Reporting Live From FLC

PRESS RELEASE:
On October 5th, 2015, students from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania arrived in Altoona, PA for the Fall Leadership Conference. Otherwise known as FLC, students engaged with teachers, PA FFA State Officers, and pre-service student teachers from Penn State. Students learned different skills relating to communication, teamwork, leadership, and their specific roles as leaders in the FFA............

REPORTING LIVE:
"This just in ... Mrs. Gouger, Ms. Kane, and Ms. Royer led a workshop today for 23 students. It seems these students, who are all Reporters in their home FFA chapters learned about the 9 different duties of an FFA Reporter. From practicing interviews, drafting questions, creating scrapbooks, and outlining POA Public Relations timelines, students spent 2.5 hours learning about and practicing important skills for reporters. Live from FLC, back to you at the station.

TWEET
#PAFFA students attended FLC conference! Thanks @ teachagpsu for helping! #FFArocks #reporters #bytheflag
________________________________________________________________________________

WOW, so FLC was truly an incredible experience today! While I have facilitated workshops before, and helped with FLC workshops in the past, today had added pressure. As a pre-service student teacher, there is the added "oh, they are student teaching next semester..." and "Oh they are going to be at this chapter in the Spring..." and "oh, they are seniors at PSU!" I can honestly say that I was more nervous to facilitate the workshop today than I feel I have felt in the past.

However, today exceeded my expectations! Stacia, Miranda, and I truly had so much fun working with the incredibly talented, funny, and engaging Reporters from across PA. We performed skits, turned off the lights and used flashlights, ran around the room finding puzzle pieces, danced to open ceremonies, and made scrapbook pages... and our students were right alongside us the whole time. We had so much packed into our 2.5 hour session (which is a LONG time) that we actually ended up shortening two activities and getting rid of the last activity. I think this was a smart decision (versus rushing through everything) because we really wanted students to learn the intended items for each activity etc. I am also glad that we maintained our questions and transitions at the end of activities to really solidify why we completed an activity, etc.

GEMS:
- Energy, I think we had a fun, engaging and dynamic workshop, and that students felt comfortable with us.
- Transitions, I think we as a group were good at passing off the reigns "next Mrs. Gouger is going to talk about Scrapbooks." This helped the students direct their attention (and minds) to a new, BUT related topic. I also think that we asked thought-provoking questions of the students.
- Activity and variety! I think that we were moving along and students (for the most part weren't bored.)
- Dance through opening ceremonies! One of my favorite parts was having the students create a kinesthetic dance to the Reporters part of Opening Ceremonies! It was fun, lighthearted, and EFFECTIVE! We wanted to make sure student left the workshop knowing their part.

OPPS:
- Preparation of materials... We were still writing on posters as the students walked in! Whoopsies
- TIMING! We definitely planned too much (which is better than not planning enough, but can be frustrating and difficult.)
- Questions... me personally, I had great questions written down in the plan and in the moment I asked different ones. In my head I was like "yeah! Ask this it's a great question!" when in reality I should have gone back to the pre-planned ones that were more clear, and emphasized the main point of the activity! Ha ha, so for me this means... don't get carried away!
- Another personal one for me... "let it go!" As one of three facilitators today, I feel really badly because I think I interrupted my co-facilitators in parts of their activities and objectives. NOT COOL SB, not cool! While I may have thought I was clarifying or helping, it probably just confused the students!

I truly enjoyed our workshop today. I am so proud of our students, and feel blessed to have worked with Stacia and Miranda... great job ladies! :)

-Sb