The Second National #TeachAgChat- Technology in Ag Education

I feel privileged to have been able to participate in a national twitter chat.

Twitter is still new to me, so I am still learning the basics of how to tweet, use hashtags, and interact with others. And after participating in this national #TeachAgChat I have gained a greater understanding and appreciation for Twitter.

Olivia, Janae and myself held our #TeachAgChat on October 22, 2015. My peers and I discussed the opportunities and challenges with technology regarding School-Based Agriculture Education. I was very excited about our topic because I feel it is very relevant in our 21st century classrooms. Also I think it is a topic of which more and more educators are leading towards and or want to learn more about.

Our chat consisted of 9 questions, with a few sub-questions in between.

We invited other agriculture teachers in PA and beyond, our Penn State technology expert, and other educational guru's to participate in our #TeachAgChat.

3 Thoughts I had after participating in our #TeachAgChat

1. It is FAST!!!! I have participated in a twitter chat before and was surprised at how fast everything goes, however actually conducting the chat, time went even faster. At times I felt very overwhelmed. I found it very difficult to keep up with all the questions and try to interact with each participant as well. Sometimes I would get lost in the twitter feed because it was all happening so fast.

2. Preparation is key! Preparation is important for pretty much everything, especially engaging in a twitter chat. I felt as though my peers and I were prepared in which we took time to create meaningful in depth questions in advance. However, I feel as though we lacked preparation in which we did not invite as many participants as we would have liked to.

3. Informative!! I thoroughly enjoyed our twitter chat as well as other chats that I have engaged in. I have gained so much knowledge and insight just from listening to other educators answer questions and give their insight or thoughts on how they operate their Ag classroom. As a pre-service educator I have gained many ideas and elements that I would like to incorporate in my Ag classroom.

I am very thankful to have been able to participate in and conduct a national #TeachAgChat. I have gained great information as well as developed a PLN with other agricultural educators. I look forward to continue to grow and interact through twitter.


"You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be"-Marianne Williamson

~Ms. Timmons

Are We There Yet?

To many car rides hear the words "Are we there yet?" "Have we made it to our final destination?"

In education, we also need to ask ourselves if we have arrived at our final destination. As an educator I want to ensure that my students reach their final destination of success with their greatest potential. Therefore, it is important to me that, I incorporate mile markers along their routes. I want to create a definite point at which we can stop along the road, asses where we were, where we are now, and where we are heading next. Therefore I feel it is important to evaluate and assess students through their educational journey.

Before I begin a new area of content, I want to put on the brakes and identify what prior knowledge my students have in this content area. I feel it is important to gain a census of where we are now, what we already know, so I can appropriately navigate our class learning in the right direction. Once I have an understanding of what my students already know, I will then be able to identify a point of which I can intervene and pick up with new content material.

After we begin and throughout our learning process, I feel it is important to check for student understanding along the way. A formative assessment is great for checking for progress of where we are now in our learning process. Therefore, on our route to success, I feel it is beneficial to add mile markers such as formative assessments as a gauge of student learning. This mile marker allows me as the teacher to analyze what my students are learning and if we are meeting the objectives I have set forth.


Continuing on our route to success I feel it is important for students to express what they have and are learning through various forms of expression. If applied at the end of the unit, this form of assessment would be titled a summative assessment, in which it evaluates what the students have learned. How far have we traveled? An example of a summative assessment in my floral design course may include asking my students to create a holiday arrangement that identifies 5 design element and 5 principles of design. To assess or evaluate my students learning in this content area, I am asking them to demonstrate their learning and apply that leaning through a floral creation. As the educator, I will assess this project using a rubric. By using a rubric I can quickly and accurately assess my students learning based on what they have demonstrated. Using a rubric to evaluate student learning also allows my assessment criteria to be uniformed and equal for all students(unless an accommodation or modification is required).


Throughout our journey to success I feel it is important to always ask questions. I want my students to constantly be thinking and applying the knowledge they are learning and also go beyond what we are learning. Questioning is a great simple tool for evaluating students learning process and identifying what they are capturing as important material. I feel it is important to ask high level critical thinking questions. I want to push my students to think hard, and apply what we are learning to solve problems.

As an educator, I feel assessments and evaluations are very beneficial to ensure student learning. As my students embark on their routes to success, I want them to take the long way, or the winding path. I want them to think and to use their skills and knowledge to navigate them to great success. However, on the long and windy road, and even along the narrow straight path, there are always  mile markers and areas to pull over. Therefore, I feel it is important to always assess and evaluate student learning to ensure we are on the right path to success.


