Greenwood SAE Project Visits

Over this past summer, I got to meet some of Greenwood's agriculture students at their Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) project sites. SAE projects at Greenwood Middle/high School are counted as one class credit, with students registering for an SAE project outside of class. Specifically, the Greenwood SAE project credit is listed in the high school's offical course selection guide with the description:

"Students will maintain a project outside of class time. The agricultural instructor will supervise the project and assign a pass/fail grade on a quarterly basis by evaluation of the SAE record book and/or visitation. Students enrolled in SAE will expand their knowledge and experience base through individual project work. All second year agriculture students must be enrolled for SAE credit."

Mrs. Pontius and Mr. Clark work with their students on their SAE projects throughout the year, and conduct 5-6 visits per year with each student. The last visit of the year is before the Perry County Fair so that animal projects can be assessed for showmanship suitability. I had the awesome opportunity to visit some of these very gifted and talented Greenwood Students.


Thomas is a senior in the Greenwood ag program, and chapter treasurer. His SAE project is two market lambs he's been raising for the Perry Country Fair.

Ethan is a senior, and Greenwood's FFA chapter president. His sister, Ella, is a sophomore. Their SAE projects include sheep and pigs they raise on their family farm. During our visit, Ethan got to show us around and let me hold a baby pig!

Will is a sophomore at Greenwood, and was eager to raise pigs at his pap's farm for his SAE project. During our visit, we were able to weigh his pigs with him and discuss best feeding practices for getting them to weight.

Cecilia is a sophomore, and Greenwood's chapter historian. Her SAE project was raising her market goats for the Perry County fair. She had an awesome set up for her goats in her garage turned barn.

Mallory is a senior and her brother Mitchell is a sophomore in Greenwood's agriculture program. These two both show steers for their SAE projects on their family's farm.

I had a great time getting to meet these students and visit with some of their family. Each of them have a unique set of skills and interests that they are able to put to the test with their SAE projects. I didn't get as many pictures as I would have like to, but it was no less of an experience for me as an agriculture teacher in training. I am so looking forward to teaching these awesome students!


*all of these photos were taken and published with consent, as well as the names of the students being published with consent

My First Unit Plan

Last week we each constructed our first unit plan in AEE 412. This past week, we received feedback on each of our units and were able to submit them subscribing to that feedback from our peers. The unit I created was titled "Principles of Poultry Production and Management," and was focused on introducing students to basic poultry care and flock management.

The goals of my unit were to introduce students to basic poultry knowledge that they can apply in the real world. My intent was to show them how to properly care for poultry on their own since several students have their own birds at home. Mr. Clark told me that he doesn't have many students interested in poultry, so I planned with capturing some interest in mind.

Specifically, my goals for this unit were:

1. Understand the basics of poultry anatomy and physiology
2. Assess the importance of poultry for humans
3. Outline the key components of the poultry industry
4. Evaluate the productiveness of meat and egg producing bird
5. Analyze the parts of the egg and their significance in reproduction
6. Examine career prospects within the poultry industry
 7. Describe poultry diseases and how they can be prevented

I wanted students to be able to apply what they learn in this unit to others, as well as enhance some of the skills and topics covered from their STEM type classes. My goal was to show students how poultry isn't just chickens, and that they can become much more efficient flock raisers and more educated consumers by applying what they learn.

Some of my feedback was to include better PA SAS standards and appeal my unit rationale to the local level. My goals were kind of narrow at first, and my materials list was a little too brief. Other than that, I just needed to improve some formatting.

I revised my goals to be more general to:

1. Evaluate animals using applied principles of anatomy and physiology 
2. Connect key concepts of bio-chemistry to animal systems
3. Examine career prospects and job requirements within a given field
4. Outline disease methods of action and prevent through biosecurity

I reformatted the unit plan an beefed up my resource lit a little more. I wend back through and made sure that my lesson titles were more appropriate and incorporated some assessment days. My objectives weren't up to par originally, so I went and improved them to be more appropriate. The one thing that was suggested to me that I did not do was to add in the criteria and conditions to my lesson objectives. I wanted the unit plan to be concise and useful for quick refrence. I felt that the condition and criteria were more appropriate to specify in the individual lesson plans, rather than the unit plan. I enjoyed getting feedback on my unit and I hope to keep improving as time goes on and I develop better ideas for teaching this content.

