Keeping agriculture educators at the frontline of innovation in today’s classrooms

In order to stay up-to-date with today’s teachers, National FFA seeks feedback from agriculture educators in two main ways: consulting with the National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA and conducting a formal advisor needs assessment survey every two years.

Growing professionally as National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA

National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA present educational sessions on FFA educator resources and are overall representatives of the National FFA Organization. We asked 54 National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA (serving 2020-21) how the ambassador program enhanced their ability to grow professionally. Ambassadors told us that gaining knowledge on FFA resources most enhanced their ability to grow professionally.

• Gaining knowledge on FFA resources – 98%
• Networking/meeting other agriculture teachers – 90%
• Becoming a resource for other teachers/serving teachers – 90%
• Connecting with National FFA staff – 87%

For the second year in a row, the majority of 2020-21 ambassadors (89%) said that providing information and resources to other teachers was their greatest impact of their role.

National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA reflect a range of teaching experience

Ambassadors represent states across the country and reflect a broad range of teaching experience. In 2020-21, ambassadors ranged from 0-3 years (13), 4-6 years (7), 7-10 years (19), 11-14 years (7), and 15+ years (8). In 2021-22, this shifted to 0-3 years (17), 4-6 years (18), 7-10 years (17), 11-14 years (13), and 15+ years (16).

Teacher ambassadors are champions for FFA Educator Resources

Educator resources¹ created by National FFA have received more than 245,000 views and downloads since January 2021. Types of resources include:

• Lesson plans/lesson series
• Educational videos
• Activity sheets
• Implementation guides
• Current events
• Virtual field trips
• Advocacy and literacy guides

Emerging National FFA educator resources are reviewed by National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA, ensuring relevance to teachers in today’s classroom.

“I consider it an honor and a privilege to review and collaborate on National FFA Educator Resources, as it will be utilized by countless individuals across the nation to educate future agriculturists. This opportunity allows me to fulfill my role as an FFA advisor that states, ‘I hope that my advice will always be based on true knowledge and ripened with wisdom.'”

Jeff McKinney, Alabama, National Teacher Ambassador for FFA

Industry Collaboration

When discussing a recent collaboration on the “Sustainability in Agriculture” lesson series, Matt Plitt of Valent U.S.A. stated the following:

“We are proud of our nearly 20-year partnership with National FFA and our shared goal to cultivate bright, innovative leaders in agriculture. We’re excited about this latest collaboration to equip teachers with the tools they need to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities in sustainable agriculture.”

Matt Plitt, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Valent U.S.A.

2021 FFA Advisor Needs Assessment helps answer key questions

Seventy-one percent of agriculture educators and National FFA advisors who responded to the 2021 FFA Advisor Needs Assessment told us that they think National FFA provides enough resources to support advisors. These respondents also gave us key information on what agriculture teachers need in terms of educator resources and lesson plans.

Labs and hands-on activities are in high demand

As national FFA staff develops educator resources, special attention is paid to those components that agriculture teachers told us they want to see. Teachers told us they would like to see the following components in new resources:

• Lab/hands-on activities – 82%
• Group-based activities – 46%
• Agricultural literacy activities – 44%
• Independent study activities – 42%
• Discussion-based activities – 34%

Lesson plans must work in a virtual setting

Teachers also told us that the following aspects of lesson plans are extremely important:

• Compatible with computers or tablets – 40%
• Compatibility with Google classroom – 37%
• Virtual options – 32%

One-to-one is on the rise

One-to-one technology is commonly defined in the realm of education as every student having access to their own device at all times. In 2019, 57% of teachers told us that their schools provided one-to-one; in 2021, this number skyrocketed to 85%. And those who are one-to-one overwhelmingly use Chromebooks (N=1,536).

Fifteen percent of agriculture educators are alternatively certified

Alternatively certified teachers are those who did not enter the teaching profession through a traditional agricultural education program. They may have entered through the industry or through another teaching profession such as science.

Agriculture teachers have overall positive perceptions of National FFA

We asked teachers how positive or negative their perceptions of National FFA are based on their interactions. The vast majority (83%) of teachers indicated they have a somewhat positive, positive or extremely positive perception.