Session 6 - Scholarship of Teaching and Learning with Dr. Rice

February 17th

Guest Speakers:
Dr. Laura Rice
Dr. Tracy Hoover
Dr. Micheal Tews

What are you curious about?

• The time expectations for collecting SoTL. Is it usually a side project that specific disciplines take on or something that some people specialize in and collect throughout disciplines?
• This is dependent upon your position description, but most all tenure-track positions asks for some evidence of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning which can have many forms.

• Effective teaching and classroom management for your personality strengths
• I am not sure I understand what you are asking, but I will share that there is NOT one way to be successful. Authenticity and sincerity to self is of the upmost importance, but all teaching should have basic components of organization, variability, and clarity.

• Challenges for female instructors, particularly with classroom management.
• If you would like, I would strongly recommend simply reaching out to successful female instructors in your discipline and around you and asking them for their thoughts. I am sure Dr. Hoover would love a conversation. Mentoring is available, but you must seek it out. If you need help selecting someone to talk to, please just email me directly and I will connect you with someone.

• Developing the characteristics of a good teacher.
• Comes from practice!

• More about how to incorporate FUN in the classroom
• Same advise as classroom management. Seek out someone to ask and talk to. If you need assistance, please email me directly.

• What kind of cliches exist in teaching?
• I am unsure what you are looking for in your question, but would be glad to discuss face to face if you so choose.

• How many natural resources people are in NACTA?
• I do not know for sure, but I suggest you email Dr. Rick Parker, executive director of NACTA (nactaeditor@pmt.org), and ask! He loves sharing about NACTA as evidenced by his guest post: http://psuaee530.blogspot.com/2016/02/nacta-then-now-and-in-future.html

What did you learn?

1. NACTA exists and is awesome. I definitely look forward to taking advantage of it. 
2. Much more detail about SoTL and a better idea of where our SoTL assignment is going
3. Several tactics from Dr. Tews for being a better teacher, particularly ways to create a more engaging learning experience, and reduce distractions and lateness among students. 
4. Learned about NACTA which is a professional society that focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning in agriculture and related disciplines at the postsecondary level.
5. More on how to manage students!
6. How to integrate fun into the classroom.

What do you want to learn more about?

• What are the expectations of the presentation for Assgt 6? Will it occur during class or outside of class?
• You can find the info sheets here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9rwwS2lj61cSy0yU0FadmlqQ2M. There is a specific document on the proposal expectations 
• Presentations will be done as time exists sporadically in the last 4 class sessions

• Moving from a teacher who's going through the motions to becoming committed to Scholarship of Teaching & Learning. 
• Great! Our experiential assignments will help with this process!

• Assignment 6 and more detail on section II. 
• Please email specific questions that still exist after reviewing the documents in the Assignment Folder referenced above. I would be glad to review any drafts ahead of schedule.

• How to be successful in my career?
• Persistence

• Examples of the SoTL proposal.
• As you are the first class to complete this, I do not have class examples; however, any SoTL peer reviewed article shows a great pathway. See NACTA Journal: https://www.nactateachers.org/index.php/journal-sp-1148215168

Week 6 Instructor Video Reflection

Student Introductions:. Dr. Ivan Sopushynskyy, Associate Professor, Ukrainian National Forestry University

Hello Everyone! I am a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Ecosystem Science of Penn State University within Woskob International Research in Agriculture Scholar Program. I am working as Associate Professor at the Department Botany, Wood Science and Non-Wood Forest Products of Ukrainian National Forestry University.

I am very happy to visit the course AEE 530: Teaching and Learning in Agricultural Sciences, because I got different kind of academic spirits how we can manage the scientific materials and to operate with them. The knowledge of learning and teaching experiences are of great importance but all times, we need to find the platform how to operate with huge amount of information as well how to transfer them to our students and to figure out the effective approaches to be successful. 

In my point of view, this class meets all of above mentioned requirements. I would like to thanks of all classmates for good conversations.