 

What is the Problem-Solving Approach?

      As most people know, I've worked at a local pet store since I was a junior in high school. Its a tricky job to become effective at because there is a certain degree of "content knowledge" you need to possess in order to work there. Unlike most entry-level jobs, I can't just be trained in a single video on how to do my job. I can't just read a manual to know about what products we sell, how they work, and how well they work. It takes years of interacting with a variety of pets and their owners to develop even a basic idea of how to care for them. I've learned how the nitrogen cycling of a fish tank works- because I've had to cycle plenty of fish tanks. I've learned how reptiles use UVB wavelengths of light to process calcium, because I've seen what metabolic bone disease can do to someone's beloved bearded dragon. I've even learned about pseudo ruminant coprophagy from working with guinea pigs and rabbits. My job offered a lot of real world applications of what I was learning in my agriculture classes throughout high school and into college.


What is Problem Solving?

      In the classroom, we can define problem solving as a set of skills and dispositions in which students apply what they have learned to a real-world situation to develop a solution. It is an approach to learning that teachers can use to teach content to students by providing a way to apply that content to a problem a hand. Problem solving is a learned skill, and one that must be applied to any subject in order to enhance learning of that subject. This process involves a continual loop of being presented with a problem, researching solutions to that problem while drawing on past experiences, and testing that solution to solve the problem. If the solution succeeds, then what has been learned can be applied and modified in similar problems to come. If the solution fails, the plan needs adapting and retrial must occur until the problem is solved.

      When this approach is employed within the classroom, problems must be well-structured and have clear goals to achieve. When teaching using a problem solving-based approach, teachers need to be aware that their students may not have many past experiences or prior knowledge on which to build for a solution. In the real world people face problems everyday, and when students learn how to solve problems, they will be more successful in their post-secondary lives.


How is Problem Solving related to Project-Based Learning?

      Project-based learning is an approach by which a "felt need" is created by offering an engaging question or situation to students. Students demonstrate what they know by applying it in the context of creating a product. For example, this spring I plan on teaching poultry and will have the students hatch eggs and rear the chicks. They cannot accomplish this task without understanding the material which creates a need for them to learn the material. Their success in raising the chicks is a real-world problem based project by which they can apply what they've learned and demonstrate their understanding.

      One of the most important things I believe a teacher needs to remember is that we are in this profession to teach students how to think and apply what they've learned. We live in the age of Google, where all of mankind's collective knowledge is held in our pocket. Agriculture is just the bus that carries those critical STEM skills. Problem solving and project-based learning are what drives that bus so that students can value their learning and translate it into other facets of their lives.

Teaching Outside the Box- Final Reflection

      This past week, my mentor group and I have wrapped up our summer reading project for Teaching Outside the Box. I have to say that this book is incredibly insightful, and the author's candor and seasoned advice makes it a powerful read. Author LuAnne Johnson answers the tough questions about classroom management, student behavior and teacher preparedness. I highly recommend this book to new and seasoned veteran teachers alike. Here were some of the groups final thoughts on the book.


What was the most influential advice you received from this book, and how can you apply it to your classroom in the future?

      My mentor team and I appreciated the author's candor and thoughtful advice. Teaching is often portrayed in the movies as a romanticized profession, but in reality it can be very exhausting and demanding. Johnson reveals some of the worst that teachers can face in the profession and how to face those issues. Our group appreciated her effective methods for managing the classroom, and the approach she takes of solving issues over time rather than with quick-fix gimmicks. A point also discussed was how excessive planning and over-idealization of your classroom leads to disillusionment.


The author often discusses teaching students more than just content. She's taken a break from time to time in her instruction just to help students learn valuable skills (such as how to read a transcript, form an argument, make a decision etc.) In your day to day job, how do you address those "soft skill" issues with your students?

      Our group shared some thoughts about how to accomplish this task. Its always good to take the time to know your students and learn their goals. Although we are called to teach, a teacher is so much more than someone at the front of the classroom. There are students without good role models and need someone to take a few minuets of the day to check in with them. Through our teaching, we can  develop those skills with what students are learning from their classes, SAE projects and FFA participation.


