With 20% of children ages 1-18 in the United States having four or more adverse childhood experiences, we need some ideas to be prepared for the conversations our students will have with us. Tune in as William Norris (New Mexico State University) shares our role as teachers in supporting students and receiving support in working with students. Jour…

Teaching welding brings so many opportunities for industry collaboration. Ryan Anderson (Texas State), Brittney Heibel (Xylem), and Merritt Drewery (Texas State) are back to share how we can develop our virtual reality skills, get intentional with assessment, and let partners in to find and meet our programmatic needs. Journal Article: https://jae-…

The "To Those Concerned with Teacher Retention" mini-series highlights a series of vulnerable conversations in letter form to help us ask tough questions of the education career. The series will challenge listeners to consider new solutions, imagine "what ifs," and inform future directions for education. The full journal article includes appendices…

Learning the norms for participating in the ag teacher community means opportunities to navigate something new for new comers and long-timers. Kellie Claflin (Ohio State University) joins the crew to talk about belonging as a contribution. Journal article: https://jae-online.org/index.php/jae/article/view/2452…

When it comes to consciously adopting professional development opportunities, Becki Lawver and Michael Pate (Utah State), Dustin Perry (Montana State), and Scott Smalley (Iowa State) know what's up. Today, they talk with the OP crew about what keeps teachers coming back, opportunities for implementation after the professional development, and conti…

The "To Those Concerned with Teacher Retention" mini-series highlights a series of vulnerable conversations in letter form to help us ask tough questions of the education career. The series will challenge listeners to consider new solutions, imagine "what ifs," and inform future directions for education. The full journal article (link coming soon) …

What can we do in the classroom to prompt reflection and practice transfer? Brad Coleman (Oklahoma State University) joins the crew to answer that question! The more we practice transfer the further students are able to transfer it. Tune in for a great conversation about how we plan to support that transfer. Journal Article: https://jae-online.org/…

Food security means all people at all times have access to safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food. Jessica Spence (Virginia Tech), Daniel Foster (Penn State), Tobin Redwine (Texas A & M), Melanie Miller-Foster (Penn State), and OP McCubbins (Mississippi State) share how to tackle this big definition in our schools and communities through…

Virtual Reality can feel like an intimidating investment as a learning tool, but Ryan Anderson (Texas State) and Brittney Heibel (Xylem) are here to help dispel all mystery! Tune in as they share how to implement VR with intention, track welding parameters, and engage VR as a supplement to welding instruction. Resources: VRTEX 360 Journal Article: …

The "To Those Concerned with Teacher Retention" mini-series highlights a series of vulnerable conversations in letter form to help us ask tough questions of the education career. The series will challenge listeners to consider new solutions, imagine "what ifs," and inform future directions for education. The full journal article (link coming soon) …

Middle schoolers are developmentally different, which requires us to think about agricultural education program implementation a little differently as well. Join the team as we chat with Chris Eck from Oklahoma State University to learn more about the opportunity and responsibility to integrate an intercurricular program (and especially SAEs) for M…

The "To Those Concerned with Teacher Retention" mini-series highlights a series of vulnerable conversations in letter form to help us ask tough questions of the education career. The series will challenge listeners to consider new solutions, imagine "what ifs," and inform future directions for education. The full journal article (link coming soon) …

Ag Mechanics is one of many content areas agricultural educators teach but it is an area that has both seen rapid growth in content and minimized opportunities for engagement in teacher preparation programs. Tune in as Tyler Granberry from the University of Tennessee chats with the crew about making sure there is a great fit with pre-service ag mec…

Welcome to the exciting new season of Owl Pellets: Tips for Ag Teachers! Join us as we set the stage for an engaging and informative season. We will discuss this season's series and how excited we are for the conversations we will have this year. Join us as we dive into what makes this season a must-listen for teachers passionate about agriculture …

Nine seasons? Can you believe it? Tune in as the Owl Pellets Crew chat about how much this podcast has grown and share their favorite moment from this season. To our guests and listeners, thank you for an amazing season! Here's to season 10!Oleh Owl Pellets

How do we engage students in all the involvement opportunities available in Ag Ed? The answer might not be to engage more but to engage differently. Tune in this week as Stephen McBride (Purdue University) challenges us to think about involvement and engagement in deep and meaningful ways. We'll chat about how we catch the kids we might not think a…

Tune in as Tre Easterly (University of Florida) and Brian Myers (University of Florida) help us walk a mile in our principal's shoes to think about the ways they need to manage resources in line with school goals. They will also talk through how we can ally with our principals, communicate what our programs do, and use our ag programs to support th…