Session 5 - Teaching & Learning with Technology with Brad Olson

Addressing our online weekly ticket outs after a great guest session

Session 5 - February 10th 

What am I curious about?

• The SoTL Proposal?
• Did you check out the assignment #6 info sheet? Dr. Rice will share some great information in the Week 6 session.

• "Curve of adoption/diffusion" for present day technology. how does this map to adoption of technology in the past, ie: hand tools to horse drawn agricultural equipment or horse power to tractor power?
• E. Rogers did some interesting work didn't he? You know, Melanie Miller Foster (Ag Admin 106; @GlobalMelanie) loves to talk about diffusion. Check out this great summary: http://www.enablingchange.com.au/Summary_Diffusion_Theory.pdf 

• The effectiveness of using a blog as a teaching portfolio and how it affects job applications
• Here are some tips I shared with my students earlier this month:
  Ways that job seekers can use a blog to land a job Job seekers who have a blog should use it to write about their industry to highlight their skills and knowledge to potential employers, content marketer Christopher Jan Benitez writes in this post. Candidates should not, however, use their blog to vent their frustrations with a current employer. "While expressing yourself is a completely natural reaction, these negative emotions can be damaging if they end up on your blog," he writes. Brazen Careerist/Brazen Life blog (1/21) Using new technology -- and a worthy resume -- to land a job. Job hunters should be able to leverage modern, online tools such as social media and job boards to be successful, career expert Audrey Thompson writes in this blog post. Along with advanced technology, having a clear, concise and error-free curriculum vitae and job-specific cover letter also is essential, she suggests. "If you use all the resources available to you and submit a polished resume, you become a much better prospect among the competition," Thompson writes. Careerealism.com (1/22) How writing in a journal can improve a career. Writing regularly in a journal about plans, dreams, challenges and work situations can help professionals improve both their life and career, Human Workplace CEO Liz Ryan suggests. Ryan offers 25 journal prompts that can help professionals "envision the life and career you want." Forbes (2/4)How professionals can become thought leaders in their field. To become a thought leader, professionals should be writing down their ideas about topics they're passionate about and posting them on blogs or giving talks about them, Liz Ryan, CEO and founder of Human Workplace, suggests. "You will become a thought leader the minute you begin sharing your ideas with other people," Ryan writes. Forbes (1/27)

• Is my current blog ok or do I need to update to Wordpress?
• You need to use what you are most comfortable with to accomplish you goals!

What did I learn?

1. I learned about the TWT certificate and portfolio and the requirements for it. 
2. I  learned the benefits and consequences for technology in the classroom. 
3. I can DO this TWT certificate within the course requirements! I can make an ePortfolio using tools I have access to right now. LOVE the one-to-one chart of assignments to e-portfolio requirements!
4. That "technology" seems to be fairly loosely defined for the TwT certificate and is less intimidating than I expected for someone who isn't very tech-savvy
5. How the assignments line up with the TLT certificate.

What do I want to learn more about?

• I want to learn more on the TWT requirements and examples of what we will be constructing. 
• This link shares some examples! http://twtcert.tlt.psu.edu/completed/

• There is a "one button" recording studio I need to look into!
• And they LOVE to be asked questions on how to use it better! http://onebutton.psu.edu/ 

• How to expand my comfort with using technology in a classroom setting beyond simple Powerpoint presentations
• First step is to TRY!! Learn by doing!

• What type of website/blog should I look to maintain?
• One that you are comfortable with and will find practical to help you accomplish your goals!