What aspects of a complete (3 circle model) Ag program do you feel apply some of the topics discussed by the author?

      FFA and SAE projects help interest and motivate students in the classroom. You have to decide as a teacher how much you want to involve your chapter with FFA events and how you can delegate power to students. They allow students to apply what they learn and build their enthusiasm and participation in class.

How do we transition between techniques utilizing effective questions?

 Are all questions the same?

      Many are often surprised to hear that humans share almost 95% of their DNA with a banana. If you say this to someone, they may stand aghast at the mere thought that they, a highly intelligent, sentinel being, could be remotely similar to a soft yellow fruit. Yet the fact remains that only a mere 5% of genetic material stands between you and that splotched oblong pile of produce in your crisper.

 

      Think about Legos. How many different things can you build with the same pile of Legos? I'm sure some diligent scientist somewhere crunched the numbers, but if I had to guess, the possibilities would be seemingly endless. No matter what you were to build, the fact remains that each creation would still be made with the same Legos. Just like DNA and all living things, no matter how different they may seem on the outside, they are still made of the same material- it's just presented differently. Just like you and that banana.

      Similar to bananas and DNA, infinite questions can be posed from the same materials if you will. Although one could argue that nearly all questions are posed in a universal nature (with only the content of the question being changed) most would tend to agree that questions differ from one extent or another. I can deliver infinite questions in the same format, but each question I pose is unique with its own set of acceptable answers. For example, I can ask what the Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby symbolizes to readers just as I can ask what the painting symbolizes in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorain Gray. They are not the same question, but they follow identical format-- same "Legos," different sculptures.

 

 

What is the coolest teacher “question tip” you want to incorporate?

      I love asking questions. I feel as though that is the only way learning can be accomplished in the classroom. One of my biggest faults however, is that I tend to ask questions that solicit recall prompting. I often catch myself asking students such basic questions so much that I sometimes skimp on those deep, thoughtful questions. I would definitely suggest asking more questions that are open-ended and lead to "playground" discourse among students.

 

Why Would Asking Questions at Higher levels of Cognition Matter?

      -for the same reason that teaching at higher-level of cognition matters. Our goal as educators is not to disperse content, its to illicit thinking, develop student thinking ability and teach students how to apply what they learn to other contexts. When I have students rank laying hens based on their productive ability, the exercise has surprisingly little to do with chickens, and so much more to do with making decisions and intelligently substantiating their claims. Questions must also appeal to those skills rather than get students to repeat information back to you. Otherwise, they only know what to think and not how to think.

 

What is Student Agency or Student Voice?

      According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the word "agency" is defined as "the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power." With this, we can easily define student agency as giving students the capacity or state of acting or of exerting power over their learning. This concept is somewhat synonymous with student autonomy. When you examine yourself as being a producer of student learning, and your students as your consumers. it only makes sense that students be given a say in what their learning consists of. If not what they learn, students should at the very least have a say in how they learn.

My Interest Appraoch Lesson

 

This week we were able to demonstrate our skill with implementing effective learning approaches. This is the part of the lesson designed to “hook” students and get them engaged with the material you plan to cover. This can take on a variety of forms, from gimmicks to problem solving, or bringing in cool props. This is the part of the lesson where the teacher brings in their own “flare.” This part of a lesson requires more creativity and craft than any other components.

Reflecting on my own interest approach this week, I think it was a unique approach that tied well into my lesson but needs some more refinement in execution. The chicken waterer was something unique that a student may never have the chance to experience again. It makes the history come to life, as there is physical evidence of agriculture history almost 100 years old in front of them. I think using the rice was a neat way to display the massive quantity of poultry that gets consumed. It’s a dramatic, yet authentic example of how much we as humans rely on poultry production.

I definitely had more rice and should use something larger like corn kernels, popcorn seeds or candies instead. That way it won’t be as messy. I think that I should include more targeted discussion questions to keep learning occurring when they go quiet. I think with some more practice and refinement I can improve upon my techniques for this interest approach.

What structure do we need in our instruction? Appling Instructional Design Techniques?