Incorporating ideas outside of the delivered content can be intimidating, but Garrett Steede (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities) shares that it doesn't have to be! Tune in as Garrett shares resources (available at umnagricast.com) in both Plant and Animal Science to help integrate science communication and communication principles in agricultural…

Am I an imposter? Whether coming into teaching or trying to establish a researcher's identity, this question is prevalent. We find ourselves prepared really well only to feel unprepared when we enter a career away from the support we had in preparation. Nicole Stedman, Jarred Shellhouse, and JC Bunch at the University of Florida explore these ideas…

What do Oklahoma ag teachers need? Turns out, it's more than professional development; it's curricular resources, admin support, and respect. These needs span the ag program and the career, so Kayla Marsh and Kris Rankin (Oklahoma State University) challenge us to think about how we can balance professional development with reality, build networks …

In this episode, the Owl Pellets Crew wrap up their mentoring mini-series. What better way to conclude a series than to add recommendations? Brain, Becky, and Mike discuss seven recommendations for mentoring programs.Oleh Owl Pellets

Have you ever heard of 8th graders enjoying accounting? In this week's episode, Neil Knobloch and Andrea Brown talk with the crew regarding their success in integrating an agricultural business management simulation into an eighth-grade classroom. They make double-entry accounting sound fun! Journal article: https://jae-online.org/index.php/jae/art…

Alternatively certified teachers bring a variety of experiences to their practice of agricultural education that add value to their schools and benefit their students. Kellie Claflin (The Ohio State University) asks us to think about how we can better support teachers, but especially those new to the profession. She encourages us to be connectors; …

Virtual professional development is a reality of the post-pandemic world, and it's changed how we deliver and expect to interact with PD. Amber Rice (University of Arizona) shares great insight from CASE participants to help us think about what professional development participants have access to in terms of community development, content, and deli…

With a decline in the teaching workforce and a decline in teacher diversity, Matt Wood and Michelle Burrows at Utah State University wanted to know: what's the effect on ag programs? In exploring attitudes and professional development around Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE), they found teachers were looking for PD to help them tap into studen…

What are we recruiting to? Tiffany Marzalino and Aaron McKim at Michigan State University share how Michigan ag teachers are recruiting students to their programs--and it might be more straightforward than you think! Tune in as we talk about authenticity, inclusivity and belonging, empowering students to share their experiences, and the different l…

How can we evaluate mentoring? Do you know what purpose you are serving as a mentor or mentee? In this week's episode Brian, Becky, and Mike discuss how to assess and evaluate mentoring. Tune in as the crew continues their mentoring mini-series.Oleh Owl Pellets

Establishing integrated school gardens takes a champion to start, but a team to maintain. Jade Davidson (Oregon State University) and Jason Peake (University of Georgia) share a framework and the components necessary to integrate sustainable and integrated school gardens that are part of the school culture. Journal Article: https://agdevresearch.or…

Geocaching is a treasure hunting community teachers can leverage as an instructional tool. Rachel Hendrix (West Virginia University) and John Rickets (Tennessee State University) join the crew to help us learn how to use geocaching to promote critical thinking, teamwork, and communication and to use geocaching as an instructional tool. Journal arti…

Understanding and experiencing culture is critical for young agricultural leaders, but there's often some anxiety around having culturally competent conversations. Never fear--Janiece Pigg (Tennessee Youth Development) is here to help us think about opportunities to expand our cultural lens. Journal article: https://jae-online.org/index.php/jae/art…

Prepare to enter mentoring! Mentoring is a huge undertaking, and in this episode, Brian, Mike, and Becky explore what we need to enter mentoring and point to tools to support that process in formal mentoring relationships.Oleh Owl Pellets

There are hundreds of ways to measure success in SBAE programs, and Haley Traini (Oregon State University) joins us to talk about them all! We'll chat about teacher and program performance, overwhelm, and career expectations in the jam packed episode! Journal article: https://jae-online.org/index.php/jae/article/view/29…

We all have students with special needs in our classes. Unfortunately, many of us also need additional training to support our SPED students. Tune in as the OP team chats with Raegan Ramage (Louisiana) as she shares tips for opening communication with SPED teachers, working with students, and involving SPED students in Agricultural Education. Journ…

