Lab Interest Approach

After watching myself teach my interest approach lesson, I see improvements that could be made. My interest approach was giving my "students" two ice cubes and a candle and having them figure out how to stick them together. The trick is to light the candle and use wax to hold the candles together. I was very excited when I tried this at my house and thought it would be a great approach to the different types of welding.

As I watched my video I noticed there some awkward pauses. Particularly when I asked questions. While teaching I wasn't sure how to dig myself out of theses awkward moments. One way I thought of was having more open discussion. My bell work was for students to write down as many things as they could think of that were welded and the types of materials. After they had a few minutes to reflect and write I was going to write them on the board. I feel I could improve this by asking the question in a different way such as "What have you seen recently that has been welded?" Additionally, instead of having students write down what they think I may have students tell me directly so I can write them on the board. While teaching I also forgot to ask for the types of materials that are welded. This is essential because the rest of my lesson focused on MIG, TIG and stick welding and the types of materials you would weld with each.

Some minor improvements I would make would be to use longer/larger candles that way the risk of burn is much less. I would have students perhaps wear goggles and ensure that their hair is tied back. Also, when going over the consequences I would further warn students that if they cannot be trusted with a candle they will NOT be getting on a welder. I should be able to trust my students with candles and ice cubes.

Lastly, I have a tendency to get a little too worked up and then I trip over my words or forget simple words such a paper towel and it creates long awkward pauses. Learning to teach seems like quite a feat but I look forward to improving myself in these areas.



Thanks for reading!!  

Weekly Writing 5: The Power of Questions

Have you ever analyzed the questions you ask to others? Consider if they are questions that provoke a quick, couple word response or do they stimulate thought and individual ideas. There are two types of questions: lower level order thinking questions and higher level order thinking question. As a teacher, we will be expected to utilize both types of questioning.

Lower level questions are used to check the "temperature" of the room. No need to bust out the thermometer, a question is all you need. These questions gauge where the students are at as far as understanding the content. They also can pin point the strength and weaknesses of the class or could be used as a review or summary of the information. These questions are very important when ensuring the students are getting the basic facts and content you are teaching them.

Higher level questions are used to get students to think deeper into a subject. This is really where we start to expand the mind of the students. After students begin grasping the subject we want them to think critically and begin to solve problems with their knowledge. We want them to think outside of "What are the 4 components of a ruminant stomach?" to "How are different feeds absorbed by the ruminant stomach?" and finally to "What feeds will yield the best results of milk for my dairy cattle?" We began with a question that had a basic answer, then moved to a question that build on the first question and finally the last question was solving a problem with the information from the first two questions.

The power of a question is really amazing and by making a conscientious effort to ask higher level questions in the classroom we will create higher level thinkers in society.

"Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery, like the idle, curved tunnels of leaf miners on the surface of a leaf. We must somehow take a wider view, look at the whole landscape, really see it, and describe what's going on here. Then we can at least wail the right question into the swaddling band of darkness, or, if it comes to that, choir the proper praise." - Annie Dillard

Week 4: Groups and Objectives

 

Why is it important to have objectives that students can see throughout the class session?

It's human nature to want some type of recognition or reward for a job well done. Student's need to know what they are aiming for, so to speak. They need something to attainable so they can strive for that goal. Learning objectives should begin with a specific action verb such as list, define or demonstrate. Then they need to be attainable. Starting an objective with "Students will understand...." is ineffective because how will you measure that understanding? There is too much variability on how this objective will be measured. Ways to make objectives attainable is ensuring the objectives can be completed in the time you are given. A 40-50 minute class should have 2-4 specific objectives for that day. A unit plan for 2 weeks should have 3-5 general objectives.

Next, working in groups: Why and How?

I'm sure you have heard the old expression that two heads are better than one. While that may not be the case when you are slaying a two headed dragon in a video game, it is the case in the classroom. From the little teaching experience I have had and the many years of being a student I have come to love class discussions or group work. I love hearing other peoples ideas, feelings and opinions on certain subjects. I especially love sharing ideas in a class with my 2015 Ag Ed cohort. Everyone collaborates and it sparks some great discussion points. I love that everyone looks at one subject in different ways. I want to have this type of open discussion in my classroom.
First, students need to feel that my classroom is a safe place. Physically safe is very pertinent but in this instance I would focus on safe from ridicule, accusations and just high school bullies. If students feel comfortable they will be inclined to share their ideas. Next, I will need to develop and use questioning techniques. I am discovering that asking questions in the classroom is more of skill. I need to promote a higher order level of thinking that will get students to learn the information, process it, analyze it and be able to use it in other situations. Creating connections throughout the content will solidify the information in students minds.



