Here is a link to the Recording: https://meeting.psu.edu/p3x2v9t28i5/
Resource Links:
PA Ag Teacher Directory - http://go.cas.psu.edu/paaged/
2013 FFA Activities Week Results: http://aese.psu.edu/ag-educators/2013-ffa-activities-week
National FFA CDE Info: https://www.ffa.org/programs/awards/cde/Pages/default.aspx
PA FFA CDE Info: http://www.paffa.state.pa.us/CDE%20Manual.htm
Response to the Ticket Out Questions.
What are you curious about?
- Why in AEE 412 do you recommend 3 objectives maximum, but in AEE 311 you have 5 or 6?
- Great Question! Recommended Learning objectives directly correlate with the amount of instructional time. The recommendation of 3 is for the standard instructional time in a HS of 50 minutes. We have 90 instructional minutes on Tuesdays in AEE 311, so you will see usually 4-6. On Thursdays with 50 minutes, you will see 2-3. Thanks for asking.
- Do we have meat evaluations in PA and who runs it?
- Yes,
- Carole Fay (Penn Manor), 717-872-9520 (Ext1593), 717-872-0934 (FAX), carole.fay@pennmanor.net
- Guy Amoroso (WB Saul HS), 215-487-4470, 215-487-4844 (FAX), gamoroso@philasd.org
- Crosswalks for Curriculum/Academic Standards? What does this mean?
- We need to be able to evidence to all stakeholders (primarily administrators) that our activities are going to improve student academic achievement, so we crosswalk to academic standards that they understand. Here is an example where Mike Clark from Greenwood did this for PA CDEs: http://aese.psu.edu/ag-educators/resources/connection
- How can I get local companies to help prepare my CDE teams for competition (like Dr. Crutchfield with Tractor Supply)?
- Usually you just have to ask! Have a clear request of how they help you better instruct your students! You will more often hear yes than no, but you have to ask!
- Will new CDE's be added or will CDEs be taken away?
- Depends on participation, demand, and finances!
- How do you feel about students competing in an event at states more than once?
- Is learning occurring? Are students growing and developing?
- How do you know when enough time is enough or not? Can intense be to intense, even if they want to win?
- Experience.
- When did CDEs become a part of FFA?
- Well, the first "CDE" was the American Royal Livestock Judging and was conducted in 1926 before FFA existed.
- IF CDEs are related to your class instruction, then should only students in a particular class participate in a particular CDE?
- Well, not exactly. What if a freshman is really interested, but has not taken the class yet? They could do it and then ti would act as an "interest approach" to the class or allow them to learn the material better when they were in the class. Or it could be a student who has completed the class, really likes it, wants to learn more (extend the classroom) and would be awesome!
- What are PA CDE events not offered at the National Level?
- Conservation Public Speaker, Tractor Driving, Small Gas Engines, FFA Knowledge, Aquatic Resources, Public Speaking-Junior, Wildlife, Scrapbook
- How do you become a chair of a STATE CDE? Do you have to be elected or just sign up?
- Volunteer!
- How long did Dr. Crutchfield Teach?
- 14 years!
- What do you think are the top 3 most important CDEs in PA & Nation?
- The ones where the students have fun learning about careers.
- When do programs create a POA?
- Chapter Officers usually start at the Officer Retreat in the Late Spring/Summer to be approved by membership in early Fall.
What did you learn?
- CDEs help address 21st Century Skills. (http://www.p21.org/)
- If you do not teach it (it is not in your curriculum), you probably should not have a team in that CDE!
- Every State's CDEs can be different!
- When you start teaching, you should probably limit yourself to coaching 3 CDEs.
- CDEs can be a potential authentic assessment to instruction.
- NEVER let your students be embarrassed by being unprepared.
- Teachers need awesome support systems
- Research supports appropriate use of healthy competition in the classroom.
- CDES are an extension of my classroom & classroom! AWESOME speaker!
- There are 25 CDEs at the National Level.