We rely on a toolbox of instructional methods as agricultural educators. Blake Colclasure (University of Tennessee) and Jack Dempsey (University of Illinois & Cascade Reading) share how our belief in a method's effectiveness affects our use of that method. Spoiler alert: you've got to believe! Journal Article: https://agdevresearch.org/index.php/aa…

Growing as an effective educator is a skill to practice, especially as we work to engage students. Tune in as we talk with Tre Easterly (University of Florida) about how to improve our teaching by improving instructional clarity, increasing variety, demonstrating enthusiasm, using task-oriented behaviors, and providing opportunities for students to…

Identity is the composite of who a person is, including their thoughts about themselves, how they're viewed by the world, and the characteristics individuals use to define themselves. Join the OP crew for the next installation of the mentoring mini-series as they talk about supporting people in finding their fit and acknowledging contributions.…

Mentoring, coaching, advising, role modeling, sponsorship--what's the big deal? Aren't they all kind of the same thing? Join the Owl Pellets team as we work through the difference, and value, of each different type of relationship in our personal and professional lives.Oleh Owl Pellets

Being involved in agriculture connects kids to their communities. Rebecca Mott and John Tummons (University of Missouri) share how we can use youth livestock experiences to encourage deep reflection and growth toward independence. Resources: https://bit.ly/41h9lYl Journal Article: https://jae-online.org/index.php/jae/article/view/297…

FFA is steeped in tradition. Join the conversation with Mike Martin (Iowa State University) to think about how we engage our chapters and communities over competition as we enact meaningful FFA programs. Mike shares how we can focus on the things that make sense to local members and adapt traditions to make them more meaningful. Journal Article: ht…

A co-pilot mentoring relationship builds trust over time, allows both parties to guide the relationship, recognizes conditions will change, embraces communication as essential, and develops as a skill through guidance and commitment. The Owl Pellets team chats about what this means for us both as mentors and mentees.…

Growing as an effective educator is a skill to practice, especially as we work to engage students. Tune in as we talk with Tre Easterly (University of Florida) about how to grow in our instructional clarity, variety, enthusiasm, task-oriented behaviors, and student opportunity. Journal Article: https://agdevresearch.org/index.php/aad/article/view/2…

Ag literacy is an important piece of helping individuals apply what they know about agriculture. Amelia Miller (Michigan Ag In the Classroom) and Brian Warnick (Utah State University) join the Owl Pellets crew to talk about the ways school-based ag ed can engage with younger grade levels, helping students who come into programs with little or no ag…

The encouragement to set boundaries is becoming the norm in agricultural education, but that doesn't mean the boundaries come easily. Mike and Brian get the chance to grill Becky and her teammates Haley Traini (Oregon State University) and Aaron McKim (Michigan State University) as they discuss what boundary challenges for teachers might mean for t…

Students who know their career path believe their employability skills are better developed, but what about those who aren't so sure? Jean Parrella (Virginia Tech) joins Becky and Mike to talk about cultivating employability skills in our programs through community participation and cross-disciplinary experiences. Journal Article: https://www.tandf…

Career support means providing career guidance, skill development, and sponsorship while psychosocial support focuses on psychological and emotional support and role modeling. Tune in as the OP team talks about how many we can do this for well and how we cultivate other mentors.Oleh Owl Pellets

Agricultural education classes incorporate a wide range of technical skills. Tune in as Jay Solomonson (Illinois State University) and Trent Wells (Murray State) share what technical skills we need to teach in plant science and how to grow in those skills. Journal Article https://jae-online.org/index.php/jae/article/view/298…

Cooperating teachers want to be a helpful resource to student teachers. Heather Nesbitt (University of Florida) and Debra Barry (University of Florida) help the Owl Pellets team dig in on organizational best practices for mentoring and closing the gap between demonstration and reflection. Resources - EDIS Series: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publicati…

Cooperating teacher and student-teacher relationships are one of the most important elements of the student-teaching experience. Dr. Peyton Sweet Moore (Georgia), Bradley Coleman (Oklahoma State University), Heather Young (University of Florida), J.C. Bunch (University of Florida), and Carla Jagger (University of Florida) join the Owl Pellets crew …

Mentoring is a professional working alliance in which individuals work together over time to support the personal and professional growth, development, and success of the relational partners through the providsion of career and psychosocial support. Join the Owl Pellets team and we talk through what that definition means for our mentoring practice …

Grand challenges in this episode: Preparing Students for Biotechnology Careers About the Challenge The purpose of this project is to leverage a preexisting online professional development resource and its large following of SBA educators to create a more effective model of professional development where teachers engage in immersive experiences in a…