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Feature Stories
Teaching with Purpose In and Out of the Classroom
On the Road Again: Agriculture Teachers Find Learning Opportunities Beyond Classroom Walls
National FFA Convention Provides Unique Alternative Learning Environment
Livestock Shows Foster Agriculture and Life Lessons Outside the Classroom
Taking it a Step Further
Teaching with Purpose In and Out of the Classroom
With the national FFA convention just a few short days away, those of you planning to attend probably fall into one of two camps: 1.) You had no problem getting the trip approved by your principal; he is always good about allowing you to take your kids on educational trips. Or, 2.) You had to, yet again, fight tooth-and-nail and jump through hoops to get approval for you and your students to attend.
Whether it’s national convention, a livestock show or a visit to the local plant nursery or vet’s office three miles down the road, school administrators today aren’t as lenient as they used to be when it comes to out-of-class activities. Teachers nowadays must prove the value to the students who are going on the field trip and arrange for a suitable replacement for those remaining in the classroom. This causes some of you to wonder, “Is it really worth all of the fuss?”
This issue of Making a Difference focuses on the importance of these hands-on, alternative learning environments that are a necessity in the agricultural education field. Read on to learn why these trips are so integral to student learning and how some of your peers justify the value to students to their administrators.
Learning the concepts of agriculture requires good, solid classroom instruction – but sometimes it can be a long leap for students to understand how classroom concepts apply to the real world. That’s where field trips and outside-of-class activities are important. Read On the Road Again: Agriculture Teachers Find Learning Opportunities Beyond Classroom Walls to learn how two teachers think outside of the “classroom” box.
Field trips can often be a hard sell to school administrators, particularly in trying economic times. However, the national convention is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most students that not only gives recognition, but is also a learning experience. Read National FFA Convention Provides Unique Alternative Learning Environment to see how two teachers make this trip more meaningful for their students.
Livestock shows help students keep current on species trends, and attending the shows provides insight into improvements being made with animals. Not to mention all of the hard work and long hours that go into raising the animal before the show. Check out Livestock Shows Foster Agriculture and Life Lessons Outside the Classroom to learn how these events teach multiple lessons to your students.
In an effort to assist busy teachers with identifying the standards that can be addressed by two of our largest activities, we’ve combed through the National Content Standards for Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. In Taking it a Step Further, you will find links to documents that list the AFNR standards, as well as the core content standards that can be addressed during animal exhibition events and while attending the national FFA convention, if you are, indeed, teaching with purpose.
Does it seem like every time you try to attend something out of school, all you get is pushback from administrators? Are they asking you why you need to take kids to this event? Are they putting limits on the number of days kids can miss school for agriculture and FFA events? If any of these sound familiar to you, read this month’s Perspectives editorial, where you’ll find tips to help you justify your out-of-class trips.
In this month’s LifeKnowledge Spotlight, we talk to Dr. Kimberly Bellah, Associate Professor at Tarleton University, about what it means to teach with purpose and how field trips and other activities can be meaningful experiences that teach your students premier leadership, personal growth and career success. The LifeKnowledge folks have also included a free lesson plan, so make sure you check it out.
And finally, in this month’s Question for the Profession, Nina Crutchfield asks for your thoughts on teaching with purpose. How do you turn every instructional action into a meaningful learning event? How do you turn a stock show into more than just a beauty pageant for kids and livestock? How do you make fundraisers more than just selling fruit or beef jerky? Check out the article and then comment on the Communities of Practice forum.
As you prepare your students for convention or for the next out-of-class learning activity, we hope that these articles will help you get the approvals you need and help you to teach your students with purpose.
This is my last issue as editor of Making a Difference. I have taken a job with the United Way of Central Indiana and will assume duties there at the end of the month. I’m very excited about this opportunity to help those in need in my community. But, at the same time, I’m sad to be leaving such a wonderful organization. Hopefully, you haven’t heard the last of me, and I’ll be back to help when I am needed. Thanks so much for all of the positive support and feedback over the years.
Best,
Amber Striegel