Posted on No Comments on From our ESP Lambda Chapter President (October 2020) – Arlene Wilson

From our ESP Lambda Chapter President (October 2020) – Arlene Wilson

This year has been full of challenges, as we were swept up in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Cornell Cooperative Extension has encouraged us providing ways to live our mission of cooperation and partnership with government, farmers, growers, volunteers and the community. We have worked even harder, dug deep into the well of creativity, stretched more to demonstrate our flexibility, transitioned to online platforms [sometimes kicking and screaming] and working remotely, wearing face coverings, and carrying hand sanitizer everywhere. We have been appreciated, thanked, praised, and received support from a variety of sectors.

To whom much is given, much is expected.

The role of Epsilon Sigma Phi, is one of fostering excellence in the Extension professional through professional development and leadership opportunities. We do this through online workshops, seminars and our flagship in person Annual ESP Conference. Three years of planning, promotion, logo designs, trips and tours were overruled by COVID-19.

To whom much is given, much is expected.

So, we pivoted and decided to host the first ESP Virtual Conference! We retooled plans, repurposed logos and rallied the Extension troops across New York State and on the Cornell campus to make the concept a reality. There are not words enough to thank everyone for all the creativity, tenacity, problem-solving, and hard work, resulting in a highly successful, record-breaking ESP national conference! Stay tuned for more innovation and projects from ESP!

Warmly,

Arlene Wilson, ESP Lambda President
aaw66@cornell.edu

Posted on No Comments on Membership Update (October 2020)

Membership Update (October 2020)

Membership Update:

ESP-Lambda keeps on growing, with our current membership standing at 59 members — 37 annual members and 22 life members. Joining us in 2020 are: Robert Batt, Liz Berkeley, Mary Breyette, Susan Coyle, Jarmila Haseler, Lori Koenick, Jessica Kouzan, Andrea Lista, Garet Livermore, Susanne Magee, MaryBeth Mitcham, Lydia Reidy, Jessica Reid, and Nicole Slevin. Welcome to all!

Stay up to date on ESP happenings and communicate with your peers across the state on the ESP-Lambda Chapter Blog: https://blogs.cornell.edu/esp-lambda/ You’ll find information about the ESP-Lambda book club and professional development opportunities, as well as find a forum to discuss topics of interest with your fellow Extension professionals.

Posted on No Comments on $upport Available to Attend Virtual Annual Conference

$upport Available to Attend Virtual Annual Conference

https://cceconferences.wufoo.com/forms/esp-national-conference-request-for-upport/

What is ESP – we will give you $50 to find out!

Submitted by: Beth Claypoole, CCE Wayne County, NYS and National ESP Past President

One of the best ways to take advantage of national learning opportunities and get to know your extension colleagues is to join one of the national extension associations – and I am recommending Epsilon Sigma Phi.  ESP is a national organization that fosters leadership and professional development across all extension technical areas of expertise – all members of extension have a place in ESP.  I once said that ESP teaches you how to be a better educator, no matter what area of technical expertise.  This is especially important for extension staff who may not have a readily prominent professional organization to which to belong – like Executive Directors!

This year, our local NYS ESP Chapter, Lambda, was going to host the National ESP 2020 Conference, in Rochester, NY, expecting more than 200 people to visit our state and participate in Professional Development activities.  Instead, we are in the process of planning our on line conference, complete with 5 concurrent sessions, 2 speakers, and our traditional Ruby Award presentation.  The Ruby Award is the highest level of achievement reached by an ESP member and the awardee gives a heartfelt motivational speech during the Ruby Awards luncheon.

Our 3 speakers this year are worth the registration price, just to hear their presentations:  Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, past Director of NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) – the part of the USDA to which Extension reports; Ruby Award winner Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen; and Jonathan Ntheketha, Associate Director Student Success and Engagement, Multicultural Center for Academic Success, Diversity and Inclusion – RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology).  Each of these speakers will have us thinking and taking action to better our extension experiences for ourselves and our participants.

