Guest Blogger Series: Why, How, What? Program of Activities

The classic FFA activities: fundraisers, recruitment events, food drives, annual chapter banquet, etc. What's the purpose? It's not about what we do, it's about why we do it. Simon Sinek's golden circle is a great way to put this into perspective.

Why?
FFA activities and events are catalysts of change that transform perspectives, habits, career ambitions, and relationships in an authentic and intentional way. Our purpose is to grow and empower students. With guidance, students develop and deliver their own learning experiences through a chapter's program of activities (POA). Planning and executing a quality POA at the local level is powerful.

How?
Success is the result of creative planning and detailed preparation. To invest in chapter success, students set goals and plan the necessary steps to accomplish these goals. By engaging in the development and delivery of a quality POA, students develop leadership and planning skills which are essential in all careers. The key to a quality POA is getting every member involved. The steps to develop and implement a successful POA are outlined in four steps:

• Plan: The POA should be organized by using student committees. The number of committees and committee structure varies by chapter. The chapter vice president is tasked with coordinating the work of committees and every member should serve on at least one committee.
• Develop: Once committees are formed, the POA can be developed. Planning forms are available to aid in the development of the POA. These forms make it easy to write the rough draft by hand, present the plan to the chapter for approval or amendment and prepare the POA for distribution.
• Do: Once the POA is developed and approved by members, the next step is for committees to plan each activity and event. What steps are necessary to achieve the goals approved by members? Make it happen!
• Reflect: Plans are useless without implementation. The POA is a tool used to help the chapter meet members' needs and interests. Reflection is an ongoing process. The POA should be reviewed and reflected upon regularly.

What?
The POA assists in defining chapter goals, outlining steps needed to meet those goals and acts as a written guide to provide a calendar of events the chapter will follow in the year ahead for administrators, advisory committees, alumni and other stakeholders. Every year each FFA chapter takes time to plan ways to provide engaging opportunities focused on growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture.

There are a variety of resources available to aid in the planning, development and delivery of a local program of activities. These include:

• POA Resource Guide - 15 page resource that walks a user through planning, developing, doing and reflecting on a program of activities.
• POA Planning Forms - these four forms are available in PDF and Word. Examples and instructions are included in the POA Resource Guide.
• National Chapter Award Program handbook - this includes information, a scoresheet and rubric for the National Quality FFA Chapter Standards as well as everything needed to be successful in the National Chapter Award Program.
• Chapter Success Guides - each year, a magazine is created to showcase the national finalists in the national chapter award program. These exceptional chapters are planning, developing, delivering a quality program of activities and reflecting on their experiences in a purposeful way. The 2015 guide is a great immediate resource. The 2016 guide will be available in the spring of 2017 and will feature Midd-West FFA of Pennsylvania!

For more information  please visit www.ffa.org/nationalchapter or contact nationalchapter@ffa.org.

AEE 311 Session 10 Ticket Out: What is a Program of Activities?

Thanks for a great "Jill Gordon Day" session this morning ;). Check out the ticket out answers below! I have sent to link to Stephanie as well, so hopefully any questions that are geared towards her will be answered! I will try my best to answer from what I know already :).

Other important information: There are currently 3 POA examples loaded onto Angel as well as my own assignment from last year. Seriously, let me know if you have any questions about the assignment! You can reach me on Angel mail, email (jag5750@psu.edu) or Twitter (@jillianpsu).

Also feel free to contact Mrs. Jolliff in regard to any resources. You can reach her at jolliff@ridgemont.k12.oh.us

What are we curious about?

• National FFA
• This is quite the broad question, check out their website (ffa.org) to see the different programs, activities and resources that are available (both as a collegiate student and an ag teacher) if you have a more specific question, comment below or tweet out and I will get back to you!
• How the built in grade works for tying FFA into the classroom
• Given that FFA in an INTRAcurricular activity (built INTO the classroom) and that Pennsylvania is an affiliate state (meaning all ag ed students are FFA members) many programs now give grades for FFA involvement. So if you are enrolled in an Ag course, a portion of your total grade will go to the activities you attend. Linked here is the sheet that Stephanie gives her students to keep track of involvement.
• What makes Jolliff's banquet different from others?
• Going to lobby this one to Stephanie! (I have a copy of last year's program if anyone is interested)
• How do I initially start creating a POA?
• Remember that this assignment is NOT about creating a POA! It's about figuring out how to start a program in your school. See the examples on Angel to get a better understanding. Personally, I think a good place to start is looking at committee structure!

What did we learn?

• Many components of implementing POA
• How to get more student involvement
• Ridgemont FFA Chapter
• What characteristics make an effective POA
• Jolliff is super woman
• How to get students involved in POA

What do we want to learn more about?

• A successful POA
• Check out Stephanie's website to get more info on the structure of theirs. Remember, it will only be successful if it is student centered and student driven!!!!!
• How to phase out "sacred cows"
• I am going to let Stephanie give her input on this as well :)
• How long did it take to get Ridgemont where it is today? What other growth would you like to see?
• Getting a high school as a whole more involved with an Ag program?

If you missed the session or want to watch it again, click here!

Stephanie's Website (with Ridgemont Info)

Click here to check out the Ridgemont FFA Pinterest page!

