Action Research

Problem Statement

The Distance Learning Initiative is designed to provide students, in grades K-12, with a full circle elk country experience without physically being in Elk Country. In my research I will conduct surveys to ensure the program standards are being reached to the full potential. I will survey two types of school groups during my placement at the ECVC, physical field trips, and virtual field trips, also known as distance learning. Through this method of research, if we begin to see that students are not getting as much out of the virtual lessons as the physical lessons we will provide desired teacher resources as well as student information packets to supplement the activities to make them more engaging.  The goal of my research is to ensure that all field trips are treated equally by making sure that they are getting the same type of experience whether or not they attend a session with us virtually or physically. I am predicting that the virtual attendees will not be getting as high quality experience as those who can visit physically.

 

Findings

The findings showed that distance learning and physical field trips both had very similar learning outcomes from the students. There were suggestions by teachers in distance learning sessions to have a more hands-on experience similar to the  physical field trips. The only other comment was the way that the distance learning trunks were presented when they arrived to the school.

 

Solutions

Some of the suggestions given by the teachers who have experienced  the Distance Learning Sessions included a better mailing method. Most of our trunk/boxes are in rough shape due to the shipping process. We have tried a couple of different containers, and so far large cardboard boxes work the best, but must be replaced frequently. We are looking into purchasing shipping containers that have a time effective guarantee.

Another recommendation was that we do something to make the sessions more interactive  for students in the Distance Learning Sessions. During our field trips, students have hands-on activities with a variety of props.

DIY- CDE Training Day

For my DIY, I am planning a CDE workshop at the Elk Country Visitor Center as a practice for chapters throughout the state before Fall CDE's. During my time at the Elk Center, I have coordinated the event and create all advertisements and documents for the event. The benefit for me as a student teacher is gaining a better understanding of CDE's.

In order to host this event, I needed to learn more about individual CDE's in order to make the workshops meaningful to students. There are 3 CDE's that can be best served by the Elk Center property: Forestry, Aquatics Resources, and Wildlife. There is the potential for this to become an annual event. If possible I would love to partner with the Teach Ag Society to help run each of the CDE's alongside the staff at the ECVC. 

A far as evidence that I will be submitting the informational flyer and registration forms. The CDE Training Day in Elk Country is planned for Sept. 11^th, 2015.  The cost per student is $15 while advisors and chaperones are free.  Each person will receive an event T-Shirt, and a bag lunch will be provided. An information flyer will be mailed to PA Schools with Ag programs mid-May. Registration forms are due on August 31^st.

The Final Reflection

Going into my student teaching experience, I had very mixed emotions about whether or not I wanted to teach in a classroom. I had a lot of experience with non-formal education and liked where I was. I knew that student teaching in the formal setting of a classroom was going to be anything but easy. The first day I was introduced to my students was nerve-racking! I was responsible for the education of these young minds, that is a lot of pressure for one person! I did my best and I dove right in by taking over the Natural Resource and Ecology class at the beginning of the semester. Soon after I added Horticulture and Ag Science as well. While teaching at Twin Valley HS, I never felt like I had time to think, I was always preparing something for the next class, the next day, or an after school event. There was no time to sit and think about everything I was going through! After a few weeks in, I decided that I never wanted to teach in a classroom setting. The kids were great and I enjoyed working with them, but I couldn't stand the thought of having to print and revise another lesson. I started to dread going to school and have to do it all again the next day. Sometime shortly after, I was observed for the first time by Ms. Laura Rice. She observed my first two classes, and then we had a chance to talk over lunch. During our talk, I could tell she was disappointed in my teaching, and wished that I was doing better. We talked about my performance and she stated that during the Fall Semester in Lab, I was doing so well, and she wanted to know what happened. The truth is, I don't know what happened, I was in a "funk", I wasn't happy with what I was doing. I lost my sense of direction. But after that day, and talking with Ms. Rice and Ms. Weaver, I decided that I needed to change, and fast! I tried to better prepare myself for my lessons and started to stay after school later, and set-up for the following day. I communicated more with Ms. Weaver about what I planned to do, and asked for suggestions. I noticed my lessons were getting better, and I was happier with the work I was doing. I made connections with my students and they began to respect me as an educator, but we still had fun in class. I finally thought I was happy! By the net scheduled visit from Ms. Rice, I had improved, and was better as an educator. She seemed much happier with my performance and I was finally on the right track! When my ten weeks at Twin Valley were done, I was sad to leave. I truly made a connection with my students and I knew I would miss them. The student planned a going away party for me after school on my last day, but mother nature had other plans, we had an early dismissal on the my last day, and all after school activities were canceled. A few of my students came down to say goodbye on their way to the buses, but I never got to talk to many some of them.