In addition to these 3 outstanding speakers, we also have additional seminar presentations, research presentations, Ignite speakers and poster presentations from more than 40 of your colleagues from across the nation, including several from CCE.

The ESP association and conference websites can be found by going to “espnational.org” and clicking on the virtual conference link. Your local Lambda chapter Board of Directors welcomes you to register for this on line event for just $100.  And to help you with your registration, the board approved at its August meeting to reimburse all current ESP members $50 of the registration fee.  In addition, up to 20 new/potential members will also receive a $50 reimbursement through ESP – Lambda Chapter.  You will need to register up front and pay the entire amount.  Please contact Beth Claypoole, eac9@cornell.edu,  for more information and to get registered for the first 20 non-member registrations.

Posted on No Comments on From Telling to Teaching

From Telling to Teaching

 Book cover for the book From Telling to TeachingI just read a favorite teaching strategy book, “From Telling to Teaching” as it has been a while and I wanted to reacquaint myself with a some good ideas for lesson planning, motivating learners, and designing to help shift behaviors (instead of designing a lesson to just teach content).

If you are a CCE nutrition education you are likely familiar with the book “From Telling to Teaching” by Dr. Joye Norris as Norris is the originator of what we know as the 4A model of lesson planning, a framework taught to nutrition educators consistently.  In addition to walking through WHY it makes sense for lessons to have these four components:  ANCHOR, ADD, APPLY, AND AWAY, Norris takes the reader through  scenarios for considering how to get to know your learners, invite them warmly to learn with you, and help them walk away excited to apply what they have learned.

The book really makes me want to have more conversations with our CCE educators…   I’m curious and interested – what are your 5 top ways of inviting your participants to “be in the room” with you?   We can learn  so much from one another!

Posted on No Comments on Resources for Working from Home

Resources for Working from Home

Working from home can be tough, especially given the difficult times we find ourselves in. It can be distracting, boring, relaxing, and suffocating all at once. As we all learn to adapt to our new work environments, here are some resources to help us reflect on and improve our work-at-home strategies:

Special thanks to Beth Claypoole for compiling these resources and sharing them with us!

Posted on No Comments on Off the Clock

Off the Clock

Image of cover of the book "off the clock"Last year, while searching for sage advice about how to get up earlier in the mornings (and go to bed earlier at night), I stumbled across a blog that I really liked from Laura Vanderkam, a writer, author, and time management specialist.  I enjoyed her writing style and candor about life and getting more of the things done that we really want to be known for.  I ended up buying her book, Off the Clock, and then – because I didn’t always make time to read self-help books, her audiobook of the same title.  I’ve listened to it on work trips or just commuting many times – each time picking up another gem.

One of the most useful exercises that I did, encouraged by Vanderkam’s writings was to track my time.  It isn’t as painful as it sounds, and it is revealing.  I could no longer ignore my habits of trying to do one more thing before getting out the door only to make me late :), or ignore the fact that no matter how hard I try – it takes a full hour to get out the door in the morning.  I have learned that the tasks that feel like are “just a few minutes” are often quite typically 2 hours.  The reality check was helpful.

Even if you are the most organized soul around, I do believe you will find this book interesting and inspiring.

Celeste Carmichael is a Program Specialist for CCE Administration and the Communications Chair for the ESP Lambda Chapter.

Posted on No Comments on Professional Development Opportunities announced

Professional Development Opportunities announced

CCE Program Planning Prof Dev Webinars + PDLC topics

All professional development webinars noted here will be hosted from 10:00am – 10:40am EST on Zoom (see registration links below).  PDLC members will meet following the webinars beginning at 10:45am (using same link).

Jan 7 – Working Out Loud (+ PDLC Welcome Zoom 1)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vpAsceGhqjMpAtES3z5ZWTqirnxsWwSaCQ

“Working Out Loud” will be focused on communicating with colleagues to build networks.

