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).
