This week, workshops were held across the Indianapolis Convention Center during the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo. Although most were geared toward FFA members, educators could also benefit from attending more than 30 workshops created with them in mind.
One workshop, which was titled “Ace Your CDE/LDE: Ultimate Prep Guide for Competitions,” focused on innovative ways for current and future educators to prepare their members for FFA competitions.
“I think that we have so many teachers that need professional development,” says Charlotte Main, a Texas agriculture educator who serves as a National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA mentor. “Sometimes at their own schools, or in their own states, they don’t have specific, related workshops to FFA. These workshops are focused just on what ag teachers need.”
The “Ace Your CDE/LDE” workshop featured interactive activities that educators can use to inspire students to practice or start a new competition at their school. All attendees also participated in a speed competition of the FFA Creed to simulate an activity they may want to do with their students.
“FFA really helps teachers succeed with things like this at convention, where we can come in and talk with other teachers who have been doing this a lot longer than others,” says Colby Nuckles, an agricultural education major at Tennessee Tech University. “Being able to come in and learn from their experiences, so that I can do things more efficiently on my end, [is really helpful].”
In addition to these workshops, online resources are available for any teacher, anywhere, to use in preparation for competitions.
“They don’t have to have technology or instructions,” says Tanner Smith, a Texas agriculture educator who serves as a National Teacher Ambassador for FFA. “National FFA provides a ton of relevant resources that they can get to.”
Access these resources by visiting the Educator Resources dashboard.
