RTL Week 1 Reflection

                                        

During my first week back at PSU, I was given my first RTL to complete during the first AEE 412 lab. This exercise was to gauge where my cohort and I are currently with our teaching abilities.
Through this exercise, I was given a random topic to teach a 15 minute lesson. My topic was leadership visions. I found the process of planning the lessen a little stressful. I had trouble narrowing down my ideas on how to teach the content and what would work best. I learned from this exercise that it is okay to not get everything perfect on the first try, so long as you strive to get better than the person you were yesterday.
Some good things or "gems" that I had in my presentation were activities to engage students in the topic and my enthusiasm for the lessen. Some opportunities I had would be to better plan my time for the lessen and to include more checks for understanding/adding variability.
Overall my first RTL experience was one I will never forget. This experience has shown me some weaknesses and strengths that I have. I will continue to work on these through the semester as I strive to be the best version of myself! 

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Principles of Effective Teaching

Essential Question: How can we facilitate and design excellent teaching and learning?

The first week of classes as a senior in agriculture education has been a whirlwind of knowledge, reflection, and fun. This week I have learned that it is okay to not be perfect on your first try at something new, so long as you learn from the mistakes that were made. This concept is a reflection of a growth mindset. I was excited to read the weekly investment resources for this week because I feel that they tie in with our current discussion as well as build upon a new topic. I found one topic that jumped out at me the most which was: what are the principles of effective teaching? I found this information very useful as I reflect on my first week of classes. The principles of teaching and learning held 16 principles of effective teaching. While each principle is important, I have chosen a few that I feel connects to the discussions I have had during my first week of AEE classes.

Principle 1: When the content matter possesses meaning, organization, clarity, and structure, learning occurs more rapidly for students

Principle 3: Students must be motivated to learn.

Principle 5: Success is a strong motivating force.

Principle 10: Directed learning is more effective then undirected learning.

Principle 12: Students learn what they practice.

These are just a few points that piqued my interest as I continue my student teaching journey. These principles remind me that I am still learning ways to be an effective teacher and adopting a growth mindset will ensure that I never stop learning. I know it will take time, patience, practice, and excellent role models before I can consider myself an expert teacher. As I continue my journey, I know that I will be given the tools needed to be an effective teacher. It is up to me to utilize these resources to be the best version I can be for my future students!

References 

Newcomb, L.H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., & Whittington, M.S (1993). Methods of teaching agriculture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall

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The Wild Card: Part 2

In part one of The Wild Card, I discussed chapters 1-3. For this installment, my mentor team and I read chapters 4-7 of The Wild Card. This book continues to amaze me with eye-opening strategies and advice that would actually work in the classroom!

Chapter 4

"Evaluate where you are today and accept it so you can move forward". This quote is a powerful reminder that as educators, we should continue moving forward and push ourselves to be better for our students and ourselves.  This chapter discussed self-awareness as a teacher and how to evaluate yourself. During our group discussion, I asked a question that was posed in the book to my mentor team. "Do your students want to be in your classroom, or do they merely have to be there?". MK: responded that it can be challenging to interest every student that walks through your door. By creating relationships with your students, it can be easier to appeal to their interests. I feel that this great advice can be utilized by any teacher. Self-criticism can be a tough pill to swallow however being aware of how your students respond in your classroom allows you to improve your teaching techniques.

Chapter 5

"Let desire drive your commitment to challenge yourself and step outside your comfort zone". What is your WHY? After reading this section, my mind instantly connected with Dr. Foster's saying, "It's all about the WHY". The authors talk about their journey and how their WHY has changed. I asked the question, " Has your WHY changed from when you initially started teaching?". MK: responded that her WHY hasn't necessarily changed, but has grown. MW: echoed the same thoughts and also added that without your WHY, it is difficult to find purpose in teaching. My WHY is that I want to help students find their passion in life and help them to be upstanding and educated adults.

Chapter 6

This chapter brought awareness to the importance of self reflection. The chapter focuses on reflecting on personal creativity, goals, and classroom management. I asked the mentor team if the practiced self-reflection. MW: explained that he often finds himself reflecting on his day during his drive home. He stated that it can help recognize the good, the bad, or the ugly of the day so that you don't repeat the same mistakes the next day. The authors also discussed what creativity means. The authors posed the question, does the word creativity intimidate you? I chose to ask this question during our book discussion. MW: responded that he felt that creativity has many forms and that being creative does not always have to produce an item that has been made. I feel the same way about the word creativity, it can be as simple as an idea.

Chapter 7

"Develop a new understanding of engagement".

In the powerful wisdom from the authors, just because students are filling out a work sheet, it does not always mean students are engaged! I posed a question during our discussion about breaking through to engagement. MK: responded that she has learned to recognize when students are engaged versus when they are not. She also explained that she is still working on finding her balance to ensure that every student is engaged during a lesson.

Over-All Thoughts

These four chapters were full of wisdom and creative advice. It is impossible to list the many amazing things discussed in this segment of the book! Reading this book has furthered my excitement for student teaching and has enforced my WHY for pursuing teaching. Stay tuned for the final reflection of The Wild Card!

