Session 25 - Philosophy (Shoeboxes)

What are you curious about?
Field observation journal... How long should it be?

• The journals should be long enough to describe your experiences, and what you learned from it. I think if you answer the questions in the assignment handbook, you will be just fine.

Business memo... what is it?

• Answered in class. If you still have questions, please talk with Dr. Ewing.

Does Renee have record of our hours that we have turned in for our 80 hours?

• Once you turn in your hours, Renee places them in a file folder with your name. I access these at the end of the semester to see who has completed the hours. Make sure you get the hours/forms to Renee.

How did the shoe box tie in?

• The shoe box was designed to get students to visually depict their educational philosophy of agricultural and/or environmental education. This was a hands-on approach to get students thinking about their philosophy.

Teaching Strategies?

• This is mainly taught in AEE 412, but if you want to get a good reference book for teaching methods, I would suggest... Newcomb, L. H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., Whittington, M. S. Methods of teaching agriculture. Danville, IL: Interstate.

Do we learn any agricultural mechanics?

• In the PSU teacher preparation program there are 2 courses that focus on agricultural mechanics. One is AEE 297B and the other is AEE 350.

The Cordivano Scholarship??

• Check out the Teach Ag email blast for information on the scholarship. OR check out http://agsci.psu.edu/international/undergraduates/funding/international-agriculture-intag-minor-student-opportunities for more information

Aquaculture?

• Many of the schools in PA teach Aquaculture using contained systems in their classrooms/laboratories. It is a great way to teach animal science concepts while not having your traditional "farm" type animals. Many schools use Tilapia (an African fish) or bass as their fish of choice, but you can use other types of aquatic animals for this purpose.

When are modules due?

• The handbook provides recommended dates at various points throughout the semester, with the final deadline being November 21st. If you want any type of extension, you need to negotiate that with the module reviewer, Deb Herman.

Can we use student choice points for attendance, if we know we will be here?

• Yes, perfect attendance still counts.

Do we provide our philosophy statement when we interview for teaching positions?

• Absolutely. This is a document that interview teams/administrators want to see. This enables them to learn more about your understanding of education, and how you visualize putting your philosophy into action.

Do student choice points get turned in hard copy or on-line?

• You turn them in via hard copy and in the drop box on ANGEL.

What did you learn?

Everybody's teaching philosophy

Ideas to put in my final philosophy

Howie is awesome.

More ways to get student choice points (Don't forget... 5 points if you share your shoebox with someone outside of class!)

Same big ideas on philosophy, but many people have small variations

Ag. Ed. is more than just cows, sows, and plows

Many new terms

The "Metamorphosis Clap" (Just so everyone knows... I am going after the Trademark and Copyright on this :-)

Firework clap!

Think outside the box!

Diversity is important

People stink at arts and crafts

The theme for FFA this year is "Ignite"

My peers are very creative!

What do you want to learn more about?

Dr. Ewing and Dr. Foster's philosophy statements... 

• We may have to include these as examples in the future.

The future of ag. ed... 

• Next class session.

How can we build our philosophy to impress our employer

• I think it comes down to being honest in what you believe and then articulating that on paper, as well as in the interview. 

How long should our board game take?

• You will be sharing your games in 3-5 minutes. However, for the actual game, it can take as long as necessary... when you have your students doing this in your classroom.

If we get more than 200 student choice points, do we get extra credit?

• No, but good work if you do!

How do we prove that we shared our shoebox with someone else?

• You just note it in your student choice point section for that assignment and tell a little bit about who you shared it with and what they responded. Beyond that, it is a total "trust" thing on my part.

How do I get involved with clubs/organizations?

• Check out the college clubs and organizations' page at http://agsci.psu.edu/students/activities

What forms are necessary for the Ag. Lit. Lesson?

• The learner satisfaction form needs to be completed by each student and then you can complete/compile a summary of the results.
• Two digital pictures (minimum of 2)
• Lesson Plan/presentation materials
• Powerpoint presentation for our class session in AEE 100
• Each person must complete/turn in a 1 - 2 page reflection on the teaching experience.
• Advisor form??? - I am not sure what you mean by this one... Maybe just a signature from the person that supervised/saw you teach?

Session 24 - Special populations

What are you curious about?
How many people develop an IEP?

• This is dependent upon the group that completes the evaluation/determines eligibility. Ultimately, IEP teams can end up being around 6 - 8 people.

Special populations in higher education?

