about learning by doing the Zamorano way, is the way classes are conducted in the fields in which students do the digging of the soil, raising various plants in nurseries, taking care of them as the plants grow, irrigating the fields, protecting them from various insects etc. The photos inserted were taken with permission from their supervisors while classes were in session in the field.

How students learn by doing:

The production of fruits and vegetable is another important part of the learning experience of these students. They need to work in the fields starting at 4:30 am and spend the whole morning doing all activities involved in the planting, raising, processing, and packaging of vegetables and fruits.

Photo shows class work belonging to different classes of students:

Crops belonging to different class activities:

Leafy vegetables grown by students:

Avocados waiting to be harvested:

Guavas:

Coffee:

Helping farmers to protect their plants using no herbicides or insecticides:

Harvesting the crops, processing food products, packaging them, marketing them, and deliver the products within the university cafeterias, food shop, dormitories, and to outside vendors and learning the business activities involved by doing them is a specialization that Agribusiness majors undergo.

University Processing Plant in which students learn by doing:

Grain drying and milling activities:

Processing Plant:

Procesed food delivery activities done by students:

It was obvious from the discussions I had with several faculty members who had been students at Zamorano that active participation of students in these activities is very well structured and scheduled in such a way that no student is left behind leaning on the shovel.

The activities involved in livestock production are conducted and learned in the same way. During two years every student enrolled in every major needs to participate in several activities  that make them to come to class at 4:30 am, learn to milk cows two times a day, learn to deliver calves, raise them and feed them, and be responsible for taking care of the calves and attend to immunizing and caring for them.  Slaughtering animals including swine, chicken, processing fish, and meat products are also conducted as learning activities in which no student is left behind; every student has to take an active role for obtaining a grade for successfully completing the course work that is very well structured and scheduled.

Rearing of cattle:

Fish farming of tilapia fish in a large pond on Zamorano campus:

Poultry Farm:

Learning experience in horse breeding and horse riding:

Student participation in courses are structured in such a way that one half of the students of any class engages in learning by doing in the morning while the other half engages in theoretical learning in a traditional classroom setting. These students alternate their morning and afternoon sessions beginning every other week. They apply the theory they learned in a traditional classroom setting to what they do in the field, laboratory, or in production centers.

Authors reflections:

Approximately1200 students belonging to about 20 different countries live in several dormitories two student sharing one room. Their tuition covers all expenses for food and uniforms that they have to wear at all times. No student at Zamorano is left behind in having to live in dormitories and wear a uniform at all times. They wear a different color uniform on Sundays. The reason why every student wears uniforms at college as I learned is that the expectation that every student is equal on a leveled platform while they engage in learning and doing educational activities on Zamorano campus for four years. The life that they live together doing many activities sharing their work and responsibilities together appear to have a way of transforming their life that makes them who they are -- “Zamoranos.”  It was also obvious from my observations that the main educational philosophy and focus of Zamorano learning is for students to apply the theory that they learn in the classroom in the field, laboratory or in any other setting in the real world that they work later in life by getting their feet wet and hands dirty.  It was very clear that expensive and fancy clothes do not fit the purpose of learning in the field.  On the contrary, the uniform that every student wears symbolizes a strong connection each student makes with every other student that make them feel united and connected with every other student with whom they work and learn to do things together. This is in a way similar to police officers, army and navy officers having to wear certain type of uniform when they perform their duties; same is true of the workers who wear uniforms in fast food and other restaurants in other parts of the world.

Zamorano students not only learn agricultural production, live stock production, laboratory management, and marketing activities etc. by truly and actively engaging in doing many different activities that make up the course requirements, but also by having to observe a code of strict discipline while engaging themselves in those activities and processes.  For example, not only their performance in learning is tested but the mistakes that they do that are counted as faults together contribute to their performance assessment of a grade. Being absent from classes is not only counted as a fault, but not making up for the lost activities becomes a responsibility. Being late for a class too is a violation of code that results in poor performance in a course.

Undoubtedly, student spend a hard life in Zamorano spending 11 months a year within the confines of Zamorano campus engaging in learning by doing activities for four years. For example getting up at 4:00 am and milking cows, having to learn to plough the field using tractors, learn how to ride a horse etc. Unlike in the case of most other students in other parts of the world Zamorano students do not do part-time work trying to earn money to supplement their educational expenses. They devote all the four years for learning by doing activities related to their major study.

Talking to some faculty members the author learned about the “invisible curriculum” which is a strict disciplinary code with high expectations regarding each student not only about their performance in learning but personal development.  Apparently, the purpose of implementing this code is to cultivate responsibility, leadership, team spirit, ethical behavior and other values that Zamorano students would inherit for life in addition to their course requirements.

Binding students coming from approximately 20 different countries as one united student body and managing them is no easy task. Having held the position of director of student welfare with the responsibility of overseeing student discipline and welfare of 2300 students who lived in 10 dormitories  in a university campus in Sri Lanka in the 1970s, the author admires how the management of student discipline is integrated with the learning by doing method of learning as implemented at Zamorano university. My own observation is that learning to honor and live within the guidelines provided by such a well-intended code should indeed have a lasting impact on the life of every graduate of Zamorano who would make a difference not only in their own life but also in the lives of others as was done by Wilson Popenoe and Samuel Zemurray in establishing this fine college of agriculture.

Zamorano university has a valuable educational system that has preserved its core foundation for over 70 years. All administrators, and teachers are bi-lingual and most workers as well as the students are able to speak Spanish and English. Undoubtedly Zamorano has a tested method of producing hard working agricultural professionals who are able not only to say but do the things that they say they are able to do.  This is a hard lesson that I took away from Zamorano having visited there.

References:

1. Frederick Rosengarten, Jr. Wilson Popenoe Agricultural Explorer, Educator, and Friend of Latin America, A publication of National Tropical Botanical Garden Lawai, Kaluai, Hawaii 96765, 1991

2. Ernesto Gallo and Michael A. Boland, Human Capital Formation for Agribusiness The Case of Zamorano University,  2012 International Food and AgriBusiness Management Association (FAMA).