Week 4 has been a fun one for sure. Next week: more on effective questioning and language use in the classroom! Stay tuned.
 

How do we engage students? Week 3

I am sure throughout our lives we have reached some kind of conclusion that every person thinks differently. We have different views, emotions and we even process information in various ways.

The question is not "How smart are you?" but rather "How are you smart?"

 

This is a quote from Howard Gardner theory of multiple intelligences. The concept is there are 8 domains of learning; 8 ways that people process information and learn. Unfortunately in school systems standardized tests only focus on 3 of these domains.

 

Interpersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic, kinesthetic, musical, visual, logical, and verbal are the 8 multiple intelligences. There is a proposed 9th domain of existential which involves asking tough questions about life, death and the universe. Keeping these intelligences in mind and ensuring there is a variety of activities that include the different domains will make units or lessons we teach more understanding to each student. 

 

Personally, I am more naturalistic and musical. A perfect example happened this week in my AEE 350 class. We were focusing on land surveying and how to make a contour line. I was having difficulty understanding the concept of why the line looked like it was going downhill but all the stakes were at the same height. Then my professor gave an example of contour plowing and how they layout the field and it was like a light bulb went off! After I get to know my students I'll be able to explain things by appealing to one of the strength intelligences to help them understand a concept in my class.

 

Class normally begins with a hook or a bell ringer to get the students in the mind frame for the subject to be taught. Throughout the lesson the teachers uses scaffolding to encourage students to think for their own and become self learners. One of the best self- learners I have read about is Warren Buffet. Sure he has made more money that I can count AND he give the majority to charities but what really impresses me is his innate response to learning. If I had to guess I would say he has more of a interpersonal and logical way of learning. In this article about Mr. Buffet and his success he says that he spend much of his day just reading and thinking. Also, he is always learning. He consistently makes an effort to learn more, to read new things and this is what makes him so great in my mind. He has the self motivation and dedication to his knowledge.

 

I look forward to seeing how my students learn and finding ways to bring that forth in my lessons!

 

 

 



Thanks for reading!

Making Connections, Week 2

Making Connections

 

"Learning something new brings a sense of wonder, surprise, and revelation. The world makes sense." (Reardon pg. 10)

 

People crave understanding. Knowing about the world around us gives us a piece of mind. Learning can be done in a formal or non formal fashion. In a formal setting the information is provided to the learner by a teacher who has already made the connections with the material and hopes to create those connections and understand in others. In my opinion, teachers are unique individuals that develop a skill in leading others to answers.

 

Teachers begin by assessing what the students already know so they can determine what is the best way to get them to the desired result. There needs to be set goals/objectives that are easily visible and understood by the students. Then students need "chunks" of information. From there they begin to create connections to their current knowledge. They build upon this knowledge with the new information. This is referred to as scaffolding and is based on the work of Vygotsky. Below are some ways that teachers can create scaffolding in their lessons and actions in the classroom.

 

 

 

Citation for image

 

Week #1 in AEE 412

This is the beginning to it all and we're at the bottom of the mountain. Full of dreams, aspiration and inspiration, ready to begin that steep trek to the top. The realization of how crazy and exciting this semester hit me Monday morning in AEE 412. The semester began with an blank page and crayons. As I recall, Dr. Foster said "nothing is more liberating than crayons and a blank page." We continued the lesson by talking about what makes a great Ag teacher. What qualities do these educators need to be successful? Clarity. Clarity is so important when you are a teacher. You have to be clear in what you teach and what you expect. This is why we constantly ask questions, explain directions thoroughly and use "go" words.

Our readings for the week focused on mindsets. Having an open mindset, using your brain as a muscle and keeping a growth mindset are all characteristics for continuous learning. Having a fixed mindset or doing things the same way just because that's the way it has always been done will inhibit you as a person and as a learner. People don't just don't develop as smart and dumb. We have strengths in certain areas and weaknesses in other. This effects how we learn and how we process things. So learn what works best for you and use that to teach yourself new skills.

This week was filled with a very overwhelming feeling. I find it hard to distinguish the classes right now but I can see them becoming clearer. The weeks to come hold a lot of work but I look forward to it all. I realize it will all make me better as an Ag teacher.