Professional Development Needs of Mid-Career Agriculture Teachers

Abstract

Nationwide, agricultural education faces a shortage of teachers (National Teach Ag Campaign, 2014;Foster, Lawver, & Smith, 2016

School-based Agricultural Education Teachers' Perceived Professional Development Needs Associated with Teaching, Classroom Management, and Technical Agriculture

“…Based on previous literature, it is also important to consider the professional life cycles of teachers when developing and delivering professional development events (Easterly & Myers, 2017;Eros, 2011;Fessler & Christensen, 1992;Huberman, 1989;Smalley & Smith, 2017;Sorensen et al, 2014;Steffy, Wolfe, Pasch, & Enz, 2000). Eros (2011) emphasized the importance of "the presence of different career stages [of teachers] and to build on this knowledge to design stage-appropriate professional development" (p. 68).…”

“…These challenges include: (1) classroom management, (2) advising FFA, (3) lesson planning, (4) curriculum development, (5) managing the amount of paperwork and finances, and (6) working with parents, teachers, and administrators (Myers et al, 2005). Mid-career SBAE teachers identified that their largest challenge was a lack of time (Smalley & Smith, 2017). Another barrier with mid-career teachers was course planning and being motivated (Smalley & Smith, 2017).…”

“…Mid-career SBAE teachers identified that their largest challenge was a lack of time (Smalley & Smith, 2017). Another barrier with mid-career teachers was course planning and being motivated (Smalley & Smith, 2017). Several factors contribute to teachers leaving the teaching profession (Tippens et al, 2013).…”

“…Professional development opportunities for teachers can be used to retain teachers in the profession (Touchstone, 2015). Professional development needs vary based on the stage in a teacher's career and their experiences (Smalley & Smith, 2017;Sorensen et al, 2014). Professional development for beginning teachers may need to include mentoring programs (Touchstone, 2015).…”

“…According to Sorensen et al (2014), beginning teachers also need professional development in areas such as grant writing, using their advisory committee, being able to use Agricultural Experience Tracker (AET) system for record keeping, training Career Development Event (CDE) teams for competition, and being able to balance work and life. According to Smalley and Smith (2017), mid-career teachers want several different outcomes from professional development events such as networking, getting reenergized, and understanding how to handle stress.…”