Progress 09/01/13 to 12/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience includedall California grade 9-12educators in our database,participantsfrom the National Agriculture in the Classroom conference,California Agriculture in the Classroom conference andCalifornia Science Teachers Association conference, pre-service students from CSU Monterey Bay, CSU Stanislaus, and UC Davis, as well asparticipants from regionalworkshops and exhibits we've attended. These participants have aninterest in teaching innovative science ideas andwant to bring STEM curriculum into their classrooms. Studies show that nationally, our teachers and students are behind in STEM skills, STEM education, and preparation for STEM related careers. Our goal was to reach all audiences in California's diverse population through our outreach and promotion of the unit. In addition, we had nine teachers and nearly three hundred students, from various school districts throughout California participate in a final evaluation of the unit.Teachers and students from ninestudy locations participated, and students ingrades 9 through 12 were represented. A total of nineteachers from sevendifferent school districts completed the web-based survey. Participating schools were distributed widely throughout California and included both rural and suburban communities, with students in Bakersfield, Covina, Fremont, La Puente, Patterson, Santa Clarita, and Vacaville. Teachers from the school districts of Charter Oak, Fremont, Kern, Patterson, Rowland, Vacaville and William S Hart participated. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom provided training and promotion for the Sustainable Energy project at the following conferences, presentations, andworkshops: 1. 2015 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Louisville, KY 2. 2015 California Science Teacher's Association Conference in Sacramento, CA 3. 2015 California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Long Beach, CA 4. CSU Monterey Bay, October 2015 5. CSU Stanislaus, November 2015 6. UC Davis, February 2016 7. 2016 CMSESMC 40th Annual STEM Conference, San Mateo, CA The project also provided an opportunity for professional development for staff working on the project. An education expert on California standards trained staff on Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards. Staff worked with and were coached by this expert to develop and align lesson plans to current standards. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Sustainable Energy curriculum has been presented and promoted at every conference or workshop that we have attended in this last year. Workshops or trainings weregiven at the National Ag in the Classroom conference and at University Student Teacher Presentations at CSUMonterey Bay, CSU Stanislausand UC Davis. We also promoted the curriculum at the California Science Teacher's Conference andour annual state conference. A workshop was given at the Council of Math/Science Educators of San Mateo County STEM Conference and we recently promoted it at the STEM Power Workshop in San Diego County for after school programs. It has been featured in our electronic cream of the crop monthly newsletter, which goes to 14,000 subscribers including all public and private schools in California. Itis available on our LearnAboutAg.org website for download or orderable as a hard copy or on a flashdrive. Postcards promoting the new curriculum were mailed to 3,000 selected educators from our database.We also continue to take our promotionalSTEM postcards, STEM pop-up promotion displays, hard copiesand flash drives of the curriculum to every event we attend. We made a Spin Wheel game with questions from the unit, and have used it at numerous regional science events. We have also promoted the unit via social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. The unit has also been shared with members of the California Environmental Education Interagency Network of which we are a partner. These agencies include the Environmental Protection Agency, Project WET, CREEC, and otherswith an interest in environmental literacy. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
U.S. students are underperforming in math and science on national and international assessments. Educators lack STEM training. The U.S. share of bachelor's degrees awarded in STEM fields is decreasing. The future of the U.S. agriculture industry is tied to the STEM competencies of our next generation of agriculturalists.California Ag in the Classroom created a third and final unit, in our series of STEM units,on Sustainable Energy. Previous units were Steer toward STEM:Animal Agriculture and From STEM to Plate: Food Science. The common thread throughout the series was STEM lessons,with real-life scenarios, and related careers. CFAITC researched information on existing STEM education resources, facilitated high school STEM curriculum development meetings with stakeholders and reviewed drafts of STEM curriculum with industry experts and pilot teachers. Thelessons developed were aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards. The lessons were compiled into a unit, designed, and printed. The unit was promoted via workshops,conference exhibits, social media, and promotional mailings. Lessons incorporateSTEM skills using real-life situations. Specific lessonsteach how energy is created and distributed, the inputsrelated to growing commodities, analyzing renewable energy sources, a biodiesel lab, and evaluating renewable energy strategies.Examples of careers in sustainable energy and education pathways are highlighted in