Jan 28  – Focus Groups (+ PDLC Zoom 2)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpd-2urDoq19ChHvQsR1LkxgmRZOeUEg

“Focus Groups” will cover how to set up and use focus groups as an effective method for assessing programmatic needs.

Feb 11 – The Foundations Directory (+ PDLC Zoom 3)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/uZcudOivqzMq7eZZpW32p8zSp8OuK5mpGw

“The Foundations Directory” will help those identifying local foundations to find and secure funding.

Feb 25 – Active Learning (+ PDLC Zoom 4)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vJUqduisrToip2spsE6Wl_uVjLgeaLB5Jw

“Active Learning” will cover the basics of developing lesson plans with the audience in mind.  This webinar will be valuable to those who plan and facilitate learning experiences.

March 10  – Project Management (+ PDLC Zoom 5)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vpMkdeGqrzgpJiTe4mljlmkUv22HhFHMcA

“Project Management” – will cover tools and strategies to help implement program plans.

March 24 – Evaluation Practices (+ PDLC Zoom 6)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vpMpcOmgrz0jVys9BGzw1BOEnXXrkEr-rQ

“Evaluation Practices” will provide guidance on evaluation types and methods for working evaluation into your program work flow.

 

April 14 – CCE Staff Share Program Designs (+ PDLC Zoom 7)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/uJ0tdemhrjssIhmaQUi_j6uMMe7nfKif2Q 

“CCE Staff Share Program Designs” will showcase a few examples from staff who have participated in the Program Development Leadership Cohort.

May 12 – Beyond the Report – Sharing Successes with Other Extension Professionals (+ PDLC Zoom 8) https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/v5Qqcu-vrjIpvEdyrO72iCNEMapMHADjoQ 

“Beyond the Report – Sharing Successes with Other Extension Professionals” will share suggestions on how to publish your work through Journal of Extension and other professional development organizations.

ESP Lambda Chapter Professional Development Blog is open to all CCE staff.  The blog is intended to be a way for peers to share news and tips with each other.  Have content?  Send e-mail to: cjc17@cornell.edu.

Posted on No Comments on Tips for Publishing Your Extension Work – recording now available

Tips for Publishing Your Extension Work – recording now available

The National Association of Program and Staff Development Professionals recently hosted  Dr. Theresa Ferrari, a colleague from Ohio State,  to share tips on publishing Extension work.

Check out:  Who, Me, An Author?  Tips for Publishing Your Extension Work – recording now available

If this topic area is of interest or you have additional ideas for professional development for Extension Staff – let us know by completing our professional development survey.

Posted on No Comments on Professional Development Aids in Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention

Professional Development Aids in Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention

Many of you are familiar with the Journal of Extension – it is a peer-reviewed resource with research and extension articles written about the practice of doing our work by colleagues in Land Grants.  When I first started in Extension it would should up on my desk regularly and now it is of course online – searchable and at our fingertips all the time.

A quick search on “staff development” yielded today’s fun fact:

Onboarding & regular professional development aids in retention. Likely no surprise – but it might be helpful to know the research and writings about this topic.  In this article about the value of staff development University of Florida colleagues share a review of research (great reference list) that points to the value of onboarding and staff development and they share a method that they developed for articulating the return on investment for staff development for their funders.

The article reminds us that:

  • Employee satisfaction drives productivity and organizational health
  • Professional development increases employee satisfaction
  • Onboarding helps staff to have role clarity
  • Most staff decide whether to stay in a position within the first six months

So, what do you want professional development on?  Last week we piloted a professional development survey at Ag In-service to answer the question – “What professional development do (program staff) need?, In what form?  And how do we share information about opportunities?  This staff survey is now open to all – take a few minutes to let us know: What professional development opportunities are you interested in?  This short survey is anonymous…your candid responses are helpful.