- Teach all your students the CDE Info! Not just the team members
- It takes $50K a year with a 3 year commitment to sponsor a National CDE!
- Start teams with a goal mind set
- Positive Feedback is key!
What do you want to learn more about?
- Would it be good idea to invite local 4H clubs to participate/help with similar events/contests?
- That is not a good idea, it is a GREAT idea. Collaboration is the Key!
- How long should CDE's be taught before offering the option to compete?
- You can compete right after you teach it!
- Is there research being done by agricultural educators to back up CDE importance?
- Yes, in different ways this is being looked at!
- Where is the national handbook?
- See the link list at top!
- How can I use CDEs to assess?
- Just conduct a mock event in your program/class!
- I want to learn more about how to start an Alumni Organization at the Local Level
- The Foster Book of CDE practices
- This is better shared in conversation over a cold drink!
- How do Ag Teachers prepare students for CDEs, is it strictly in the classroom or do they practice every day like a sports team?
- It depends, but most competitive teams have practice outside of scheduled class time.
- Shouldn't every state have the same opportunities for CDES?
- No, because every state has different needs.
- How can I become a better ag teacher/coach for my future students?
- Stay involved and keep working :) Experience is the key!
WOW! I know you didn't get all that from me so it leads to the assumption that you have an amazing teacher! Congrats, Dr. Foster for facilitating that much absorption of information, practice, and paradigm!
ReplyDeleteI'll follow up on a few items:
1. Standards--testing isn't going away any time soon and it's imperative that we document and prove that a complete agricultural education program really impacts student learning, specifically student preformance on academic assessment. That's why you have Dr. Foster's example of a teacher who has linked PA's standards to state CDE's and you have all NFFA CDE's linked to academic standards in the handbooks. An even better way to do it will be for secondary instructors to start using assessment data to prove their local instruction is impacting their actual students. Those numbers speak volumes to an administrator, parents, and community. It's not hard to do and I bet Dr. Foster can give you some techniques for doing it. It's important to remember that administrators are being hired and fired based on their ability to impact test scores in their schools. If you can prove the ag department is beneficial to their cause, it will no longer be an expensive CTE program that is NICE to have but an expensive CTE program that is a necessity and worth every dime.
2. Intensity--Dr. Foster is right, experience will help you figure out when to push. I have always perscribed to the belief that "the mule balks and sulks at the crack of the whip but the thoroughbred runs harder and faster." You'll learn through trial and error whether you've got the mule that has to be convinced it's what he/she wants to do versus the thoroughbred who wants to please his partner in the race.
3. Getting rid of CDE's--I think the only CDE that was ever terminated was Mule Judging! NFFA staff and foundation work really hard to make sure we don't loose viable events, especially after we've invested so much time and effort to make them happen in the first place.
4. Partnering with 4-H--I agree that it's a fantastic idea. They often have resources and experts that we don't know about in the ag ed department. By partnering you can often share work, responsibility, and expenses for events and activities. Louisiana FFA is actually very intertwined with the state 4-H, they share state level competitions, reducing the expense for both organizations.
5. States having same CDE's--Dr. Foster is right, every state is so different because their agriculture is different. While it makes sense to have wool grading out west where most of the primary wool is being produced, I don't know that it would make much sense to have it in PA. Same goes for cotton grading in TX, coffee and tuber plant CDE's in Puerto Rico, and string band or quartet CDE's in Alabama. That's why it takes 15 states conducting a CDE before we'll even take a look at it from a national perspective.
6. Becoming a better ag teacher/coach--You all are so far ahead of my generation of ag teachers! All we were really thinking about was content back in the day. Your generation of teachers are going to make the veterans proud to leave the profession in your hands because you're not just delivering the content. From the beginning you are able to see how everything works together-instruction, impacting academic standards, developing solid partnerships with administrators and community members, and developing leadership in every single student rather than focusing exclusively on the outstanding FFA members.
It was my honor and privilege to contribute just a smidge to your ROCK STAR status! I look forward to seeing you in the classroom in the near future.