End of the Road

Throughout this semester, I have been able to experience many new activities that have helped further my teaching knowledge. Every week we had different situations to push our abilities, and create a GROWTH MINDSET. Although every lab had its positives and negatives, there was always something I could take away from the lesson. I was always looking to my cohort members for some guidance, using their own perspectives to broaden the way I thought about education. Through this lab and my other classes, I saw a large growth personally and professionally.

Professionally, this lab was a great approach to get everyone prepared for the everyday tasks teachers do by second nature. The most important items were being professional through attire, speech, and preparedness for lessons. Dressing up, being on time, and having everything ready for the lesson was just the norm for every lab. I realized how much time and effort needs to be put into lessons, especially to make them engaging and fun for students. I was also able to grow professionally through my classroom management skills. With the labs, I had specific cohort members be troubling students that I had to manage, while teaching. I learned very fast that it is tough to try and teach your lesson, covering all the materials and activities, while making sure each student is behaving in the correct manner. This part of the lab was just something we all had to pick up on quick, and throughout the semester I picked up some great techniques that are going to help me in a professional setting in the future.

On a personal level, I was able to reflect more on how I want to be as a teacher. Each week, I created blogs that were out there for anyone's reading pleasure, reflecting on my teaching experience. I have always thought reflection was key in anything a person does, because reflection is the key to creating a lasting impression and true growth. The lab and blog piece gave me great insight,when I look back, to when I first started teaching. Honestly, I was a different teacher back then, and reading my blogs can reveal what I had confidence in and what needed more work. This lab allowed me to take my own personality and put it into a teaching form. Personally, I was glad to participate in this lab  because it provided more basis for my decision on what to do as a teacher, choosing either formal or non-formal education. This experience did not bias me towards either side, but it produced more information that I will take into consideration when I, hopefully, graduate and look for a job.

This lab was beneficial to all of the teaching cohort members, no matter how good or bad they thought they did. I think each person in the teaching cohort brings a different DIVERSITY to teaching, but we all have the same goal, to produce a great Agriculture Education program.

Finding my Creative Side

This week in our lab we were tasked with a creativity challenge. This was something we were in the dark about, but it sounded like it could be really interesting and fun. Everyone got to lab and we found out we were going to the dollar store to find some other materials that would spice up our lessons in the spring when we are teaching. I was intrigued, how much stuff could you actually find at the dollar store that could be used for teaching? Well, I got my answer very quickly.

We were finding items for our units to bring them to life and add a creative aspect to the lesson planning process. I really was  not sure how my creative juices would be flowing, but I was going to try and stretch myself for this lab. Looking around the store, there was a large amount of items that people could choose. I started in the toy section, which any person would do. I walked down the aisle and I was like a young boy again. I looked up and saw this really big money. I instantly thought about doing a lesson with managing funds in the greenhouse. I kept looking around, finding really creative sticky notes to use for pasting ideas for CDEs or other ideas. I then found ice cube trays to help conduct plant experiments, a plastic container to show students soil profiles, and sprinkles to discuss pest management and its practices. I struggled towards the end to find items, but in the end I felt like I had gathered some really good items.

This experience really showed me that teachers have to be creative in many ways. They have to be thrifty with the items they buy and willing to think outside the box to keep students interested. I really liked this little trip, and feel I will be doing many more in the future. This was a fun lab, but had a very important role in how we develop our lessons while adding the "WOW" factor.

Life Knowledge Lesson

Nearing the end of the semester, everything is coming to a final conclusion. One of the last labs that we had to participate in was conducting an FFA Life Knowledge lesson at our cooperating center. I was excited to get out into the classroom at my school, especially to see the students and begin my teaching journey. My teacher, Mr. Boyer, had no real parameters for my lesson I had to teach, so I chose one I thought would apply to his freshman Ag Sciences class. I thought, since it was getting down to the end of the semester, the students might need a little help with MOTIVATION. Once I found my lesson on motivation, it took me little time to get my lesson accomplished and gain confidence in my subject. I found out, before my lesson, that the class I was teaching was his first period class, a 40 minute period, including morning announcements. I was going to be pushed for time, to say the least.

As the morning of my lesson came around, I was ready. I was very confident I had enough material, and I knew I was going to make connections with the students to show the importance of motivation. I was very excited, hoping to show this freshman class that I could be an effective teacher. As the class started, the principal walked in, and I realized he was going to be doing my evaluation. I had a moment of "OH CRAP!", but I took it in stride and jumped right into the lesson. 

The class went by ridiculously fast. I had the students engaged with questions, defining motivation, writing motivation factors on the board (increasing and decreasing motivation factors), and filling out their own individual factors of motivation. Every objective I had on the board was met, and I got great interaction from the students. During my evaluation from teacher and principal after class, I was told that I engaged students in class who rarely talk, if ever. I was so taken back by this statement. I had made a difference in some of those students, and surprisingly got them motivated to participate!!!! 