There was no time to dwell in the sadness of leaving Twin Valley, because the following day was a banquet for my next placement, the Keystone Elk Country Alliance. I drove from Twin Valley all the way to Ridgway, PA to the site of the Elk Country Banquet. We set up on the Friday night that I left Twin Valley, and finished up on the following day. I was there for a long weekend, but I was able to catch up with my co-workers and meet some of the new members of the team. The following week we had a staff meeting were I was brought up to speed on many of the happenings during my time at Twin Valley, and I also shared some of my experiences. The next day, I had a Distance Learning Session with a class of 4th Graders from Mill Hall Elementary. Ms. Kurtz asked me to take lead on the session, and I did just that. It wasn't until the moment the session started that I realized that I was never truly myself at Twin Valley, when I was teaching these kids over Skype, I was truly myself, I was energetic, animated, and using all of these strategies that I learned about during my time at Penn State. But most importantly I was happy. My time at the Elk Country Visitor Center has been much different than I thought it would be. I was expecting to be sorting information, updating curriculum, and working with groups, not only did I do that, but I was asked about starting new programs and events, designing new informational signs, and much more! The thing I am most excited about is the CDE Training Day that I have been planning. We are inviting every FFA Chapter in PA to this event where students can receive extra training in Wildlife, Aquatic Resources, and Forestry CDE's. Eventually this event will offer training sessions on other areas as well.

I have been hired on as the new Conservation Education Coordinator at the Elk Country Visitor Center, succeeding my cooperating supervisor, Barb Kurtz. A lot of my time has been looking into the curriculum she has developed during her time here, and updating it. The Keystone Elk Country Alliance seems to be excited to have me become a permanent member of their team, and I am excited to join them. There are so many ideas that I have, that might just come true!

While comparing my experience with a split internship, I have to say that I love non-formal education like what I do at the visitor center. However, I also love formal education, and bonding with my students. I am at a point right now where I still don't fully know where life will take me. I am happy right now working in non-formal education. Who knows eventually, I may decided I want to teach in a classroom and switch to formal education. Nothing is forever. As my good friend Janae Bickhart always says, "If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life!" and right now, I am looking forward to a "work-free" life!

Week 14: So Many Elk Talks, So Little Time!

Here I was thinking that things would get easier after I started to settle into the ECVC, boy was I wrong! This week was the busiest week yet with school groups. On Tuesday I had the opportunity to meet with the Shippensburg HS NRM Class! It was great to be able to see one of my fellow student teacher's students thought Skype! It was really fun for me to teach a high school level Distance Learning Session as most of the sessions are elementary. I was able to not only talk about elk, but wildlife management as a whole. One of the things I like to tell older students, is that wildlife management is often not about wildlife, it is about people! This is a topic that is hard to teach to younger students, but high school students seem to grasp the concept that wildlife management is about the perception of the wildlife. For animals that are perceived as "bad" because they may have a behavior or a trait that humans don't desire, there is little to no help going to the preservation of the species. Animals that are cute or help humans in some way get all the attention.
Later in the week on Thursday, we had a group of 3-5 year olds that visited the center. I never really knew how hard it was to keep a group of 3-5 year olds' attention! Interactive story time lasted about 2 minutes and then it was on to exploring the Great Room! I was able to hold their attention there for about 10 minutes before I lost them again! Next stop was the 4-D story theater, this actually worked! Except when the theater played the fake rain storm, and there was thunder, two of the children ran out in tears! We calmed them down and got them back just in time for the snow that falls near the end of the show! This cheered all of the children up, and had them excited to go for a trail walk!