~Ms. Timmons



Reading material emphasizing topics in this blog, such as rubrics, formative and summative assessments can be found at:
 Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence. (2015). Assessing student learning. Retrieved from http://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-ideas/assessing-student-learning/index.html
Stoughton, A.L. & Myers, B.E. (2008) Creating and working with rubrics. Retrieved from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WC/WC06900.pdf

A Possible Solution to the Problem

Problem solving is stressful for me. I like having all the answers right in front of me.

However, this is not realistic. There are many problems to be solved in every day life. In 412 Teaching Methods lab this week, I taught a lesson in which required my students to engage their problem solving skills.

I conducted my lesson on a milk tasting lab exercise. Within this lab my students had to use their problem solving skills to identify 4 flavor defects in milk.

To begin my lesson I had my students drink a glass of their favorite milk (chocolate or white). As they drank their milk we discussed the flavors, texture, and smell of their milk they were consuming. We then transitioned into how that milk was good tasting, what could bad milk look, smell, and taste like?

I created 4 stations. At each station was a scenario card and a sample of milk. The scenario described the milk sample (an accommodation for students who may be lactose intolerant). The students were given a lab worksheet and asked to write the station number under the flavor defect that they identified. Once students rotated through the stations we identified the four flavor defects and then discussed possible causes of the flavor defect as well as possible prevention tactics.

As I reflect on my own feelings and my peers comments I have identified 3 positive points of my lab and 3 areas that I will improve on.

Positive Points:

1. I feel I created a good lab experience. I feel that this lab was interactive and enjoyable. I think it allowed my students to use problem solving skills to identify the flavor defect.
2. I feel as though I handled gave clear instructions as to what I expected my students to do as they went to each station.
3. I think I interacted with each student well, in which I had each student identify a flavor defect and then read the scenario for that defect.

Points of Improvement:

1. I need to allow/encourage my students to think at higher levels. I feel as though I played the situation down very low and did not give my students enough of a challenge.
2. I need to allow my students to take ownership of the problem. I guided and 'spoon fed' my students throughout the whole problem solving process.
3. I need to work on the organization and structure of creating problem solving approaches.

I feel relieved that I was able to get through this lab with relative ease. I'm satisfied with my presentation, however I will make improvements for next time.

~Ms. Timmons

"I will walk by faith even when I can not see"- 2 Corinthians 5:7

Project Based Learning-Main Meal

Projects are used quite often in our 21st century classrooms. Projects can be used as a way for students to explore content material on their own and then they may be shared to the rest of the class through presentations.

As a pre-service educator I often sway away from projects. I honestly, do not like projects. I do not like competing projects myself, and I struggle with finding purpose in my student's completing projects as well. However, as I researched project based learning in our 21st century classroom, I found that I have a poor concept of how projects can be implemented into purposeful instruction today.

According to Larmer and Mergendoller's  '8 Essentials for Project Based Learning' projects in our classrooms should not only teach content material but they can also be a driving force for questions, inquiry, critical thinking skills, and student voice.

To ensure a project has purpose and meaning we must create a project that encompasses our important concepts and content standards that we are striving for our students to meet. I could create project after project but if my students are not meeting standards and gaining important knowledge it is meaningless to them as well as to my goal of teaching them information.

In order for the project to be specific and meaningful to learners it must focus on a specific driving question. A good driving question is one that captures the meaning of the project in clear concise language. This driving questions will lead the students to find purpose and meaning in their project. This will allow the students to capture the 'need to know benefit' of the project. The students will have a base for why this information is important for us to know.

According to Larmer and Mergendoller "The Main Course, Not Dessert", projects that answer a good driving question are ones that require students to think critically and apply a higher order of thinking. Questions should lead to more questions resulting in students engaging in inquiry. 

Also if students are informed that they must present their project findings to a panel of 'experts' (which could include other students, faculty, parents, etc.) they will be driven to complete their project to a high standard, knowing they have a purpose to convey good information.

I think, a reason why I stray away from projects is because I have not experienced a good implementation of Project Based Learning. For example, when I think of projects, I think of giving each of my students a beef cow breed and asking them to research the breed and then present the breed to the class. This is boring! This is not interesting to me or to other students. What are my students actually gaining from this experience?