• Check out the Penn State site at http://equity.psu.edu/ods for the Office of Disability Services and how this is handled at Penn State.

Where to get student choice points?

• You propose it, and we can figure it out together... but I bet we will approve it, if it is advancing you professionally/educationally!

How IEP's vary from state to state and when students are placed outside of the "normal school setting".

• The question of variation from state to state is that the overall items that are addressed are similar, but the formatting may vary.
• In terms of school placement, it often comes down to what is best educationally for the student, and safety of that child/other students.

How do we modify when we are in a shop setting?

• Many times it is a matter of having others help, whether that is a student, an aide, or you as the teacher. The main thing is to be aware of safety issues.

Philosophy boxes.

• Be ready to share on Tuesday!

Will we have a chance to develop an IEP in college?

• Not currently in our programming, but this is an interesting question for the teacher educators in our program to consider!

What did you learn?
About IEPs and what they are for
Accommodations and modifications
Interventions
Much of what we already do in "good teaching" can help all students learn.
About disabilities/barriers
IEPs vary greatly depending on the needs of the student
A real life example of an IEP!!!

What do you want to learn more about? 
How far will a teacher go to help a student before they are moved to another class?

• I think this totally depends on the support of that teacher and the other teachers/aides in the school.

Our role as the teacher in an IEP meeting?

• You will be considered the "general education" teacher, and your role is to share how the student is performing in your class. This will help the team make decisions on how best to serve the student in the future.

How to maintain a classroom when accommodating to all students?

• I think this comes back to good planning and use of resources. You need to be prepared to include the students, and many times this is just by making sure they are safe and included in the activities at a level appropriate for their skills. You would be amazed at how other students will "come around" a classmate when they need help. Some students have a great deal of "care" for others.

There are a lot of specific disabilities, and we can't learn about them all now. We need to get out and work with students and experience the many different needs of students.

IEP meetings.

• Some of the cooperating centers may allow you to sit in on a meeting, with special permission of the parent, but many times you will need to wait until you are a teacher in a district to serve.

Who makes the IEP?

• Once a child has been identified with a special need, it is really up to the IEP team to make the decisions on how to best serve the student. The team is often made up of teachers (special education and general education), counselors, school psychologists, parents/guardians, potentially an administrator, etc. 

What makes each ag program/school different?

• In my view it is the teacher, and how they work with every student... not just the "superstars" in their program. I think it goes a long way when a teacher builds rapport with every student in a program no matter the level of the student's knowledge, skill, or ability.

Session 7 - Philosophy

What are you curious about?

What all do I need to make my philosophy great and achievable?

• Time to think about what you believe about teaching and learning, and then the opportunity to implement.

Does Ag Ed have to be about FFA?

• Agricultural Education is not just about FFA. The FFA is an integral part of the agricultural education model in formal school settings. However, there are many examples of agricultural and environmental education that occur in non-formal settings that could guide your philosophy.

The philosophy paper and shoe box project.

• Check out the assignment handbook for the paper assignment, and if you have further questions about the shoe box, feel free to contact me (Dr. Ewing).

The involvement of all three circles in an overall ag course.

• Next Tuesday's class on the "Premier Delivery System" should begin to answer some of these questions.

Plan to Exit

• Read the assignment handbook, and feel free to drop me an email with any questions. Really you are just developing your plan for courses (and potential other experiences) to take to complete your major.

Philosophy and what it has to do with Ag. Ed.?

• I hope we answered this in class, but feel free to talk with me further!

Big Brothers/Big Sisters

• Contact Morgan Campbell for further information. She provided her email in class, but if you need it again, here it is... mqc5343@psu.edu

What did you learn?

Philosophy - Dewey and pragmatism; Socrates and "knowledge is wisdom"; Plato/others

What SAE is and where it is used.

The 3 circles. (Ideal program)... cannot have any part removed or it will not cover all aspects of the program.

Think-pair-share

Shoe box assignment! Looks fun!!!

What do you want to learn more about?

More about the ideal program... stay tuned, more in this class and then a whole lot in AEE 413!

FFA... take AEE 311

Is National FFA changing the 3 circle model?... not that I know of, but talk with me about your thoughts.

What should go in the shoebox... You should put items in that represent your philosophy of teaching and learning in agricultural education.

Philosophy... Check out the following related to many different philosophies... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_education   I know, I know.... it is Wikipedia, but there really is some great information on this site.

How many points for Big E? ... 50 points.