On Friday Barb and I taught 9 consecutive sessions of Distance Learning to 3rd graders from West York School District as part of their Pennsylvania Day! I have done multiple sessions before, but never 9! I tried my hardest to teach 4 sessions in a row, but my voice couldn't make it. Thankfully Barb saved the day and taught some of the lessons so I could rest my voice! I never knew how much energy it takes to deliver the distance learning sessions. After thinking about it though, it is mostly teacher centered because of the virtual learning that occurs, due to that we use a high energy lecture style.

Overall, this has been a very productive week, and I even hired my first employee! We help interview that I planned and coordinated. We interviewed 3 candidates for the Conservation Education Specialist Position, and all of them were highly qualified! Their interviews only made the decision tougher! The panel of 4 that held the interviews discussed what we thought was good and bad about each of the candidates and held an open discussion of our thoughts before deciding on the right candidate.

Week 13: Raffles, Training, and Field Trips!

This week was all hands on deck at the Elk Country Visitor Center. Through one of our partnerships with the PA Game Commission, we have been given a PA Bull Elk Conservation Tag to raffle off to the general public. The proceeds of this raffle are designated for use in Conservation Education, and Habitat Improvement Projects. Both of these areas are things that I am overseeing as part of my student teaching experience. The tickets finally arrived and it was time to send them our to the membership base. Workers and volunteers worked hard all week to count tickets, stuff, seal, and stamp over 2500 envelops! It was unreal to see the process from beginning to end. When I was between groups, and programs, I was helping to label and stamp the envelopes as well. One thing I have learned here at the ECVC is that nothing happens here without the hard work and dedication of the entire team. I am blessed to have become and part of such a great organization. I thought back to my time at Twin Valley and we did something very similar with the Wild Game Dinner, officers stuffed envelopes with invitations to send out to the alumni.

This week I was also able to host an Envirothon Training Day with the Elk County Conservation District. There were over 65 participating students and rotated through 4 stations that included Wildlife ID, Aquatic Resources, Forestry, and Soils. The conservation district primarily ran the stations and I was responsible for making sure they had all of the necessary materials as well as make sure students made it to the proper locations for the stations. This was a look into what my job is going to be like when I officially start at coordinator. I will need to supervise the groups as well as teach them.

The following day I took a trip to Greenwood HS, where I met with Ag Classes and discussed management practices for the PA Elk. With each of the 7 classes I discussed the history of the elk in PA, and for some of the classes I went into more detail about the mating behavior and size comparisons of white-tailed deer. The students seemed to enjoy the talks and I received positive feedback from the instructors as well. I was a long day with not very many breaks, but I had a blast and was able to reach out to a lot of students about what we do here in elk country.

Finally on Friday, I was able to participate in a one-of-a-kind experience. I was invited by the PA Elk Biologist Jeremy Banfield to assist in the placement of a new camera/GPS collar on a cow elk. This collar when activated will take photographs and video from the hardware installed around the cows neck. This video will them be used to analyze elk behavior, feeding, and habitat preferences. We left in the early morning and when into the Quehanna Wild Area. There biologist and vet located a herd of cows that they wished to study. It was extremely foggy and due to an equipment malfunction the herd scattered before he could successfully tranquilize and animal. We moved to another area closer to Winslow Hill and located another herd. The PGC Vet was able to successfully tranquilize the elk and we moved in to process the animal. I was tasked with keeping her head up and monitoring her behavior to see if she was starting to come out of sedation. It was amazing to see an elk this close and be able to handle here. I was able to learn so much about what the biologist do from working with them and asking them questions. I realized that even though I am often the teacher, leading the instruction. It is important to take a step back sometimes and become the students. We never stop learning!!

