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Natalie Ferand

Natalie Ferand, Assistant Professor

Natalie Ferand, Assistant Professor
Natalie Ferand, Assistant Professor
Curriculum Vitae

School of Education
1750 Kraft Drive
Room 2025 (0302)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-4658 | nferand@vt.edu

Originally from Dallas, Texas,  I graduated PhD from the University of Florida in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, specializing in agricultural teacher education. I completed my undergraduate degree at Texas Tech University in Horticulture and Turf Grass Science and my Masters of Agricultural Leadership at the University of Georgia. Before returning to school to pursue my Ph.D., I taught high school agriculture in central Georgia and east Texas.

My research had focused on science within school-based agricultural education (SBAE), teacher professional development, teacher self-efficacy, experiences of pre-service teachers, and gender stereotypes of agricultural careers. Most recently, my dissertation explored teachers' behaviors and attitudes towards integrating science in their courses, students' motivation to learn science in agriculture, and the impacts of science integration on students' content and technical knowledge.

I co-lead the STEM-it Up: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Floriculture Curriculum in Bloom professional development program, where I work with current high school agriculture teachers from across the nation. In conjunction with Clemson University and supported by the American Floral Endowment, this program focuses on learning and teaching STEM concepts related to the horticulture/floriculture industry in a new way by highlighting the embedded STEM concepts in this curricula. Thirty-six agriscience teachers from 19 states have participated in STEM-it Up, impacting over 5,000 students by illuminating STEM concepts within their plant science classes. The third cohort of the STEM-it Up program is currently underway, with an additional 25 teachers.

Other service activities include membership and reviewer for the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE), reviewer for National FFA Organization Agriscience Fair, and alumna and volunteer for Kappa Delta sorority.

Dr. Ferand is the Program Leader for the Career & Technical Education Program at Virginia Tech's School of Education

  • Floriculture and plant science curricula
  • STEM in SBAE
  • Science illumination
  • Student motivation to learn science in agriculture
  • Student achievement in SBAE
  • PhD in Agricultural Education and Communication specializing in teacher education, graduate certificate in Teaching and Learning – University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (2021)
  • BS in horticulture ad turf grass science – Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (2012)
  • Master of Agricultural Leadership, teacher certification in grades 6-12 agriculture, graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management – University of Georgia, Athens, GA (2015)
  • Virginia Association of Career and Technical Education (Jun 2021 – Present)
  • Virginia Association of Agricultural Educators (Jun 2021 – Present)
  • American Floral Endowment Young Professionals (Apr 2020 – Present)
  • North American College and Teachers of Agriculture (Apr 2020 – Present)
  • American Association for Agricultural Education (Apr 2019 – Present)
  • Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (Jan 2019 – Present)
  • Texas Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association (Jul 2016 – Jul 2018)
  • Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association (Jan 2015 – Jun 2017)
  • NACTA Graduate Student Teaching Award recipient (2021)
  • UF Jack L. Fry Award of Excellence in Teaching award nominee (2021)
  • UF CALS Graduate Teaching Award nominee (2020)

Journal Articles

Coleman, B. M., Ferand, N. K., Bunch, J. C., & Israel, G. D. (In press). Examining preservice teachers' performance during a 14-week student teaching experience. Journal of Agricultural Education (Fall 2021).

Barry, D. M., Diaz, J. M., Ferand, N. K., Myers, B. E., Wysocki, A. F. (In press). Improving the student teaching experience: A Delphi study of cooperating teacher needs. Journal of Agricultural Education (Winter 2021).

Ferand, N. K., DiBenedetto, C. A., Thoron, A. C., & Myers, B. E. (2020). Agriscience teacher professional development focused on teaching STEM principles in the floriculture curriculum. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(4), 189 – 202. http://doi.org/10.5032/jae.202004189

Ferand, N. K., Thoron, A. C., & Myers, B. E. (2020). The relationship of prior FFA membership on perceived ability to manage an FFA chapter. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(2), 162-172. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.02162.

Kincy, N., Fuhrman, N. E., Navarro, M., & Knauft, D. (2016). Predicting teacher likelihood to use school gardens: A Case study. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 15(2), 138-149. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2016.1164096

Martini, X., Kincy, N., Vaughn, K., Dever, J., & Nansen, C. (2013). Positive association between thrips and spider mites in seedling cotton. Agricultural and Forest Entomology, 15(2), 197-203. https://doi.org/10.1111/afe.12004.

Martini, X., Kincy, N., & Nansen, C. (2012). Quantitative impact assessment of spray coverage and pest behavior on contact pesticide performance. Pest Management Sciences, 68(11), 1471-1477. https://doi.org/0.1002/ps.3330.

Other Creative Works

Ferand, N. (2021). Implications of science illumination in a high school floriculture curriculum. [Dissertation, University of Florida].

Ferand, N. (May 2019 – May 2020). Resource round-up. Owl-Pellets: Tips for Ag Teachers: www.owlpelletsforag.wordpress.com

Weekly blog post focusing on classroom ready resources for agriscience teachers

Twenty-eight total publications

Kincy, N. (2015). Predicting teacher likelihood to use school gardens: A case study (2015-10-27T04:30:27Z) [Master’s thesis, University of Georgia]. Athenaeum. https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/kincy_natalie_l_201505_mal.pdf

 

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