SAE Visit: Union County West End Fair Livestock Sale

On August 5th I was invited back to the West End Fair for the 4-H/FFA Livestock Sale. These students must know how to recruit and keep buyers. They had a very good sale with a great price average throughout all species.

Full house of buyers ready to support Mifflinburg 4-H/FFA.

I wanted to focus on meeting more parents and community members during the sale. I bounced around the audience and talked to parents, students, and fair board members. I was surprised just how inviting everyone was. I had actually already met one family way back in April, at the Penn State Club Pig Sale. The student purchased several project animals from the swine barn. (I work at the Penn State Swine Center if you were wondering.) Several animals did not make the weight limit, but every animal that showed up to the fairgrounds was healthy.

Lots of refreshments and treats prepared for the buyers.

Once students get into high school they usually understand the basics of caring for animals, but they need advice from time to time. SAE visits are essential to confirm that all components of the project are sound. It could be checking on how the student gets along with coworkers, how accurate their records are, or if the market steers have water at all times. As agricultural educators it is our responsibility to make sure students are treating both animals and other humans correctly. We are shaping the future of these students. It must be for the good of everyone and everything.

SAE Visit: Union County West End Fair Livestock Weigh-in

On August 1st I had the privilege to travel to the Union County West End Fair and aid Mr. Chuck Kessler in weighing all 4-H and FFA market animals. My cooperating teacher Mr. Kessler is an agriculture educator at Mifflinburg Area High School along with Ms. Lindsey Spurrier. I was surprised to see so many livestock exhibits and youth exhibitors at such a small county fair. Mifflinburg knows what they are doing when it comes to getting kids in the show ring!

Mr. Kessler pictured recording weights for market lambs.

It was very nice to finally start meeting some of the students, parents, educators, and other community members. The small tight-knit community of Mifflinburg seems to be filled with respect for each other. I feel more than welcome and can’t wait for my short stay.

It’s easy to see how Mr. Kessler has been so successful as an educator, when you see him working with the students. He brings a sense of strength and doing by the book t

o the Mifflinburg ag program. Both he and the students love to joke around and enjoy themselves as well. I  got to talk with Mr. Kessler’s wife. Nobody knows the schedule of a high school ag educator better than her. She explained how dedicated Mr. Kessler has been throughout his years of teaching. After we wrapped up weigh in and the afternoon livestock meeting, we headed to the high school to make classes for each species show and all the handouts needed for the shows. This process took us late into the night, but in the end everything was complete and the shows ran smooth. It takes a special kind of person to be a great agriculture educator. You must take pride in your work, celebrate the little victories, and always keep the students first.

Students weighing in their dairy beef project animals.

AEE 412 Weekly Writing #1: My Major Takeaways

Think of one class you enjoyed throughout your educational career. I'll bet it featured a teacher who knew how to motivate you as a student. This teacher created a positive learning environment, where you were not intimidated by the teacher’s presence. He/She was there to work alongside you and help you develop as an individual. You were not given loads of negative feedback after assignments. Your strengths were appreciated and built on top of.

1) Creating a climate of student growth and ownership

As educators we must understand how our students learn best and create a school environment that pushes them to reach their full potential. According to Jack Elliot and James A. Knight “students perform better in situations where the climate is more positive in nature.” It is important that we set the environment on the first day of school and make sure it remains positive. Students need to feel comfortable in their program before they can really push forward with their education. Students must feel comfortable with the knowledge gained in the classroom and be ready to apply it. At this point students learn that they own their education. Teachers have gotten them this far, but know they can take classroom knowledge and really pursue what they want in life.

2) Improving as an educator

In Effective Teaching: Notes for the Beginning Teacher Paul Vaughn lists the top ten teacher characteristics identified by Rosenshine and Furst.

They are as follows:

• Clarity

• Variability

• Enthusiasm

• Tack Oriented/ Business-like Behavior

• Positive Reinforcement

• Student Opportunity to Learn

• Avoided Criticism

• Structuring Comments

• Effective Questioning

• Humor

My areas of improvement need to come in clarity, variability, and structuring comments. As a facilitator I need to develop and communicate more clearly to assure all students are on the right track. 

To accomplish this, I plan to write out my lesson instructions to their entirety and practice. 

I must also develop several different examples or ways to accomplish the task at hand. Some students might understand the first example perfectly; however, others might need to see it done a different way. 

To accomplish this, I will have backup examples waiting in case they are needed.

There are times when my comments come out blunt and to the point. As an educator you must take time to gather your thoughts before commenting.