each lesson. Web links and lesson extentions allow teachers and students to explore further intoareas of interest. For example, students view videos showcasing real-life farms that have incorporated renewable energy strategies andresearch information about an energy sectorcareer path of their choosing. CFAITC surveyed teachers and students and results showed the following: 1. All teachers agreed the lesson format was "engaging" and "educational".Teachers also unanimously reported the lessons "increased students' awareness of Sustainable Energy". Further, when asked if they will "teach this Sustainable Energy unit in the future?", all teachers said"yes".Nearly all teachers (88.9%) feltthe lessons "reinforce the current California Standards" and increased their own "knowledge of Sustainable Energy" . Likewise, a majority (87.5%) agreed the unit is "easy to understand" , "reinforces STEM skills"and "support their normal classroom curriculum".All teachers provided open-ended responses. Comments centered on suggestions and recommendations for improving the unit, including allowing for more time and providing introductory or contextual material. 2. Student data indicatedan overall increase in subject knowledge after exposure to the sustainable energy curriculum. Mean scores provide evidence of increased subject knowledge, as students average 6.5 (SD=1.95) correct responses at pre-survey and 7.4 (SD=2.276) at post-survey. Subject knowledge was apparent on 9 of 12 questions (75.0%), while responses on 3 questions (25.0%) showed no improvement.A majority (69.5%) feel the lesson is good or excellent at "showing connections between agriculture and sustainable energy." Amajority (62.7%) report using "science, technology, engineering, or math during the lesson." Although still a majority, slightly fewer students reportthat the lessons help them learn about careers "associated with sustainable energy" (52.9%) or "related to agriculture" (59.3%).Ninety-four students gave examples of careers related to agriculture that they learned about in class.A total of 183 students named a favorite lesson or activity. Most students also described reasons for their choice. Named favorites includedthe 3D Energy Model, the Biodiesel Lab, the Cards, the Egg day, group activities, the Popcorn Lab, the Renewable energy sources, the pH Lab, and the videos. Overall, the unit was well received with teachers and students showing growth in subject matter knowledge. Their ability to evaluatereal-life applications, practiceSTEM skills, and connectenergy needs to food production wasimproved along with increased awareness of career opportunities. This unit, along with the previous two STEM units,prepares students to continue in their study of STEM-related coursework and future professions in STEM.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience includes educators from the National Agriculture in the Classroom conference, the California Agriculture in the Classroom conference, and the California Science Teachers Association conference. These are educators with an interest in teaching innovative science ideas. These educators want to bring STEM curriculum into their classrooms. Studies show that nationally, our teachers and students are behind in STEM skills, STEM education, and preparation for STEM related careers. We plan to reach variousaudiences in California's diverse population through our outreach and promotion of the unit. Changes/Problems:Due to changes in technology and move toward online solutions, plans to duplicate and distribute the lesson via the printing of a CD was converted to the printing and distribution of hard copies and/or online downloads from our website. Ag in the Classroom has modified its use and distribution of CDs to disseminate lessons and resources to teachers. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Sustainable Energy project has provided opportunities for training through a variety of networks. During the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference, a workshop was conducted where teachers learned about the unit and its focus on careers and connections between agriculture and sustainable energy. During the California Science Teachers Association Conference in October, fifty teachers were reached and introduced to the Sustainable Energy unit. Of those fifty, sixteen teachers were selected to participate in the evaluation of the unit with their classrooms from throughout California. During two University Student Teaching Program presentations at California State University, Monterey Bay, sixty college students and pre-service teachers were reached with a training on the unit and how to present a lesson. Feedback was favorable from this training. Finally, during our California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Conference, seventy five teachers were reached and instructed on the new unit. All teachers received the unit and were very interested to use it across all grade levels. A teacher planned to use some of the information from the unit to teach about solar energy to his kindergarten class. The project also provided an opportunity for professional development for staff working on the project through a Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards training. New staff worked with and were coached and assisted byan expert in education standards to learn how to develop and align lesson plans to current standards. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The unit has been promoted to California Agriculture in the Classroom subscribers and every public and private school in the statethrough the monthly e-newsletter, Cream of the Crop, as well as featured on the home page of our LearnAboutAg website. Through NAITC, CFAITC, and CSTA conferences, teachers have received the unit and understood that the unit is available on our website for download. The unit has also been promoted and distributed at the California STEM Symposium and through CEEIN (California Environmental Education Interagency Network) contacts which include members from the Environmental Protection Agency, Project WET, CREEC, and other state agencies and non-profits with an interest in environmental literacy. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During our final reporting period, we plan to put our Sustainable Energy curriculum onto the National Agriculture in the Classroom lesson plan matrix. This will allow access to as well as promotion of the curriculum to all teachers nationally. We currently have sixteen high school teachers teaching the unit to their classes throughout California. With a reach of approximately 30 students per class and 16 classes, we will be reaching close to 500 students. We also are presenting to another University Student Teaching Program for California State University, Stanislaus. We will be reaching 25 pre-service teachers. We continue to feature the Sustainable Energy unit on our home page for our LearnAboutAg website. We receive close to 3000 visitors to our website each month. Results of our evaluation surveys will be compiled and analyzed during this final reporting period.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
U.S. students are underperforming in math and science on national and international assessments.Educators lack STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) training. The U.S. share of bachelor's degrees awarded in STEM fields is decreasing. The future of theU.S. agriculture industry is tied to the STEM competencies of our next generation of agriculturalists. California Ag in the Classroom invested staff, infrastructure, time and knowledge in the project. Ag in the Classroom met and consulted with education specialists at the high school and university level, and with STEM and agriculture related industry professionals. CFAITC researched information on existing STEM education resources, facilitated high school STEM curriculum development meetings with stakeholders and reviewed drafts of STEM curriculum with industry experts and pilot teachers. The lessons developed were aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core State Standards. The lessons were compiled into a unit, designed and printed. The unit was promoted via social media, conference exhibits and promotional mailings. The resulting high school curriculum unit unites STEM with agriculture and careers in sustainable energy (biogas, biomass, solar, wind, biofuel, geothermal, etc.) The unit is inquiry-based and hands-on. CFAITC provided teacher training sessions at the National Agriculture in the Classroom annual conference and at the California Agriculture in the Classroom Conference and the California Science Teachers Association Conference. STEM curriculum will prepare teachers to connect lessons to applications in agriculture andsustainable energy. Students and teachers will develop an appreciation and understanding for STEM concepts that are essential to modern agriculture. Students will be exposed to STEM careers in agriculture and will be better prepared for further STEM related coursework and professions.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems: Shaney Emerson, co-project director, left the employ of California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom following the completion of the writing meeting. Completion of the unit is being coordinated by the director, Judy Culbertson. The portions of the project remaining following Shaney's departure involved hiring consulting services for editing, proofreading, design and layout, promotion, field testing and evaluation. As a result, the project is continuing forward unimpeded by the co-project director's departure. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? During the next reporting period, the lessons for the STEM unit will be field tested and evaluated. Edits will be incorporated based on the results of the pilot testing. Then, the unit will be made ready for distribution andpromoted to teachers throughout Califonia through mailings and e-newsletters. Fifteen classrooms will be selected to participate in pre- and post- testing of the unit to determine the degree to which the unit met target objectives of teaching STEM concepts and agriculture's connection to sustainable energy production. The unit will be presented at educational workshops including the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom annual conference, the National Agriculture in the Classroom annual conference, and the National Science Teachers annual conference.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this reporting period, a writing team of teachers and agricultural professionals was scheduled, organized and facilitated. Selected teachers, industry experts and Agriculture in the Classroom staff met for a 2-day meetingto develop content for a new STEM unit. The unit will prepare teachers to connect lessons to applications in agriculture and sustainable energy. A rough draft of the unit was written and then completed for review by industry experts to receive feedback for technical and curricular improvements. The edits were incorporated and made ready for pilot testing in the classroom.
Publications
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