Post Class Reflective Video

Guest Blogger: NACTA - Then, Now and in the Future, Rick Parker

About the Author: R. O. (Rick) Parker grew up on an irrigated farm in southern Idaho. He received his bachelor’s degree from BYU-Provo and his PhD from Iowa State University. He completed post-doctorates at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and the University of Wyoming. After Wyoming he wrote textbooks with Dr. M. E. Ensminger, author of numerous early animal science textbooks. Returning to Idaho, Dr. Parker served as division director and instructor at the College of Southern Idaho for 19 years. He then worked as director for AgrowKnowledge, the National Center for Agriscience and Technology Education, a project funded by the National Science Foundation. Currently, he is president of the National Agricultural Institute and the editor of the peer-reviewed NACTA Journal, which focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning. He continues to teach biology, food science, and animal science for the College of Southern Idaho. Dr. Parker is also the author of the following Cengage Learning texts: Aquaculture Science (Third Edition), Introduction to Plant Science, Fundamentals of Plant and Soil Science, Introduction to Food Science, and Equine Science (Fourth Edition). He is also the co-author of Fundamentals of Plant Science.

NACTA stands for North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. It is a 61 year-old organization focused on the improvement of teaching and learning in post-secondary agriculture, food and natural resources programs.

My first NACTA Conference was in 1988 at Oregon State University. I went to “investigate” at the request of a friend from grad school. He was a NACTA member and he said it would be “good for me to join.” My first impression of NACTA: “A bunch of old guys talking to each other about teaching and reading lots of reports.” Regardless, I felt that I could gain something from their experience, so I joined. Now 28 years later, I am one of the “old guys!” But NACTA is a new and vibrant organization.

Thanks to the vision and persistence of the “old guys” NACTA grew and changed. Each new president and members of the executive committee helped the organization by:

·         Reaching new faculty members and grad students

·         Changing the dues structure

·         Contributing conference profits to the growth of NACTA

·         Developing organizational job descriptions

·         Approving website development and electronic manuscript submissions

·         Modifying and standardizing the annual conference format

·         Streamlining the NACTA Teaching Awards

·         Promoting NACTA with their peers

I could point to many examples of the changes in NACTA. First and foremost, when I became the Editor in 2002, the organization was “just getting by financially.” The organization operated with a “comfortable” zone where income and expenses were both minimal. Now the organization operates with enough of a budget that it can focus on new opportunities for growth and change.

In 1993, the annual NACTA Conference was held at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. During that Conference we had 25 abstracts presented and about 110 people attended.  At the annual conferences the past five years 200 to 250 abstracts were presented with conference attendance between 300 and 400.

The NACTA Journal is peer-reviewed and focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning. It is published electronically four times a year – March, June, September and December. Members of NACTA publish for free and they receive an annual hardcopy (350 to 400 pages) of all four issues at the end of each year. All of the past issues of the NACTA Journal (1961 to present) are online and searchable: https://www.nactateachers.org/index.php/journal-sp-1148215168. 

Over the past 10 years, submissions to the Journal have tripled to 100 to 120 per year. Acceptance rate for the Journal averages about 66%. The Journal also features Teaching Tips/Notes and these can be found on our website: https://www.nactateachers.org/index.php/teaching-tipsnotes-sp-1804864485.

The best part of the “now:” Our members are diverse. They cover all the age groups, female and male, many cultural backgrounds and many teaching disciplines. When these individuals come together for our annual conference they bring the “energy” of their diversity to learn and share about just one discipline – TEACHING.

If you are looking for a premier organization that focuses on, supports and recognizes teaching in agriculture, food and natural resources at the post-secondary level, then join NACTA (https://www.nactateachers.org/index.php/membership-application).

Learn more about NACTA on our website: https://www.nactateachers.org/index.php; Like NACTA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NACTA.teachers/; and follow us on Twitter @nactateachers

NACTA’s  history is important. Actions of the “founders” laid the foundation for where we stand now to build for the future. For teachers of agriculture, food and natural resources the future has never been brighter. To meet the food and fiber needs of 9 billion people by 2050 we need those who can excite and engage learners. NACTA needs those individuals who regardless of their area of expertise see the scholarship of teaching and learning as the discipline that brings us together.