           I remember when I was younger, my family would go to Knoebels Grove Amusement Park each year in Elysburg Pennsylvania. One of my favorite spectacles was the woodcarver’s shed where skilled craftsmen would carve away at shapeless logs unveiling a marvelous work of art such that only imagination could conceive. They made the process appear to be one of ease to casual onlookers, but their work was no small task by any measure. Each detail, each crater, each carve had to be carefully executed—even the slightest mistake in their planning and execution would tarnish the entire piece. Through their planning, dedication and attention to detail, these artists seldom failed to deliver such unique pieces of art. Customers were eager to pay a pretty price for their statuesque figures of the forest. Their work spoke for itself and anyone who saw such work were eager to buy.

            What do teachers produce? Well you might argue that teachers produce educated students. You might say that they don’t produce work at all, but rather are facilitators that help students to produce their own work. Much more perplexing than this question, how exactly does a teacher evaluate their teaching? How do we know we’ve taught effectively? Unlike the woodcarver, we haven’t a finished product we can look to or sell. After all, we have no art to sell, no profit to turn, no customers. Yet here we are, teaching. Here we are with investors of our trade who see some value in it. What are our goals, and better yet, how do we evaluate those goals to determine if we’ve been effective or not?

 

Why are Objectives Important?

             Well as it turns out, teachers do produce an outcome, and we do have a way of determining if that outcome has been satisfactory or not. The hallmark of the teacher’s trade is the classroom objective. Our objectives for learning are standards we set for our students (and by extension, ourselves) that are used to determine if what we are teaching is being learned. They provide a means by which we assess the progress of our students, as well as provide feedback on how well we were able to teach to those standards. Teachers produce students who can accomplish those objectives and apply what they learn in our classroom to real-world situations and needs.

 

How Does Bloom’s Taxonomy Impact Instructional Design?

So with objectives being our outcome—what we teach to and produce students capable of accomplishing, we need to examine what these objectives look like. By virtue of being a measurable outcome, objectives are stated as actions that can be completed after instruction. They are to be quantifiable skills or behaviors that we can expect of students after receiving instruction. With this, there are varying degrees by which one can understand or accomplish a given task. For example, if one were to list the tools used in carving a wood statue would they be able to actually carve it? If someone can carve a small limb, is this the same as carving a log? Although each of these measurable skills pertain to the same topic, they each represent only a partial understanding of what it means to carve wood. Each may be considered an important step along the way to carving like the pros, but they are not the same, nor do they require the same skills.

                Bloom’s taxonomy organizes these levels of understanding in a way that corresponds them with their required level of understanding. To list the tools needed in wood carving requires less understanding than to use those tools, and using those tools requires less understanding than to carve a statue with those tools. Carving with those tools requires less understanding than to evaluate the effectiveness of those tools in their carving ability. Because our goal as teachers is not to dispense facts, but to teach students how to think, we rely on Bloom’s taxonomy to build from a basic or nonexistent understanding, to an appreciation and masterful understanding of our content.

How can Group Teaching Techniques Be Effective?

                Remember how our goal as teachers is not to teach students what to think, but how to think? We are not dispensers of content, but facilitators of learning, which is a goal often best demonstrated through group work. When we arrange students into groups and allow them to work through issues among themselves we take the backseat and give students charge over their own learning. Not only that, but students build important social skills and combine their unique efforts into a common goal. This can help maximize student learning by delegating some of our responsibility as an instructor and placing the charge for individual learning on our students shoulders where it belongs. This does not mean we remain unengaged as the teacher, but that we assist and facilitate rather than be the “sage on the stage.” When group teaching is organized, and groups are structured in a meaningful way, then group teaching can be effective. For example, instead of just dividing the class into groups, I can give each group a task to be in charge of.  Group teaching is effective when each member of each group contributes, and each group contributes in its own right to the learning of the class as a whole.

 

 

Teaching Philosophies and Core Values

Teaching Philosophy

I had the pleasure of talking with my virtual mentor Becky Haddad about her professional teaching philosophy in the classroom. Her philosophy is that teaching comes first, and that students each bring their own skills and experiences to the classroom which contributes to the learning of the whole.


Core Values of Being an Effective Teacher

Ms. Haddad believes that learning needs to come first and that it needs to be open in such a way that all students can bring their abilities and interests to the table. Her next core value is being aware of your responsibility as a teacher, as well as students being aware of their responsibility. Being aware of your requirements and profession obligations in the field. Meeting expectations and using your skills in such a way to fulfill the requirements of those responsibilities.

