AG Inquiry Institute

Last week, as Penn State Ag Ed Students, we had the great opportunity to attend the Ag Inquiry Institute, put on by by some of Pennsylvania's, best Ag teachers! We got to hear from Ms. Krista Pontius and Mrs. Sherisa Nailor, both great role models in the profession. It was so much fun to be paired with In- Service teachers to discuss how they can apply the lessons into their Classrooms. A special thanks to PAAE and CPPD for supplying the materials and sending us home with over $500 worth of teaching supplies for our Classroom!

The Lessons

Oreo Cookie Investigation

The first lesson that went through was the Oreo Cookie Investigation. We were trying to determine if Double Stuffed Cookies, actually have double the stuffing compared to regular Oreos. This was very interesting, as I never would have thought to use this in my classroom, but I learned that it is a good lab to introduce students to the Inquiry System. This lab can be has adapted as you want it to be for the students. We were not told what our Hypothesis, Procedure, or Conclusion should look like, but allowed to use our prior knowledge to develop them. For our students, we could either walk them through this one with every detail, or allow them some time to explore it for themselves. I think depending on the class of students, either way, would be a great way to use the lesson.

Misconceptions in Agriculture 

The second lesson that we went through was the Misconceptions in Agriculture Investigation. We were given Cutout people, of different genders, ages, and had descriptions of their views in common agriculture topics. This was a very interesting lab that I will definitely use in my class one day. We were able to make predictions about how different people's demographics affected their views on meat, GMOs, and Organics. I think this lab could have many different applications in different courses. The course that I see fit the most would be a Biotechnology course, or even an Introduction to Agriculture course. This would be fun in an introduction to agriculture course because if you do not know the students, you could gain an understanding of how they view different topics. 

Tree CSI: Dendrochronology

The third lesson that we went through was the Dendrochronology Lab, in which we learned the importance of tree cookies and the age of trees. We learned so many ways that trees can be used to age different events in time. The one thing I noticed about this lab, is some students may struggle and take more time. This is important to note, because we were able to complete this in roughly an hour, where as in some classrooms, we could expand this to take a week of class time. We got to create our own wood cookies and then practice counting rings on a bore. I will definitely be incorporating this into my classroom in future Forestry Units. 

Smith River Water Investigation

The fourth lesson that we did was the Smith River Water Investigation, where we tested different water samples in order to determine what was polluting the water down stream. Of all the labs that we did, this was the one that I was least comfortable with. I have done water quality testing in school before, but the idea of mapping it out, was very confusing to me. We worked in groups to determine areas that we would like water tested and then decided on maps that would help us determine the source of pollution. I think I would adapt this lesson for my students, and maybe give more time to assess the results of the lab. This lab has many implications, as pollution of our waterways is something that is happening everyday and in our community's. Like we discussed during the institute, there is many real world and local ways we could improve this lab.

Social Media Inquiry 

The fifth lesson that we did was on Social Media Posts, which I think could have many class applications. This is important for the Officer Teams who run our FFA club Social Media Accounts. We learned about different things that will attract Reach, Engagement, or Impressions. The important things to have when posting are images of students, as well as names of student accomplishments. Obviously, we are going to have posts that are not the most engaging, but are more used to spread important information. I will definitely be adapting this to use with my future students in the classroom. 

If the World were a village of 100 People

The final lesson that we completed was the one that appealed to many different courses within agriculture. We discussed everything from Money, Health, Plants, Animals, Food, and so much more. It shows how different factors make everyone different, and it's important to include everyone in their village. This lesson also discussed how some of these factors are not evenly distributed throughout the people. I am excited to use this lesson in an introduction to Agriculture course and make students aware of their global surroundings. This would be a good way to get into food insecurity and the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Wrap-up

I am so glad that Penn State gave us this opportunity to attend this Institute, free of charge and gain all of this helpful knowledge in how to engage our students into their learning. We learned how to take topics and expand upon them to allow students to use their creativity. I may not be able to use these lessons in my student teaching experience, but I am going to take them into my future classroom one day. 

Be sure to stay tuned for my next blog, as I discuss my recent Micro-Teaching Experience!

~Paige