Virginia Tech professor helps grow future of agriscience teachers
John Clark and other teachers participate in experiential learning as part of SIU2 program.
When looking at a bouquet, one might not consider a flower’s journey from the ground to a living room. But imagine if the lifecycle of a fresh cut flower was taught in school.
The topic is a cornerstone of a three-year professional development program for middle school and high school agriculture teachers.
Called Stem-It Up2: Immersive Professional Development Experience for Agriscience Teachers to Explore the Floriculture Industry (SIU2), the program is designed to addressed curriculum shortages in their fields.
As part of the program, 16 teachers traveled this past summer across the East Coast to greenhouses, research labs, and flower farms to learn more about the floriculture industry. The 10-day trip ended at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection location in Miami, Florida, where teachers saw how flowers are brought into the country. Now they are using that knowledge to create unit and lesson plans that will be free and available for any teacher to use in their classrooms.
The program was made possible through a partnership between Natalie Ferand, assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s School of Education, and participants from several other universities. It also is supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy grant.
More than half of its $500,000 budget was designated to teachers and their experiences. Participating teachers also receive funding to present at their local, state, regional, and national teacher association conferences.
Bringing it home
As a result of the summer experience, these teachers are working to create a universally applicable curriculum.
John Clark, an agriculture teacher at Apex High School in North Carolina, said the experience reignited his love and passion for teaching. He’s been a teacher for a little over six years.
“I was absolutely riding the burnout train,” said Clark. “This got me pointed in the right direction. I was able to be in the same room as all of these industry leaders and have conversations about what they’re doing and what they as an industry want to see.”
When he returned home, Clark said his renewed enthusiasm directly impacted his classroom. He felt empowered to have meaningful conversations about why rules, like no cellphones in the classroom, will help students in their future careers.
For participants like Nora Melley, who recently started teaching vocational horticulture in a transitional program for students with special needs, there are additional factors to consider in her lesson planning.
Melley, who teaches at a school outside of Philadelphia, said she has to ensure there aren’t any poisonous plants involved in the activities, for example. She said she also has to make sure phrasing and directions are very clear as to not mislead her students.
John Clark and other participating teachers take part in experiential learning as a part of the Stem It Up 2 program. (Courtesy of the University of Florida)
Exponential impact
The purpose of the program is to provide opportunities for teachers to be immersed in technical agricultural environments
During the 10-day program, teachers received a technology kit to collect videos, pictures, and interviews with industry professionals. The kit included an iPad mini, microphones, and more. They also participated in professional development related to STEM in school-based agricultural education classes.
While the exact reason why there is a lack of floriculture curriculum is unknown, Ferand said it likely related to student interest.
Animal sciences are frequently more popular classes, she said, leading curriculum companies to supply the demand. Plant science, and particularly floriculture, are not typically as popular as classes where students might get to work with animals, she said.
Partners from other universities include
Budding potential
The program is an extension of the STEM-it Up: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Floriculture Curriculum in Bloom (SIU) program made possible by the American Floral Endowment. Ferand has been involved with that program since she was a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida.
First launched in 2019 as the brainchild of Catherine DiBenedetto, an associate professor at Clemson University, the program served more than 80 teachers.
Ferand met DiBenedetto at a conference, and they instantly bonded over of their shared passion for plant science and floriculture. They also shared a desire to help educators connect the STEM concepts they likely already teach to their core content.
Ferand started as a graduate program assistant, completing her dissertation research on the SIU program during its second year. After graduation, she moved into the role of assistant director of SIU. Now, she is the co-principal investigator of the SIU2 program.
“SIU and SIU2 have allowed me to combine my passions for horticulture and content-specific professional development for teachers,” Ferand said. “I truly believe teachers need experiences they can immediately apply directly back into their classrooms. Additionally, the camaraderie formed by each SIU cohort is unmatched in any other professional development program.”
Natalie Ferand, assistant professor in the Virginia Tech School of Education, gives presentation to SIU2 participants. (Courtesy of the University of Florida).
The Ut Prosim "it" factor
While the backgrounds of the teachers who participated in the program are vast, they all had one thing in common: their admiration and respect for Ferand.
“She's very knowledgeable and her enthusiasm level is crazy,” said Melley. “I was a little bit exhausted just watching her sometimes.”
Clark said one greatest benefits of the trip was “the ability to bounce some ideas off of and talk through things” with Ferand.
"She really is such an expert about inquiry-based learning, agriscience, and floriculture," he said.
The experience was just as meaningful for Ferand.
“SIU is a community of practice and a community that has me continually striving to be the best teacher educator I can be,” she said. “I have grown and continue to grow, right along with the teachers.”