First Day of Class Reflection

This week in lab we practiced out "first day" of teaching our class. This was an opportunity for us to present our expectations and procedures to the class in a way that simulates a high school classroom. The trouble though, was learning to adapt to bad student behavior while we were teaching-- as each student was assigned a role to play.


Some Gems

Some "gems" of my teaching in lab on Wednesday were my ability to speak over students and assert myself to some degree. I didn't let them get under my skin as much as I thought I would. I also wrote my objectives on the board before class started.

Some "Opps"

Some opportunity of r improvement is to work on maintaining neutral behavior and responses. During the exercise, I constantly responded to student misbehavior with a degree of sarcasm and allowed myself to engage with their negative behavior. In the future I need to be more on-task and ignore students when they try to illicit a response.


Its difficult to predict how students will behave, and as a teacher you need to roll with the punches. I think I kept myself from being bothered by the students, but I had to have the last a response to everything--which only engaged more response. Responding to your peers brings out a little more casual behavior than you'd consciously allow in the classroom setting.

What is Engaging Instruction?

I have worked at a local pet store since I was a junior in high school. During these years I’ve worked with many people and many, many kinds of animals. The one thing that always perplexed me the most was just how much there is to know about fish, and even more troubling than that, was just how little customers knew about fish. To many, a fish is a fish—they need water and fed occasionally, and you’ve pretty much got it. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Not even close. In addition to understanding universal fish tank concepts (such as nitrogen cycling, water changes etc.) you need to know about the fish you plan to keep. For example, do you know that African cichlids need very high pH, while dwarf cichlids prefer very low water pH? Do you know that goldfish need cold water temperatures, and should never be housed with any tropical fish? What about the fact that African clawed frogs need extremely hard water to keep their water parameters in check and prevent chytrid fungi, while angelfish will die in water that hard.

 

How Does the uniqueness of our Learners Impact Lesson Planning?

To the causal observer, these appear to be trivial differences, when in actuality, they play a huge role in each organism’s survival and well-being. Not understanding that each fish is different and requires unique growing conditions is the root of many customers’ fish tank failures. The same is true for the teacher and their learners. Teachers, like the aquarist, need to provide each student with the optimal conditions for prosperity and success and what works well for one student, may be the exact opposite of helpful to another. To treat each one the same as another is impractical, and only results in diminished performance as a whole.

            Teachers need to prepare lessons that deliver content in various modalities and asses understanding in various domains (think cognitive vs. psychomotor.) I came to understand this much more deeply last Friday with our class Kahoot game. I realized how the activity provided a positive reward to those students who naturally desire to compete. For others, including myself, it felt off-putting, and appeared to reinforce being first over understanding the material. Some students thrive and do well, while others might feel frustrated. The opposite can be true when students who are motivated by competition are not given the chance to do so.It’s important to understand that each individual student reacts differently—some positive, some negative, and some indifferently—depending on how they are motivated by the instruction. As a result, lessons must be presented (either individually or collectively throughout the course) in a "catch all" manner. One that challenges students to explore new techniques, while allowing them to show what they know in a manner consistent with their learning style.

Goal Orientation Theory- Students are motivated based on their goals for achievement

 

How do E-Moments, multiple intelligences, domains and modalities impact instructional design?

Intelligence is not a one-dimensional concept. Each person understands a variety of topics and content at a unique level based on their individual experiences and base skill. Some students may have better psychomotor skills, while others have better cognitive ability. Instructional design must appeal to this range of differences and give each student the opportunity to present what they know. Understanding how a welder works, and working a welder are two different concepts that are both needed in order to produce a weld. Effective instructional design brings students who understand one or the other to a common ground where they can both meet the shared goal of producing a weld—regardless of their ability prior to the instruction.

Not only are students more intelligent in some ways than others, but the way they best receive instruction needs to be considered as well. Instructional design must consider presenting information in a multitude of ways that simultaneously satisfy the learning styles of visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners. Presenting directions visually on the board, saying them aloud and allowing students time to complete the task by hand is an example of intentional instructional design that meets the needs of individual student learning modalities. Engaging moments, known simply as "e-moments" are a set of instructional strategies that connect what needs to be taught with the way students learn. They are intended to purposefully appeal to specific learning modalities and capitalize on a variety of intelligences. They are not content, but rather are methods by which a teacher can connect students with the content in order to meet the objectives.