  I wish the class was a full period, though, because I was not able to completely get all my student evaluations filled out, but I really think it was productive for my TEACHER CONFIDENCE and student understanding. The FFA Life Knowledge lessons are full of great ideas and ways to incorporate different subjects into the specific subjects of our content areas. I really did enjoy this lesson and it was a great first impression on the class because I will have them again in the spring during student teaching. I know not all lessons are this positive, but it only takes one class to produce that great feeling of teacher accomplishment and drive to come back the next day to do it all over again.    

3 Days...Sink or Swim

I was able to have my first experience, in front of students, in the classroom, right before Thanksgiving break. We were able to participate in a 3-day Micro-teaching unit at Central Mountain High School. We had to complete all of our clearances and every piece of paperwork that teachers need. I felt at one point I was signing my life away. But, after all that was finished, I was able to plan and get all of my lessons together. I planned a three day mini unit on Forest Management. I set the first day up for addressing factors of the forest and different items to consider when managing occurs. The second day would be to look at case studies dealing with different forests, and how they would manage it. The last day would be to finish up the case studies, review the different objectives discussed, and take a final assessment. I was very nervous from the start, but I had a good feeling about the classes ahead. I really wanted to make this an experience to remember.

As the first day came, I was ready to get started. I was keeping these students inside for the three days, so I was very hesitant. I began the lesson with a lot of enthusiasm, and showed the importance of what I was going to be teaching. I built some rapport with the students asking them what they wanted to do in their future, and told them about myself. In my mind, it was a very engaging lesson with the group moving around, answering questions, and viewing the importance of the lesson. I was pleasantly surprised with the first day. At one point a student said, "wow, I'm actually learning something here." As a teacher, I was on top of the world! We all want each lesson to be like the one I had on my first day, and I really felt like I could conquer the world. I understood the students had a little bit of the "guest speaker" mentality, because the students were so good from a management standpoint, but I still had their respect. I had some momentum going into the second day, so I was off to a good start.



As the second day began, I was hit with a shorter period then the first day. It was about 10 minutes shorter than the day before.  That might not seem like a lot, but it really made a difference in my lesson. I had way too much information to cover, and I found myself trying to rush the lesson. After class was over, I was told by my observer, "it's not about quantity of information, it is about the depth." He also said, "anything that you put in a lesson has to have some importance to you and the subject, so take the time to learn it until the kids understand it." I took this to heart, because it seems like we over plan for every lesson, which is a good habit, but I was trying to get through it all. Another great quote from my observer was, "there's always tomorrow." I really didn't have this mentality because it was only a 3-day unit, but if I were teaching for longer I wouldn't have to worry about getting done. The second day of teaching went pretty well, not as good as the first day, but I was still able to engage the students and get them to address the objectives I set.

The final day of teaching was done sub par of what I imagined. I had to change up my lesson a little bit to compensate for the lost time the day before. I kept going with the case studies, addressing more issues and questioning the students. I had really good questioning technique, but I failed in the sense of getting the whole class involved with the questions. I got through the case studies, and had a small review. The students really didn't want to review, so I just let it go and gave them the assessment right away. Looking back, I am not sure if I should have done a more in depth review, but my content was not the best to stage a review. The assessment went fairly well and the class grades seemed to be good for the most part. The last day had ended, revealing my relief because I SURVIVED!

      Overall, my experience with Micro Teaching was worthwhile. It was nice to go through the whole process from lesson planning to final classroom instruction. I was happy with the outcome, and I thought I built good rapport with my class. I gained a great deal of knowledge from the feedback, and I am looking forward to teaching in my cooperating center in the spring.

The Process of Inquiry

This week's lab was based on inquiry. We had a full 2 weeks of instruction on it, but there was still something that I couldn't really grasp. It seemed like I never knew what kinds of questions to ask about inquiry learning, somewhat ironic now that I think about it. As we went through the different discussions and lessons, I was able to grasp what the students were doing and why certain things were happening, but I really couldn't wrap my head around the big picture of inquiry learning.

As I prepared for my lab, I really struggled for the right topics and sequence I wanted to provide for my students. I definitely felt lost in the process. Looking back, I shouldn't have been so stubborn and just asked someone for help. That was my first and biggest mistake. I had a few ideas in my head, and they seemed like they could work. I just simply had no confidence in anything I planned to do. I really didn't like having to use a scientific piece of equipment, but I understood how it is an important and crucial part in the inquiry lesson.

As for my lab, I decided on using a pipette for my piece of equipment, and revolved my lesson around inquiring factors that affect plants, creating an experiment of planting seeds and watching them grow into plants.

                                   

When the lab started, I felt like I was out there lost at sea. Even though I had my lesson plan, I was still feeling uncomfortable with little confidence. Throughout the lesson, the students were engaged and kept on task for most of the time. My directions could have been better and clarity was definitely something I needed to work on. Adding to my already low confidence, I got tripped up by a student's comment. I was asking students what they want to learn about plant growth, and Jeanne fired right back and said "I want to learn what is the best way to grow weed." I was just so caught off guard that I had to take a second to collect and think what to say back. I guess kids really do say the craziest things.