Session 8 - Program of Activities - September 24th

Remember our Twitter Hashtag is #aee311; Ag Teachers are responding to class info!

Our Guest Speaker Today was Ms. Jenna Genson from National FFA (jgenson@ffa.org; Twitter: @jgenson). The Recording can be found at: https://meeting.psu.edu/p7igly5u4f3/

Response to Ticket Out

What are you curious about?

• Embedded course to Korea... Will there be a meeting in the fall about it?
• I am going to toss this one to Dr. Foster... I am not sure of the plans for a meeting. I am sure there will be more information coming out through the Teach Ag Blast emails.
• DR. FOSTER's Response: We will begin advertising next week for applications. At this time we anticipate 5 students from PSU being able to go.
• How the schools in the "innovate" book thought of all of such creative ideas?
• There are creative people out there! If you believe you are not creative, one of the best things you can do is team up with people that can be innovative/creative. It is a team effort in developing/implementing great ideas.
• The report... Does everyone do this or just the "outstanding" chapters?
• Everyone has the opportunity to complete the application, but it is your outstanding chapters that are selected/recognized.
• Dr. Foster's Addition: the Forest Lake Annual Report is "above and beyond" and not required by states/schools, but how awesome would it be if more schools did that?
• How are activities selected for POA (there are so many options)?
• You need to work with your officers and members to address the activities that are important to your chapter. Choose what is right for your community and members.
• How involved should the advisor be in creating the POA?
• This can vary by the advisor, but my belief is that the advisor is here to guide the development of the POA. They are a sounding board for what may or may not work.
• What makes an awesome FFA chapter?
• An awesome FFA chapter is one that works to engage its members in the activities that help develop students' leadership capacity. It engages all of the students in some manner to make the chapter, school, and community better!
• Why don't some schools have POA's?
• If a school wants to be approved by the state for funding, they need to have some type of POA. With that said, some POA's are better than others, and those that are most effective are developed by the the student members, with the guidance of their advisor. Some schools may not have an effective POA, and this is not fair to the students that are part of the program.
• How many chapters from PA have won National Awards for outstanding POA's?
• I will contact Cliff Day at PDE to see if he can provide us with some data. Otherwise, results from last year can be found at https://www.ffa.org/pressroom/awardresults/Pages/default.aspx
• I would very much like to see a version of the Willcox POA :-)
• Dr. Foster???
• Foster's Response: I will see if I can find it. I did have a Computer failure and lost some digital records.
• For the POA, are we being graded or scored against a rubric?
• Yes, there is a rubric. Double-check the assignment handbook.

What did you learn?

• Show students other's success/ideas to get them excited about what they can do!
• National application and how it can lead to awards.
• POA/how to have a great chapter
• POA's can be different from school to school. 
• That there is more than one award available at the national level.
• S.M.A.R.T. Goals
• Involve ALL students in the POA.
• The structure of the POA and the basics that should be included.
• That there is a difference between a POA and a calendar of events.
• 15 quality standards.
• Great tips!
• How to re-assess the POA.

What do you want to learn more about?

• For the officer selection plan - does a student advisor still take on the role as described online as an actual advisor does?
• The student advisor does complete many of the tasks that advisor would complete. They work closely with the advisor to make sure they are completing the duties as described.
• How do you decide that an activity fits into a certain category?
• The activity has to be examined, and then the team decides how/where best the activity fits into the overall plan of the chapter. Some activities are easier to place, but the important part is to make certain that the activity is important and then placed into a category that makes sense, and that the members take ownership of that activity. 

• Ways to engage students in events?
• You have to make sure that it is relevant to what the students want. Students need to "buy-in" to the event/activity or they will not be as invested in the event.
• How much is too much for a POA?
• This will vary by the number of members, and the amount of time that the members are willing/able to invest in making the POA function. The POA is "living" document and it needs to change to fit the chapter. The advisor has to help guide/balance how much the chapter can accomplish. Otherwise, there will be a lot on paper, but not much in action.
• How to apply for the National Chapter Award?
• See https://www.ffa.org/programs/awards/nationalchapter/Pages/default.aspx
• I am still insecure about my ability to put together a POA. 
• Check out the POA forms at https://www.ffa.org/programs/awards/nationalchapter/Pages/default.aspx and be sure to ask more questions!
• Foster's Addition: Remember:
• 1. You can request a one-on-one instructor consult
• 2. You can ask for a deadline extension
• 3. You can resubmit after getting your grade/feedback.
• How do students develop their own mindset of "running their own chapter"?
• This goes back to the idea of student "buy-in". The students have to "own" the ideas or they are just implementing something that someone else has created, and then they are not motivated to make it a success.
• How do we involve community members in the POA?
• Make sure to take AEE 413! We talk a lot more about community partnerships and how to incorporate the community into the total program, not only the POA!
• For assignment #2, does the lesson plan need to be written out word for word or just outline format and highlight the lesson?
• The lesson does not need to be written out word for word, but there must be enough information to convey the content. You, as the instructor, must be able to utilize the plan. Keep in mind that as you first begin to teach, you need to make sure that you have enough description/guidance in your lesson that you go back to it when needed. I like to think of this as learning to drive... Ask me about my "10 and 2" example.
• Foster's addition: A substitute should be able to pick up and teach the lesson.