 

Student Introduction: Tetiana Popova, Visiting Scholar

Hi! My name is Popova Tetiana. I am a participant of the Woskob International Research in Agriculture Scholar Program (WIRA). I am Assistant Professor of the Economic Theory Department in Tavria State Agrotechnological University (Ukraine). I teach such courses as “National Economics”, “Microeconomics” for first and second year students and “Global Economics” for master students of the Faculty of “Economics and Business”.

My research focus on community and economic development, community economics, rural policy, teaching and learning in agricultural education.

In many parts of the world, higher education is viewed as an engine for the development of a knowledge-based economy with higher education policies, programs and practices. Ukrainian educational system follows the world trends and suggests the implementation of modern methods of training to improve the educational level of students, their ability to think critically in various forms of creative activity. Review of relevant literature in this area, as well as my own experience, has shown that the universities in the USA use advanced teaching methods, tools and skills. Besides defined above teaching techniques are well developed in Penn State University.

I enjoy being in AEE 530, because it gives me a unique opportunity to enhance my own professionalism by expanding knowledge in new teaching methods and skills and studying the positive experience in this area!

Contact me: popovatatiana89@gmail.com

Student Introductions: Meghan Tanner, MS Student

"Be all that you can be. Find your future--as a teacher." -Madeline Fuchs Holzer

Hi Everyone! My name is Meghan Tanner and I am working towards a MS in Agricultural Education and Extension (AEE). I earned my BT in Agricultural Business Management with a concentration in Agricultural Education from SUNY Cobleskill in New York.

I grew up on a small dairy farm in New England where I fell in love with agriculture. As I grew up, I was active in 4-H and FFA, which lead to me falling in love with teaching. So Agricultural Education seemed like a natural fit for my career path! I truly love working with agricultural literacy and helping people to understand the role agriculture plays in their life every day.

I am excited to be in AEE 530 to help improve my teaching skills and to continue to discover the world of education!

Connect with me via…

Email: met5209@psu.edu

Twitter: megish221

Student Introductions: Karly Regan, Entomology Ph.D. Student

When I first heard about AEE 530, I thought it was exactly the type of course I’d always wanted to take. It combined skills I expect to need (teaching) with a subject I’ve fallen in love with over the years (agriculture). In just a few short weeks, I’ve already learned more than I have in entire semesters of other courses. I look forward to continuing to learn alongside a community of diverse and intelligent future educators!

I am in my second semester of a PhD program in the Department of Entomology at Penn State studying how different farming practices affect the diversity of arthropod predators and their ability to hunt prey. I grew up in Massachusetts, received my B.S. in Biology at the University of Massachusetts, and my M.S. in Plant Science at South Dakota State University. I thoroughly enjoy working in agroecosystems and plan to incorporate as much education and extension into my future career as possible. Although I enjoy scientific research, my favorite part of science is definitely having the opportunity to share it with others, whether college students, children, or farmers.

I am optimistic that I’ll gain valuable skills in how students learn and how best to deliver information that will enhance their learning though AEE 530. I am particularly excited to get the hang of blogging and other forms of technology, since I don’t consider myself very tech-savvy yet.

Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, hiking, and listening to country music. 

E-mail: kjr5470@psu.edu

Student Introduction: Yu Wang, Visiting Chinese Scholar

Hello all! My name is Yu Wang from China. My MS is majoring Instructional Technology in Education at Wilkes University and BA in English Literature in China.

This is my first time to sit in a class at Penn State. I feel so happy to learn teaching and learning and get involved in AEE 530. Since I don't have teaching experience, AEE 530 is a valuable and knowledgeable course for me to learn and listen to other students and the professors' experiences and their perspectives in education and teaching. Although I have been a learner since I was born, this class is still a chance and challenge for me to learn from new items, views and perspectives in education.

In addition, I like to travel all over the world and try different foods and meet various cultures and people. Also, I like animals, especially wild animals.

I am looking forward to learning how learning works in AEE 530!