 

Some final thoughts...

To illustrate the tragic loss of life caused by the Holocaust, my history professor would often say that “the death of a single person is the loss of an entire species.” How real it all became to us when considered from that perspective. The passion, love, creativity and unique human experience that died with each victim. Understanding what each person brought to the world, and what departed with their demise as a result really paints a vivid, and tragic picture of how much was truly lost  as a result of the Holocaust.

With this, always strive to look at each individual as an irreplaceable relic of creativity and unique experiences. Teachers must look at each student, not just as an attendance statistic, or a grade, but rather as an individual classroom all their own. It is a matter of primary concern for teachers to employ those techniques that cultivate the desire to learn in each individual student. The behavior of variability is essential when it is considered, not just as a means to keep students entertained with the material, but as a critical process by which we give each student the tools and conditions needed to succeed.

 

 

What is a Plan, and who are our Learners?

"He who fails to plan is planning to fail" - Winston Churchill

How do we Plan for Instruction?

                The key to undertaking any task great or small is to have a plan. A plan needs to include what your goals are, how you will accomplish them, what you need to accomplish them, and in what time frame you plan to accomplish them. Planning for Instruction is no different. Teachers must identify their goals for their students and how/when those goals will be met.  When looking at mapping out your instruction fist start with your instructional area- specifically what your content will focus on. Next, you include your unit of instruction, which is typically framed as a situation or concern. For example, when teaching  poultry unit, a problem area to address could include “Establishing a Laying Flock.” Each lesson within this unit will be framed as questions that require answering, and when they can be answered, address the problem area. An example lesson might be “what are the characteristics of a productive hen?” Students will learn what makes a hen productive, which will be used to establish a laying flock.

                Planning allows for the teacher to focus on specific competencies and objectives they have for their learners. A thorough plan allows for a teacher and students to make sense of the information being presented and apply it to legitimate needs. Students need to have a felt-need—a cultivated desire to learn and understand the material. When teaching is planned accordingly, clarity and variability can be established. Teachers who plan their lessons can more clearly communicate what it is they expect from students, and students are able to comprehend why and how they will they can meet those expectations.

What are the similarities between Significant Learning; Understanding by Design and the Universal Design for Learning?

Understanding by Design framework is an approach to planning units of instruction starting with examining the competencies you want students to meet and working backwards from there. When using this approach, instructors must also establish how those competencies will be satisfactorily met. It is similar to the Significant Learning in as well as the Universal Design for learning in that these learning outcomes are determined before the methods to reach those outcomes are put into place. Variety and continual assessment are key in all three approaches to unit planning. When I read about these approaches, I was confused as to why the process was considered “backward planning”. Shouldn’t all instruction be planned with learning objectives in mind rather than a methods first approach? Unfortunately, the later can dominate the profession, and teachers tend to frame their learning objectives around a textbook or activity rather than the other way around. Having clearly defined and stated learning objectives are key regardless of the approach to planning.

How you will incorporate the three pillars of Universal Design for Learning: multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement?

            These pillars of the Universal Design for Learning are simply practices that allow a teacher to plan variance into their planning process—a key characteristic of effective teachers. Choosing multiple means of representation would include using a variety of approaches in presenting content to students. For example, when discussing the different types of milk product students can match pictures, watch a video on chocolate milk production in Pa, or do a cheese making lab. Each activity would allow for a different means of presenting the material and provide a variety of ways a student can make sense of that content and show what they know.

What is Scaffolding?

                Scaffolding is the approach by which teachers begin teaching at the students’ level of comprehension and build from there. Once a need or objective for the material is established, the teacher needs to make the material flow in a logical way. Using the poultry example above, I can’t expect students to select hens for egg production without first teaching them what makes a hen a better egg producer. I can’t teach them what those characteristics are until they understand what makes a chicken a chicken and not something else. I must start with the basics they understand and then proceed with lessons that require that fundamental knowledge to conceptualize.