To Accomplish this, I will focus more on the positives of the experience and not the negatives.

3) Four Stages of Teaching

In Why you need to Succeed on the First Days of School Wong discusses Kevin Ryan’s four stages of teaching. This covers the time period from someone aspiring to be teacher to their students’ achievements.

1. Fantasy

2. Survival

3. Mastery

4. Impact

At this time in my educational career I believe I am transitioning from Fantasy to Survival. So many people have told me that it will be the hardest yet most rewarding year so far. It is not easy being a senior in agricultural education but it is worth it. I have seen this already in my classes during my first week back in school. I am excited to see where this next year takes me.

References:

Agricultural Education Magazine. (2005). Volume 77. Issue 55.

Vaugh, Paul. (n.d.) Efective teaching: notes for the beginning teacher.

Wong, H. Wong, R. (2004). The first days of school: how to be an effective teacher. Harry K. Wong Publications.

AEE 412 Lab: Reflective Teaching Lesson (RTLs) Reflection

Well the first AEE 412 lab is in the book for #psuaged17! Our cohort may be small but we sure are strong! It makes me sad and happy (at the same time) to only have six other class members. I wish we had twice as many in order to fill the teacher shortage. However, the instruction and collaboration we receive with such a small class is second to none.

Today we took turns teaching reflective teaching lessons (RTLs) and assessing what we did well and what improvements we can make. Our teaching lessons were every short (10-15 min). This made time management difficult even with the somewhat simple lesson objectives. The lesson I taught today was on how to tie a bowline knot. Overall I believe the lesson was a success with 86% of the class passing the assessment. My peers pointed out several areas for improvement such as clarifying directions and helping to encourage students as they complete each task. I can also improve my introduction and interest approach. As a student educator I know my weakness is communication. This effects the quality of the directions given to the students. Students may not know enough about a topic to pick up a discussion where I would like to. I need to remember to gauge where my students are and propel them forward from that point.

The whole class seemed prepared and brought an excellent positive tone/enthusiasm to their lesson. This made for a fun and interesting session. As a class I believe we need to continue to learn the context of our lessons, keep preparing effectively, remain respective of our peers’ comments, and keep bringing enthusiasm to our lessons. Our continued hard work and dedication will assure us a bright future in education.

Reflection #3: "The Innovators Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity"

Now that I have finished reading “The Innovators Mindset” and took several days to ponder, I believe I have captured my largest takeaways from Mr. Couros. Innovation in education is not the technology itself. Innovation in education is teaching based on the individual learner. It is a way of thinking that provides students with learning opportunities that actually stimulates their growth as individuals. Agriculture education in itself is very innovative. Students gain practical hands on knowledge that they will use in their future such as wiring a light bulb or installing a drain pipe. They engage in supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs) where they learn about their areas of interest from different people outside the school. Agricultural education gives students a practical, real-life experience. All students should receive some sort of education through agriculture.  

One of George’s eight top things to look for in today’s classroom is giving students a choice (Strength-Based Learning). To truly empower our students we must help them find their true interest/passion and create learning experiences. It is said that “Success builds competence and confidence.” It is much more effective to build our students up and build on top of their strengths. Many teachers in the profession tell their students to try harder……. try harder when they don’t understand a topic or concept. Students are sent home with loads of homework to reinforce concepts that they will never use. It would be much more beneficial if these students spent this time building on their strengths. This has definitely become less of a problem over the past years, and I predict that it will continue to progress.

In chapter eleven, Couros talks about embracing the open culture. In today’s world everyone is connected by their handheld device via social media. Facebook, Twitter, Forums, etc. are great platforms for teachers to share ideas and resources. It is only fair to our students that we continue to connect and learn from other educators. Social media gives us the pathway to find the resources and teaching strategies that will enhance student success.

So how can we be innovative as educators and more specifically agricultural educators? First we need to find what our students are interested in and what they want to do with their futures. This can be extremely difficult for many students who simply do not know what they want or where their interests lie. As educators we need to push our learners to participate in conferences, clinics, and other events. Being an innovative educator may involve obtaining access to herd management software, automotive technician courses, or many other specific tools that will help learners be better prepared for their post high school careers. We as teachers need to take the time and determine what the best path to success is for each student.

“The Innovators Mindset” has been a great read. I have and will continue to reflect on what I can apply to my future classroom. Although this book is geared towards an administrative audience, there is so much I can take away as a future educator. This is a book that I will keep in my arsenal for the rest of my teaching career.