Email: xiaoyuyu1104@gmail.com

Guest Blogger Series: Authentic Learning Through Service Learning - Dr. Courtney Meyers, Texas Tech

Courtney Meyers is an associate professor in agricultural communications at Texas Tech University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Web design, public relations writing, and online media. She also serves as an academic adviser, co-adviser for Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, and teaches a section of Texas Tech’s first-year seminar course. Dr. Meyers has been recognized for her teaching excellence at both the university and national level including the 2015 USDA New Teacher Award. She earned a B.S. from Kansas State University, M.S. from the University of Arkansas and Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

“When am I ever going to need to know this?” was a question I often asked myself while sitting in my college algebra class. I know many college students also ask themselves this question. As a college professor, one of my goals is to help students visualize how the concepts and theories they learn in the classroom are relevant to their future careers. One of the most effective ways I’ve found to do this is service learning.

Service Learning Overview

Service learning connects what students are learning in the classroom (the academic content) to experiences with community partners. Through this active engagement, students and community partners cooperate to address felt needs in a mutually-beneficial relationship.

Service learning should not to be confused with community service, internships, field experience, or volunteering. In service learning, the students are within the supportive environment of a classroom while applying skills and concepts in authentic situations.

Another trademark of service learning is reflection. Students need opportunities to consider how what they are learning is the same as or different than what they have encountered in their work with a community partner. Active reflection is not typically something we engage in without some encouragement, but this process helps us make sense of prior events, draw connections, and gain a deeper understanding.

My Experience with Service Learning

Media kits students in Communicating Agriculture
to the Public developed for their community partners.

I use service learning in my writing-intensive “Communicating Agriculture to the Public” course because it grounds the course material in actual experiences while providing a valuable service for community partners. It is sincerely the best way to meet my course’s learning objectives and invigorates me as a teacher.

In the past five years, more than 150 students have developed communication materials for appreciative community partners. The feedback I received from students and clients indicates both enjoy this experience.

Benefits of Service Learning

Students in service learning courses are able to gain first-hand experience with real-world situations and problems, which engages them in higher order thinking skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. Rather than simply understanding a concept, service learning challenges them to synthesize and apply their knowledge to create a product or evaluate the situation and provide suggestions.

Service learning requires students to become more actively engaged in their own learning. Students are not just completing the assignments as busy work; the result of their efforts is something others need. Due to this real-world application and reciprocal relationship, this pedagogy increases civic awareness and encourages students to become more active citizens and community members.

Finally, another reason to use service learning is that it creates a more engaging classroom environment. Honestly, I don’t want to read up to 30 slightly different papers written about the same topics all semester. Service learning forces students to apply the academic content in specific ways unique to each community partner.

Challenges of Service Learning

Despite all the positive aspects of using service learning, it does present some challenges for successful implementation. It can be time consuming to coordinate with a community partner or facilitate students’ interactions with community partners.

Service learning also requires the instructor to give up some control over the class – this can be intimidating. You must be willing to make adjustments and be flexible as unexpected situations arise. I learn something new every semester to help me be better prepared for the next.

This pedagogy does opens our classroom to criticism (constructive or otherwise), which can be intimidating. We must be receptive to that input and recognize that those who are in the “real-world” have a great deal to contribute to improving our curriculum.

Using Service Learning

If you are thinking about implementing this active learning pedagogy, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• How could I incorporate service learning in an existing course or do I need to develop a new course with service learning as an integral part?
• What would I ask students to do? How does that relate to the course content?
• What do I want students to learn from the experience and how can that benefit the community partner?
• Who would be the community partner(s)? How many partners are necessary?
• How would the students reflect on their experience?
• What obstacles do I anticipate?
• What would I, as the instructor, hope to gain from this experience?

In Closing

Although I may still be pondering when I’ll use my college algebra knowledge, I hope students in my service learning class have no doubt about when they’ll need to know the skills and concepts they learned.