After completing this research I have found that I could reconstruct the previous example to ask students to identify more important driving questions. What beef cow breed provide the most lean meat? Why? If I go to the local Steakhouse what type of beef will I be served? Answers to this 'main meal" question should be based on my location, common beef sold in the U.S., meat cut from specific breeds, and price of beef being sold. That one "main meal" question has so many other little questions that can be answered first. All the little questions are questions that may meet content standards as an additional bonus.

Projects in our classrooms can become the main meal of our content if purpose and meaning is given. If we incorporate good effective driving questions as our appetizers, we can lead to purposeful inquiry where students are led by critical thinking through the projects, and we can finish with a delicious dessert presentation of our knowledge to other students and administration.


~Ms. Timmons

A day as an FFA Secretary - Fall Leadership Conference

"Stationed by the ear of corn"
"I keep an accurate record of all meetings and correspond with other secretaries wherever corn is grown and FFA members meet." (the FFA Secretaries opening ceremony lines)

Before today, I unfortunately did not know the opening ceremony lines of an FFA Secretary. As I prepared to facilitate the Secretaries workshop today at the Fall Leadership Conference, I found myself needing to learn all the objectives I was planning for my students to learn. The first objective being able to recite the Secretaries opening ceremony lines with 100% accuracy. (I as well as my students fulfilled that objective today).

Today was a GREAT day!! I feel very confident about the learning and facilitation that occurred today. (I'm so happy with how today went that I wanted to write this blog tonight).

I will just share a few of my favorite highlights from todays lesson.

One of our first activities completed (after bell work, a get to know you activity and the interest approach was conducted) involved the students breaking up into groups based on a colored napkin(red, blue, yellow, or purple) that they received as they entered the workshop.

Once in groups, they were asked to document on a piece of paper their thoughts of the word "Secretary". What comes to their mind when they hear that word? It could be related to FFA or just in general every day life, what does that word mean to them?

One of my favorite answers I heard was "little old ladies typing away"-I mean yeah I totally could see that.

We went around the room and shared and then I got to share with them, what I think of when I hear that word. I think of an office secretary. Someone who has a small desk in front of a large office building. One who is responsible for contacting others, scheduling events, and most importantly taking coffee, and lunch orders of others in the office.

So, luckily for my 21 Secretaries I baked them chocolate chip cookies over the weekend and shared them at this time, to emphasis my thoughts of the word 'secretary'. This was the added 'Ms. Timmons' portion of the lesson plan (because I love to cook and bake...fun fact). Also, I think it was a turning point in waking my students up and creating a more comfortable environment. (I mean what high school student turns away food??).

(Photo by Laura Rice)

Then I transitioned into how the cookies are made up of many ingredients just like the Secretary position is made up of many different roles and duties. Without fulfilling all the roles/duties a Secretary position is not adequately fulfilled. We then continued in to activities talking about 6 roles/duties a secretary should fulfill.

Fast forward to later on in our workshop we completed my other favorite portion of the lesson. As Secretaries, one of their roles is to correspond with others. One way of correspondence in this modern world is through social media. So I created a big white social media post-it for each of the 4 groups.

 

On the Post-it was a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter icon. The instructions for the activity was that each group ( a pretend FFA Chapter) was to create an FFA event. They needed to establish a name, date, time, location, theme, etc. for this event. Once they created the event they were to correspond through the 3 forms of social media and invite others to their FFA event. I felt this was a great way to connect the students to the role of 'correspondence' and make it realistic for them as well. The end result was great! During the activity there was a lot of enthusiasm, and engagement.

 

 

I enjoyed putting my social media skills to the test, by "liking and retweeting their posts".  Such a fun time to interact with the students as well. We went around the room to each group and shared about our upcoming event and how the social media platforms help convey our events through corresponding with others.



 

Overall, it was a great workshop! We had additional activities throughout our lesson to encompass the role of creating and posting an agenda and minutes report. We conducted a tower of Agenda elements. A racing puzzle match, and we also took time to work on our correspondence skills through writing a Thank You note to our Agriculture teachers. This was designed to help students communicate effectively and with appreciation.

 

 

Some areas of improvement for next time, would be to communicate better with co-facilitators and prepare more effectively as a facilitation team. Also, the teaching of agenda and minutes reports was a little dry and rough. A refinement of purpose for activity could improve that.

