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James G. Leising

Professor

Office: 146C Ruttan Hall
Email: jleising@umn.edu

Education:

• B.S. degree, Agricultural Education, University of Nebraska- Lincoln
• M.S. degree, Agricultural Education, Iowa State University
• Ph.D., Agricultural Education and Adult Education, Iowa State University

Background:

I was born and raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm in Arapahoe, Nebraska. My involvement with 4-H began when I was 10 years old and expanded to agricultural education during high school. I taught agricultural education at Franklin, Nebraska and later at the Des Moines Area Community College. After completing my Ph.D., I worked for 19 years in agricultural teacher education at the University of California, Davis. In 1995, I was appointed as Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership at Oklahoma State University. My appointment, as Professor of Agricultural Education at the University of Minnesota, began in 2009.

Interests:

Teaching and Research

• My teaching and research interests involve discovering effective approaches to assist agricultural education teachers to increase secondary student achievement in math and science, using the context of agriculture, food and natural resources in secondary agricultural education programs.
• Agricultural literacy has been a passion for over 15 years. I am interested in continuing to improve the Food and Fiber Systems Literacy Curriculum Framework, developed in 1999, that describes what students in grades K-12 should learn about agriculture, food and the environment to be agriculturally literate.

Personal

• I enjoy gardening, sporting events and spending time with my grandsons, Oliver and Emory.

Ask Me About:

• The best teaching approaches to integrating math or science and agriculture.
• What students should know and be able to do to be agriculturally literate.
• How are secondary agricultural education programs similar and different in California, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Minnesota?

Selected publications:

Leising, J., Pense, S., and Igo, C.  An assessment of student agricultural literacy knowledge based on the food and fiber systems literacy framework.  Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research, Volume 50, 140-145, January 2000.

Hubert, D. and Leising, J. Agricultural Mechanics Course Requirements for Agriculture Teacher Certification in the United States. Proceedings of the Western Region Research Conference in Agricultural Education, volume 19, Las Cruces, New Mexico, April 2000.

Leising, J. and Pense, S. An assessment of student agricultural literacy knowledge based on the food and fiber systems literacy framework. Proceedings of the 28th National Agricultural Education Research Conference, vol. 43, New Orleans, LA, December 2001.

Portillo, M.& Leising, J. An agricultural knowledge assessment of AITC trained teachers and non-trained teachers. Proceedings of the Southern Region Research Conference in Agricultural Education, Mobile, AL, February 2-4, 2003.

Pense, S. & Leising, J. and Portillo, M. The impact of selected agriculture in the classroom teachers on student agricultural literacy. Proceedings of the Southern Region Research Conference in Agricultural Education, Mobil, AL, February 2-4, 2003.

Pense, S. & Leising, J. Agricultural literacy assessment of selected Oklahoma high school seniors. Proceedings of the Southern Region Research Conference in Agricultural Education, Mobile, AL, February 2-4, 2003.

Pense, S., Leising, J. & Portillo, M. Comparative assessment of student agriculture literacy in selected agriculture in the classroom programs. Proceedings of the National Agricultural Education Research Conference, Orlando, FL, December 2003.

Pense, S., & Leising, J. An assessment of food and fiber systems knowledge in selected Oklahoma high schools. Journal of Agricultural Education, Vol. 45, 3, 86-96, 2004.

Pense, S., Leising, J., Portillo, M., & Igo, C. Comparative assessment of student agricultural literacy in selected agriculture in the classroom programs, Journal of Agricultural Education, Vol. 46, 3, 107-118, 2005.

Parr, Brian A., Edwards, M. Craig, & Leising, James G.  (2006).  Effects of a math-enhanced curriculum and instructional approach on the mathematics achievement of agricultural power and technology students: An experimental study.  Journal of Agricultural Education, 47(3), 81-93.  

Pense, S.L., Beebe, J.D., Leising, J.G., Wakefield, D.B., and Steffen, R.W. (2006). The agricultural literacy of urban/suburban & rural twelfth grade students in five Illinois high schools: An ex post facto study. Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research, 56(1), 5-17.

Young, Brent R., Edwards, M. Craig, & Leising, James G. (2007). Does a math-enhanced curriculum and instructional approach diminish students’ attainment of technical competence? A year-long experimental study in agricultural power and technology. Proceedings of the Southern Region Agricultural Education Research Conference, American Association for Agricultural Education, Mobile, Alabama.

Young, Brent R., Edwards, M. Craig & Leising, James G. (2007). Effects of a math-enhanced curriculum and instructional approach on students’ need for post-secondary remediation in mathematics: A year-long experimental study in agricultural power and technology. Proceedings of the 34th Annual National Agricultural Education Research Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.

Parr, Brian A., Edwards, M. Craig, & Leising, James G.  (2008). Does a curriculum integration intervention to improve the mathematics achievement of students diminish their acquisition of technical competence?  An experimental study in agricultural mechanics. Journal of Agricultural Education, 49(1), 61-71.   

Kennel, Eric, Leising, James & Edwards, M. (2010). A Study of Pre-service Agricultural Education Students: Knowledge of Horticulture and Self-efficacy to Teach Horticulture. Proceedings of the Southern Region Agricultural Education Research Conference. Orlando, Florida.