Planting Gardens, Growing People

Reference / Reading Materials

CMG GardenNotes

#012, CSU Horticulture Web Sites
#013, The Colorado Master Gardener Program: Planting Gardens, Growing People
#014, Communications
#015, Listening Habits Evaluation
#016, Learning
#017, Fielding Questions: Tools for Success
#018, Using Copyrighted Materials: Are You Legal?

Prepared by:
David E Whiting
Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist
Department of Horticulture and LA
Colorado State University
Phone: 970-491-7030
Fax: 970-491-7745
E-mail: david.whiting@colostate.edu

Colorado Master Gardener / Colorado Gardener Certificate training is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Colorado Garden Show, Inc.
Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.
Copyright © 2003-2006. Colorado State University Extension.  All Rights Reserved. Revised June 2007

Home Work

1. Read the class handouts. Some topics are covered in more depth than the in class discussion. The print material is provided for future reference about the Colorado Master Gardener Program.
2. Do the Listening Habits evaluation, CMG GardenNotes #015
3. Do the Copyright quiz, CMG GardenNotes #018
4. Study review questions

Review Questions

Extension

1. Describe the Extension system. Who are the partners?
2. What is the proper use of the Extension name? How should county identifiers be added?

Colorado Master Gardener Program

3. When may the title “Colorado Master Gardener” be used?
4. What is required to become a CMG volunteer? After the first year, what is required to continue in the program?
5. In counting hours, what counts for volunteer hours versus continuing education hours?
6. What will happen if an Apprentice Master Gardener fails to complete the return service?
7. List criteria for CMG activities.
8. Education versus service – Give some examples of gardening activities that are service by nature (and thus will not count for CMG credit). How could these activities be turned into an educational program (that would count for CMG credit)?
9. What are “conflict of interest” and “implied endorsement”? 
10. As CMG volunteers employed in the green industry, can you advertise that you’re a “Colorado Master Gardener”?  That you have completed the Colorado Gardener Certificate Training?
11. Under the “fair use” doctrine of copyright law, what are the restrictions on making a single copy for a client? For making multiple copies for classroom distribution?
12. While working in official CMG activities, CMG volunteers are covered by University liability under what conditions?
13. CMG volunteers are not authorized to give legal or medical advice.  Give examples of common questions that could fall under legal or medical advice.  Where should clients be referred?

Partnering for a Green Colorado

14. Who is Colorado’s “Green Industry”?
15. What percentage of Colorado’s agricultural economy comes from the green industry? What is the annual wholesale value of Colorado’s green industry?
16. Why do differences of opinion occur between Extension and green industry practices? When differences of opinion surface, how should CMG volunteers handle the situatio

Communications

17. Take a few quiet moments for some self-reflection on your “mind filter”.  What mind filters are powerful in your communications? What mind filters sometimes impede your communications?
    

Tools for Success

18. If you were calling Extension for advice on a gardening problem, how would you like to be treated? (A rather simple question, yes; but we don’t want to be that “governmental agency” which forgot customer service.) Give it some serious thought.
19. A client wants you to tell her what to do for a garden problem. What is your role in the decision making process?
20. Why do some questions have no answers?
21. What are the two most common complaints about CMG services?
22. Why do we recommend that you read directly from reference materials? Why do we recommend that you cite references?
23. What types of reference materials are not acceptable?
24. May you use your own practical experience?  What if it is different from recommendations?
25. What is a CMG role related to pesticide information?
26. What sources are acceptable for pesticide information?
27. Where do you refer clients that need in-depth information about pesticide safety issues?
28. How does visualizing a client’s situation help you diagnose a problem?
29. How does repeating back, in your own words, what the client said help you diagnose a problem?
30. As you’re talking with the client, you often have a new piece of information come up that doesn’t fit the diagnoses you were thinking about. How can you look smart (and save face) and move on with a new direction of thinking?
31. Why should a diagnosis be framed such as “based on the information you provided, the problems could be…”?

Learning

32. In a long class period, like CMG/CGC training, it is easy to miss the input that is “new” or “relearned”. What tools do students use to maximize their learning potential?
33. In the learning process, when you question a concept, how should it be reprocessed or reevaluated?
34. To gain the most out of the CMG/CGC training, take a few moments to self-reflect on your mind filters that may play into your learning potential.  What mind filters will help you learn?  What mind filters may impede your learning?

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