You can see the Tranquilizer Dart

Checking the BMI for Elk, she was a little thin.

Drawing Blood fro Pregnancy Check as well as Disease

After she was given the reversal agent.

From Left to Right:

Myself, Andy Olson (KECA Field Director), Rawley Cogan (KECA CEO)

In the background: Jeremey Banfield (PGC Elk Biologist)

This is a video of the cow coming out of sedation and being released back to her wild habitat.

Week 12: WHAT?! IT'S Week 12 ALREADY?

This week has been a busy one! We have so many things happening at the center right now it's hard to keep up. I have been given a list of goals and tasks that the center wants me to perform in a timely fashion as well as everything I need to finish for PSU. The experience here at the ECVC is different than what I expected, but good different! One of my new tasks is to inventory ALL of the props we use here at the center and create a catalog of everything we have to offer. I am truly seeing the importance of keeping everything organized and maintaining records of their uses. Along with this catalog, I created a sign-out procedure for the props as well. Volunteers often take props to use at events, shows, and school visits. By using a log book, we can be sure to keep track of where the props are going and also what types of events they are being used for. This type of record keeping is not only good for here at the center, but could be very useful to a teacher as well. I know from my experience with Mrs. Weaver that keeping track of the material that you might use for various labs, especially with CASE labs, can be a very daunting task. By creating a catalog, or even a spread sheet, you can always know what you have and how many of those items you have. When a number reaches a point that you know it isn't enough, you order more, or budget for more.

Along with the inventory monitoring, I had the chance to work with the Elk County & McKean County Conservation Districts. This was a really great experience as I was able to help them as much as they helped me. I was able to talk to their groups about the conservation method we utilized while building the center such as, regenerative forest, biomass boiler, gray water flush system, and our bio retention ponds. At the end of my session with them we started talking about the forage plots and our management with them. They were happy to hear we are re-evaluating our management system and were eager to offer us advice. One thing that they discussed with me was that right now there is no way to create a good verifiable management plan. The reason for this is because unlike farm pastures, we do not know how many elk are grazing each day, or which fields they are grazing in. The said we could try different methods and crops, but until we know how many elk there are and where they appear, there is no good way to make sure our treatments are accurate for the use of the plots. This information made me happy, and sad. I was sad because my students at Twin Valley worked so hard to create a management plan with the PGC and Berks County Conservation District. However, the plan that they created will still be used, just in a modified way.

Week 11: A Smooth Transition

This week was my first week as a student teacher located at the Elk Country Visitor Center. It was a breath of fresh air being back in the familiar setting in elk country! However, as welcoming as it all is, it certainly is challenging! My first week back has been full of meetings and event planning. I was able to conduct a Distance Learning Session with Mill Hall Elementary 4th Grade class on Wednesday. This was the moment when I realized I was in the right place, I was myself, I was confident, and I had fun! One of the thing I really struggled with while teaching at Twin Valley was enjoying my lessons. Don't get me wrong, we had fun classes and I loved the kids, and Mrs.Weaver, but I never really enjoyed what I was teaching. The fact is however, I didn't realize it until I was no longer teaching at Twin Valley. I only realized after it was too late.

My time in elk country has already been filled with natures beauty. This week while I was working on some of my programming, Rawley Cogan (the CEO) came over to my desk and said, "You have to see this!" I followed him over to the window, and just on the other side of the glass, a herd of approximately 50 elk casually walked by on the way to the forage plot. After being away for so long I almost forgot just how majestic these creatures are. It has been truly amazing being back in the heart of elk country, and I no longer question where I belong. I know that I made the right choice to create a unique experience for myself, and am very thankful for all the support everyone has given me.