Problem Solving

Well finally things seem to be looking up!

I came into today's lab with 2 objectives:
-Smile: be excited
-Answer and ask lots of questions

For once I really think that happened!

The lesson I presented today was an introduction to the final project in my animal science II class.  The project is to develop a farm business plan.  The students are going to be presented with the project at the beginning of the semester.  They will asked to choose the species they want to do their project on, and then I asked them to list "factors" they used to make their decision on a notecard.

I have definitely realized I hate "quite",  I really need to work on allowing students time to complete their bellwork.  I always want to jump into the lesson before I allow students sufficient time to complete the bellwork.

I gave myself a huge pep-talk before I walked out the door this morning! "I will be excited, I will be happy, I will smile!!"  Well overall I think it worked, my evaluations all stated that I had improved enthusiasm!  However, it was mentioned if it was genuine or forced... But heck, I will take it either way its an improvement!!

The second objective I made for myself was to ask more questions, in addition I wanted to make sure I was answering all questions.  I made sure to check for questions and answer all of them.  I can see that I still need to work on developing my questions.  I know what I want the students to say however, I think I need to phrase them differently.  Thus, my next objective is to work on scripting better questions!

Overall, I was happy with my performance today!  Finally a lab that made me say I think I am going to be ok and make it through this.  I really feel like I am making progress. 

Demonstration Lab

 "How to replace a float"





 For my demonstration lab, I choose to demonstrate how to replace a carburetor float.  My bellwork for this lab was to project a picture of a rusty log splitter sitting outside.  I ask students to identify one thing that stood out to them when they first looked at the picture and to identify two possible problems with this engine.

This is a lesson that I will be using in my advanced single-cylinder class.  I transitioned from my bellwork into my interest approach.  My interest approach was to read off a scenario, from a customer regarding their engine.  The students were given a job sheet with the scenario typed into it.  I used the job sheet for the small gasoline engines CDE.  The students were then given a brief period to develop a thought regarding what was wrong with the engine.

I spent a lot of time preparing and practicing this lab.  I was very happy with that I didn't forgot any parts of my lesson.  However I did fail to advance my slides to display my objectives prior to giving the demonstration.

I seem to be lacking enthusiasm and energy during my teaching.  I am really struggling with this is lab, the only reason I can come up with is that I am being recorded.  I was really worried that I had an issue until fall leadership.  At fall leadership conference, I felt like a different person I was excited and happy.  I would love some input on how to pep-up my labs!!  I want to be a dynamic educator and I want students to be excited about my class.

I really felt confident going into this lab.  I realize that I shut down a lot of students questions.  I found myself afraid to start answering questions due to time.  I was nervous I was going to run out of time if I started down that path.

Interest Approach Lab

Intro to Welding

~~What is the definition of Welding?~~

A process of connecting two objects so that they become one...

For my interest approach I found a really cool idea , that I adapted to make it more educational.  I gave every student 3 ice cubes, a note card and a candle.  I told the students to write a hypothesis on the note card of how they could use the candle to "weld" the ice cubes together.  Once they had a hypothesis, I then lit their candle.

        ?

I was really excited about this interest approach, I thought it could really get the students thinking and engaged.  Overall the activity was a success, however there were a few things that could have gone better.

#1- The students were a little unsure about writing the hypothesis.  I think perhaps I should have discussed what a hypothesis is and how to write one.

#2- Ties into my first thought, instead of passing out the ice cubes and candles, I should handed out the cards first to try to give them more time to think about the process before I started letting them try.

#3- Since, our lab groups are small I let each person try this activity on their own, however in a high school classroom I would have them in groups. I had one student who refused to give me a valid hypothesis and in order to keep the class moving I gave into the defiance.  I think if the students were working in groups for the activity they would brainstorm I come up with better ideas.

#4- Safety Concerns:  I told students to put away all their papers, most did however some did not completely clear their desks.  Note for future reference make sure the desks are empty could be a potential hazard. Secondly, I did not provide students with paper towels for fear of fire.  The desks were really wet and messy, maybe provide trays for students to work over?