The Wild Card: Part 1

As I prepare for my student teaching journey, I am accompanied by my virtual mentor team to share thoughts and advice on teaching agriculture. Members of my team include, Matthew Webreck, Jesse Faber, Meagan Slates, and Miranda Kane. One part of the journey is collaborating with one another to read and discuss a professional development book. I chose The Wild Card on a recommendation from Meagan Slates. After reading the description of the book, I knew it would be chalk full of advice and relatable stories.

Chapter 1

In chapter one, both authors discuss the game of life and describing the cards they had been dealt. The message that I got from reading this chapter is that every person that walks through your classroom door will have different life experiences. These experiences may be good or bad, but as a teacher you hold the power to be "the wild card" that makes the difference. I posed the question " Can teachers really be the difference?". JF: Yes, teachers can be the difference but know that with some cases no matter how hard you try, some people will not except your help. 

Chapter 2

The title of the second chapter says it all, "The deck is not stacked against you". In this chapter, the authors discuss what creativity is and that every teacher is capable of being creative. From this perspective, I began to think about many different ideas to be creative in the classroom. Some ideas may flop, others might just be a creative break through, but you never know until you try. The authors also discuss attending a professional development event that helped them to realize their creative potential. I posed the question, "How have professional development opportunities impacted your teaching?". MW: Technology has made a meaningful impact in my classroom. By attending professional development sessions, I have been able to utilize technology to provide guidance to my students and allow them to collaborate in class with their iPads. I agreed with this view on technology. I had the opportunity to attend a technology symposium earlier this year where I gained new ideas to utilize in my professional career and my classroom.

Chapter 3

The third chapter was the last one we covered for our first discussion. This section compares negative self-talk and negative peer talk to a joker. I loved this analogy, I have experienced some personal negative talk myself. I think it is hard to go out of the box for fear of people making fun of your ideas. The authors suggest changing the dialogue, which is a strategy I intend to use the next time the joker tries to play me. These thoughts caused me to pose the question, "How do you handle negative self-talk or negative peer talk?". MK: The joker can be intimidating, especially if you are trying a new idea that is different from everyone else. Just remember that it is more motivating to prove the joker wrong than to give into his negative opinions.

Over-All Thoughts

I am very happy that my mentor team and I chose to read this book. I have already gained important life and classroom advice coupled with witty analogies that are impossible to forget! I can't wait to read the next installment of the book! Stay tuned for more reflections!

Lambs on the Lawn: My Reflection on PSU Ag Day

 What do tractors, lambs, flowers, and ice cream have in common? PSU Ag Day of course! This year was my first year attending and it did not disappoint. From live animals to the horticulture club handing out pansies to seeing children learning how to milk a cow; it was an amazing opportunity to see many facets of agriculture come together and promote the Ag industry by providing hands-on educational topics and activities.

 While there were many things to look at and activities to participate in, I found myself thinking about my Ag Education journey.One thought that I keep coming back to is how do I not only make a difference in my student's lives, but how do I make a difference in the Ag industry?

 PSU's Ag Day reminded me that even the small steps can make a big difference. It reminded me that education can be fun while ensuring students walk away with new knowledge while sparking a new passion along the way. This day reminded me that things can (and probably will) go wrong at times but it is important to keep a smile on your face and your head held high. It also showed me how important it to utilize members and resources within the community to provide more educational and fun opportunities to students! These are just a few highlights that I took away from Ag Day, but  most importantly this day reminded me how I got my passion for agriculture and gave me some great ideas for my future classroom as I continue to strive to be an Ag educator.

Professional Development Experience: TLT Symposium 2018

Big things have been happening to #psuaged19! Last weekend we were afforded the amazing opportunity to attend the Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium held at the Penn Stater Hotel. The day started off with an amazing breakfast followed by the fascinating key note speaker, Stephen Dubner. His speech was filled with so many interesting stories and reflections which brought about my own reflections of his powerful speech. From there I attended a workshop on info graphics and learned how to incorporate them into the classroom as a potential project. I also attended a workshop on the Moral Moments Project that is currently under production by Penn State. In this workshop, we took a bigger look at reflection and communication and how both of these skills are vital for students to participate in. Overall it was a great day filled with laughs, good food, and knowledge about how to incorporate technology into the classroom!

Advice from past Cohorts

This week I had the pleasure of contacting past and current PSU AgEd student teachers to hear their advice to the question "What should you look for in a cooperating teacher and center?". I received valuble advice from Karlie Wright, Matt Snyder, and Megan Keller that all fit together to have different perspectives. Karlie said to "Choose a cooperating teacher that can be "real" with you". Whenever a lesson doesn't go as planned they will give constructive feedback and not "fluffy" words. Karlie also said to consider the location of the school and if it "Is feasible to live there? Can you afford the cost of living?" which I felt was very wise advice to consider. Matt responded with "Selecting someone you are comfortable with and can talk to easily with". This may seem obvious to some but is a very good piece of advice that could be easily overlooked. Finally, Megan commented that "You need someone that can give you constructive feedback, without expecting you to teach exactly like them". This is something that I had not previously considered however I feel that this will be a crucial attribute I consider when selecting my own cooperating teacher and center. I truly appreciated everyone taking time out of their busy schedules to give me advice as I embark on my adventure of selecting a cooperating teacher and center!