 

Positive notes from today include being comfortable in front of a group of students. I felt very confident in my teacher skills today. Also, the feedback that I received today was so encouraging. Some of our students took selfies and pictures throughout the workshop and have been tweeting at me and posting their appreciation for all that they learned today (and the cookies) and enjoyed about the Secretary workshop. The environment in our workshop was fun, light hearted and positive. I feel so encouraged and so excited and passionate about a future in Agricultural Education! Today was an Awesome day!!

 

~Ms. Timmons

 

"You have filled my heart with greater joy"-Psalm 4:7

Planning for Units of Success

Planning is the key!! This is the best advise I will every be able to give any young teacher. I am learning the value of planning each and every day as I prepare to student teach in the spring.

The idea of planning a whole unit of study scared me. I felt like I did not know where to even start. However, once I sat down opened my textbook for the course I was planning, it all began to fall into place.

Before I began my Dairy Science unit plan, I knew that this unit was planned to be covered in 4 weeks. Therefore, I needed to create a  unit plan which would be composed of 20 lessons/class sessions. This was a little overwhelming.

As I began my objectives for my unit plan were very vague. As I worked my way through reading the textbook, I found key areas of content that I felt would be important for my students to learn. So once I identified what I wanted to teach, I then identified the objective that I wanted them to gain from each section. I also knew that I wanted to incorporate a few lab exercises with milk and cheese, since after all this is a dairy unit.

I felt confident as I created my unit plan. I felt that my unit as whole was effective in capturing the importance of studying dairy science. Furthermore, as I established each lesson I felt good about my ability to chunk the material and divide all my content up into cohesive meaningful lessons.

Based on my peer feedback, I still feel confident with my ability to create a lesson plan. I am pleased with the feedback I received and I look forward to create the remaining 16 unit plans.

A few areas that I plan to improve for next time include addressing my academic and benchmark standards. I am still a little unfamiliar with these standards and how to properly implement them, so for future unit plans I want to devote more time to using them effectively.

Also I need to create a point of clarity when I state there will be a quiz. I need to emphasize in which lesson the quiz will be occurring and when it will be taken

Overall, I am very happy with my first unit plan and I feel confident as I embrace create the remaining unit plans.

Effectively Questioning

Questions, questions, questions. We all have questions, right?

I think we all have many questions running through our minds at almost any point in time. We may not recognize them as questions, but I believe we are constantly wondering and thinking, which in turn creates many questions.

As an educator, how do I get my students thinking and pondering new questions based on my content material that I am teaching? How do I encourage my students to create their own questions and seek answers?

According to Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence, questions are the key to student understanding and comprehension. Questions are effective in assessing students engagement, retention of material, and stimulating discussion and high order thinking. Questions are very useful for students and teachers.

I like to think of a lesson as a little outdoor scenery. I envision content material as stepping stones. So as I begin a lesson I may start my lesson by taking little steps to stones in close proximity, until I get a framework of the material built up.

As I continue to get involved in content material I can begin to take bigger steps and lead to bigger stepping stones that increase the depth of my knowledge. As I continue to 'travel' deeper in my content 'setting' I find that my stepping stones are becoming farther apart. The content material is becoming more and more stretched from where I first started. As a student, at this point I feel I need a helping hand before I can make another big jump in content.

I need a bridge. I need to stop ask questions and review what I have learned, restate where I am going, and connect all the content material I have learned so far with the questions and concerns I am thinking or encountering. The bridge, (my questions) will allow me take take a leap of understanding forward and continue on my learning journey.

I think questioning is a great component to student success. As an educator, I was to encourage my students to strive for the very best. I want their minds to wonder. I want them to constantly be thinking of "why, what, if, how, when" questions. I want them to be able to develop a 'bridge' of questions as a way to establish content relationships and develop thinking skills as to how their 'journey' will continue.

According to "Effective Questioning Techniques"  by James Dyer, questions are effective when they establish relationships between concepts. Just as the bridge analogy illustrates.

Questions can be asked in two different level. Low level questioning and high level questioning. Low level questioning include questions that incorporate Bloom's Taxonomy of knowledge, comprehension, and simple applications.  A low level question could be thought of as a bridge very a very small slope. In contrast, a high level question is a deeper questions that asks students to use applications, analysis, and synthesis. These higher level questions illustrate a very steep skinny bridge. One that requires more thinking, and inquiring of each step.

Most importantly, I think questioning is a great tool for teachers to use to assess comprehension, develop student independence and thinking skills, and create connects between content material. Questions are everywhere, questions are inevitable, but questions are also a foundation for learning.