#5-  Just another thought, I think the entire activity would have been easier if the ice came directly from the freezer and were not already wet.  I used a towel to dry my ice cubes and with pressure and no flame made the ice fuse.

Successes;

#1- Students got a chance to engage in a hands on activity, dealing directly with their class.  I thought the students were actively enjoying it.  Three students were able to make the ice "weld" together, which addresses student success.  When the first student got it to work, it made the rest work harder to achieve success.

#2- Students thought about the process and we discussed how they have all seen this process occur.  I thought it was really cool how when I gave the example of it occurring in their glass of ice water, one students lit up, it was like flipping a light switch.

#3- It illustrated how the definition of welding as being more than just using heat to join two metals.  When I asked the class to define welding they came up with the typical answer of joining two pieces of metal.

#4- There was one other issue that didn't really sink in till I was writing this and that is I had one student ask that her candle not be lit.  She said she doesn't like fire,  in retrospect I should have told her I would like to talk to her after class.  I say this because if she doesn't like fire and didn't want a candle lit then I should take that as an indicator that she may have problems in this class using the welders.

#5- This is definitely an interest approach I want to use with my class!

I really enjoyed putting this lab together and I am happy that I had a chance to find things that I could improve!  I hope that my future students will like this as much as I did.  I really loved how all five students had different hypothesis' about how to make this work.

First Day of School Lab

 
Overall I was very pleased with my performance in today's lab.  I began by greeting my students at the door, I handed them their bellwork, asked them to find their assigned seats, and did brief introductions at the door.  I felt like students were welcomed and invited into the learning environment.

As students entered they received the bellwork which was a pre-test for the first unit.  It was extremely hard and was designed that way.  My intention was to address; the age old question why are we here?  I wanted students to come in sit down and look the questions over.  I quickly noticed exactly what I expected which was a sense of confusion.  I wanted students especially those who may have background knowledge to realize they will be learning.  The school that I am student teaching in is rural and it is animal science II.  With those things considered I wanted to address students prior knowledge.  I feel as a student teacher I need to establish some credibility with my students.  I personally worry students will look at me and have two initial reactions. Number one she is new, what makes her worth listening to. My second and probably biggest fear is with teaching Ag mechanics.  That fear is of the traditional female stereotype, "she's a girl".  I know I am capable and competent to teach the class, however that is always in the back of my mind.  Getting back to my peers comments on the bellwork being too "hard". 

Following the bellwork, I jumped into classroom procedures, expectations, and consequences.  This is an area I can certainly improve my presentation.  However, I am really unsure on how to accomplish this goal.  I think it is necessary to cover this information, however I think it is hard to be fun and interesting at the same time.  I had some feedback that said I lacked enthusiasm, in my own defense I find it very difficult to get excited about policy and especially discipline.  










I finished my mini lesson with going over the pre-test.  I wanted to transition from the pre-test into the rest of days activities.

I learned that even with good preparation unseen circumstances will arise.  I also realized that the pre-test idea may not engage all students the way they do me, some find them as turn-offs.  I like to set the bar high and show the students that they are capable of achieving success.

The biggest thing that I would like to hear feedback on, is adding enthusiasm to the lesson when going over student discipline.  I find that behavior issues are a nuisance! They take away from my instruction and student learning.  I also learned that a student who is distracted, whether by technology or attitude hears nothing I say.  I realized this during my role play as the student distracted by technology, I did not hear anything the teacher said and when called on had no idea where he was at.  That experience taught me that even when it is tempting to ignore those behaviors, we are actually hurting the student by not disciplining them.

This entire experience will relate nicely to my chosen professional and especially in student teaching.  I feel that my procedures, expectations, and consequences should work well.  I know that I definitely want to send home an informational packet on the first day.  I think both students and their families should be informed of  my procedures, expectations, and consequences.  In addition, I want to send students home with a course outline, grading procedures and a lay out of the final project.

My Procedures:

1. Take your seat
2. Bellwork
3. Take out homework
4. Be prepared for class to start

My Expectations/ Consequences

1. Be on time
2. Be respectful
3. Be prepared
4. Be engaged
5. Be honest

1. Verbal warning
2. Loss of Points
3. Written warning
4. Detention