This lab was a reality check to me. I realized that every day is not going to be perfect and your students aren't always going to be angels. It was just one of those days, and I have to chalk it up to lack of experience. I think it was a good growth experience, revealing that I have to make sure to always stay on my toes. It takes TIME, PRACTICE, and COLLEAGUE COOPERATION to become the best teacher you can be.

"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time." - Malcolm X

Solving the Problem One Student at a Time

Today I was able to do a teaching lab on the problem solving technique. I saw last week how some of the other students approached this, so I definitely felt that I had an advantage going into today. As I was preparing for the lesson though, I wasn't as comfortable as I have been the last couple weeks, but I didn't think anything of it. I had a solid idea of what I wanted to accomplish, dealing with the problem solving technique of possibilities/factors. This one seemed to rather easy to grasp, with parts I could engage the students with, so they would participate.




I always seem to be the most nervous right before I start speaking for the lesson, but once I tell the students to begin the bell work, I automatically feel a little more calm. I was able to have good discussions with the students, but some of the students weren't completely open with some items. I had to bring in some different areas to help them understand the idea. One example was when I asked Caleb, "Do you have any plants or a garden?" He replied with a no and so I tried to ask if his parents or anyone else he knew had a garden. He still was very stiff about agreeing to my question. I didn't really know what to say, so I tried to talk to him about completing an SAE of growing plants and assess health in the future so he felt relevance to the lesson and what he was accomplishing.

Throughout my problem solving parts, I thought I did rather well. I first described the importance to the students through a brainstorming session, then discussed what possible plant characteristics could be noticed in the plants. I did a good job engaging all students, having some be the scribe for me while others came up with ideas. Once they were finished, I talked about factors of the environment that could cause plant health to deteriorate. I broke the students up into small groups so they could interact with one another and create a list. These strategies seemed to work well with my group, because almost all of them were engaged the whole time, making them act up less.

I felt this lab went rather well, but I still got feedback dealing with my enthusiasm and being nervous up in front of the class. This feedback is well received on my end, because I enjoy things people see that I obviously cannot. I feel everyone has a different type of enthusiasm, but I'm just not sure what mine is yet. I also think the nervousness is just simply all in my head. I have to keep learning as I go, because these experiences I have make me a better teacher. Today was a good experience, and I feel the problem solving approach could do wonders for students in my future classroom.

Here are some links on enthusiasm and the love for teaching that gave me some better perspective. Teaching is something we constantly have to work at, but is without a doubt one of the BEST, MOST REWARDING PROFESSIONS

"What makes great Teachers"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bIQ4-3XSxU

"The love for teaching"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYtQfnERUFE

Weekly Writing Oct. 21

This week I read a large amount of information on assessment. Every topic on teaching that I study begins the same way. I always think back to my days in school and how I viewed these topics. I also think about how some of the best teachers and worst teachers did these in their classroom.

When thinking about assessment, I get a bad taste in my mouth. I especially think back to my college freshman year when I was taking the general "weed out" courses. These were math, chemistry, and biology. Each class was like a cookie cutter mold of the semester before, and everything was so systematic I couldn't grasp the learning concepts. I guess you can say I changed majors into education because I wanted to not have other students have the same experience as I did. It seemed in those courses the educators didn't take responsibility for the learning, but made it all be the student's fault. As I read through the ASCD article on classroom assessment, I read a wonderful statement that said, "indeed, teachers and students share responsibility for learning."

From this statement, I thought of the different types of assessments I have done throughout my schooling. I took essay, matching, short answer, true/false, identification, and performance exams to manage how much I learned. Most of the classes had only one form of assessments throughout the whole year, which when I look back, were very poor representations of how much I learned. There were exams at the end of lessons, maybe a quiz here or there, but some classes had no projects or anything else to represent student's knowledge.

Since my perspective has changed from sitting in class to now teaching a class, I see the importance of dealing with assessments. Along with the variability of teaching a class, there needs to be variability with the assessments used. When I think of my classroom, I definitely want to have weekly checks of the material taught, so maybe a weekly quiz would be a consistent way to judge retention. I hope to at least have one project, and presentation, for students who learn in different styles.

One of the biggest problems is anxiety of taking tests. It is something that affects every student, and I still can't understand why teachers don't change up how tests are approached. I want the graded work for my students to be beneficial to them, and not something that they are more worried about failing then revealing how much they actually know. Changing the view on assessments is something I look forward to do as a future educator. Hopefully with new changes to assessments, there can be some changes in grading. Although that is a whole different story, both end up going hand in hand.

Thinking about assessment is one of the best ways a teacher can gain insight into how much students learn, but more importantly it provides feedback to the teacher on changes that need to be made on strategies for more retention of content knowledge.