I have done it! I have completed my VERY FIRST full week... yes, 5 whole days with no two hour delays, no schedule changes and no snow days. It only took 6 weeks to get here!
Although this week was a "long" one, it sure did go by fast. I love the fact that every day is different, and I think that that is a big factor in the week passing quickly. On Monday, I taught students in my welding class about the different welding positions. After this lesson, they had time to practice their assigned welds. In electrical, I continued to push students to learn the wiring diagrams (quite a chore!). I decided to walk them through the diagram using the wiring rules, and then have them copy the diagram three times. This seemed to be effective, as I could see the wheels turning as they drew. In my Intro to Ag classes, I had students create a Know Book about plant life cycles. Each day, students coordinated a FFA event for FFA week. Monday was a milk chugging contest!
On Tuesday, I allowed students to practice the skills they learned in welding. In electrical, I had students continue to practice the diagrams, using the same method as before. It continued to be effective. In Intro to Ag, I taught a short lesson on plant life cycles, and then took students to the greenhouse to do cuttings, separations and plant seeds. It was a lot of fun. Tuesday evening, we took students to the local rollerskating rink. I laced up my pair of skates, and had a lot of fun with the students.... and I only fell once (which students thought was hilarious!). I loved rollerskating. It was such a great opportunity to get to know my students and build rapport!
Wednesday rolled around quite quickly and in welding, I reviewed the welds that students still owed me, then gave them time to practice. In electrical, I reviewed the diagrams and allowed the students to take the test. After offering an incentive (bacon!), students seemed really eager to take their quiz... and THANKFULLY all but one passed! I gave an end of the unit quiz in Intro to Ag, which I will use to gauge student's understanding of plant and soil science, as well as their opinions on the instruction. Wednesday during study period, there was an FFA meeting, and after school I stayed to help with the Parliamentary Procedure practice.
Thursday in welding, we reviewed the process of using the MIG welder to weld aluminum. One student during class challenged me to a weld-off. I was a little too confident, because I ended up clogging the MIG welder tip. In my defense, it has been awhile since I have MIG welded and I was under pressure! I told the student that he needed to help me fix it, and that it was a challenge to see if he was as good at MIG as he claimed. While I was a little embarrassed, it turned out to be a good teachable moment and it gave them something to laugh about!
In electrical, I allowed those students who passed their quizzes to begin wiring the circuits. Many of them had success and were able to get their light bulb to light, which was really exciting! Because it was the end of the unit, classes switched during 5th and 6th period. That meant that the double period came into the classroom to learn about plant and soil science. I was excited to get the opportunity to teach it again, and tweak things that I wasn't happy with. We started off with soil ingredients and students seemed really engaged.
I also decided to try two new techniques during this class. I implemented a classroom management technique, where I raise my hand counting down from five. By the time I am at one, every student must be silent. If they are, they get a point. If they aren't, I get a point. At the end of the week, if they have more points than I do, they get a prize (thanks, Hannah, for the idea!). It has worked like a charm! I also am trying a new bellwork/ticket out method. I am assigning two review questions from the lesson as the ticket out, which students answer on a sheet of notebook paper. They then pull those answers out and review them with their table partners as their bellwork. I then review the answers, which segues into the next lesson. This method is working great, too!
After school on Thursday, the FFA held a pasta dinner. I really enjoyed my time at the dinner, and again, built some rapport with my students. Many students who have been hard to reach in class, came out of their shells during this event. It really has helped build a better classroom environment.
Finally, it's Friday! I reviewed aluminum MIG welding in welding, then allowed them to complete their assigned welds. In electrical, I allowed them to continue wiring their circuits. I taught a lesson on soil texture in my Intro to Ag class, which went really well! During study period, one teacher will participate in the Kiss-a-Cow competition (students voted using money and whatever teacher wins, must kiss the cow. Money is then donated to Heifer International). This evening, I am completing another SAE visit, where we will tag seven dairy beef for the West End Fair. Finally, this weekend, I will attend ACES with my students and Ms. Spurrier, which I am really looking forward to!
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
New Opportunities and Exciting Activities!
Six weeks.... it's crazy to think that I am more than a third of the way done with my student teaching experience. These past weeks have certainly flew by and I have been learning lots. This week was a short week; Monday we had off for President's Day and tomorrow (Friday) I will not be here because I have to return to campus for a workshop with my cohort. To say the least, I have had a jam-packed three days, trying to get everything in line for Friday and juggling the 2 hour delays and winter storms that have been thrown at us.
Tuesday, we had a delay (surprise, surprise... those are becoming a norm!). In welding, I reviewed MIG welding and then allowed the students to practice. I gave a quiz in Electrical Wiring during third period. Students were not happy with this, but it was a repeat quiz on the electrical wiring rules, which they need to memorize in order to begin wiring. I find this class extremely frustrating because students are at so many different levels understanding diagramming. I have tried many different techniques to try and get them to understand, but many of them continue to struggle. They are getting frustrated, and voice their frustrations very openly. I have decided that it would be best to allow students who pass the wiring diagramming quiz to move on to the hands-on wiring, in hopes that it will give the other students some motivation to take some effort to understand this.
I was really excited (and a little nervous) for my Introduction to Ag classes. I was teaching students about soil horizons, using the edible soil horizon activity. I spent a whole bunch of money and a whole bunch of time gathering supplies for this activity, so it would go perfectly. Because I am comparing teacher centered and student centered learning for my research project, I decided to present the information and activity differently to 5th and 6th periods.
During 5th period, I quickly reviewed a PowerPoint that discussed the soil horizons. I allowed students to take their own notes and we had some open discussion about each horizon. I then laid all of the ingredients out on the table and told them that they had ten minutes to create a soil profile, using each ingredient to represent each horizon. This went so well and I was so impressed with many of their designs. They then ate their soil profiles, which (of course) they enjoyed!
I was very nervous for 6th period, as they are usually rowdy and I wasn't sure how they would handle this activity. However, they really impressed me! Although they were talkative, as usual, they were respectful and engaged. I handed out a bag to each group that contained all of the ingredients that they needed. I presented the PowerPoint and provided them with guided notes so it was more structured. As we went through the PowerPoint, I told students what to add to their soil profiles.
Students really enjoyed this activity. Many of them took their soil profiles to lunch with them the next period. Ms. Spurrier went down to the lunch room, and she told me that the Principal approached her asking about the edible soil horizons. Ms. Spurrier told her that I was the one who did them with the students. Later that day, I got an email from the Principal commending me for the activity and saying that she would love to observe me one day. That made me feel so great!
During my 7th period Wildlife class, students had the opportunity to present their PA Wildlife Species presentations. I was so impressed with the effort that they put into these presentations, and I even learned a lot from them! I stayed after school on Tuesday for a faculty meeting. We had a Tech Ed teacher talk about STEM, which was really interesting!
In electrical, I gave students a diagramming test. They had to pass this test in order to be able to wire. I knew many students would not pass, but wanted to gauge student's comprehension using this quiz. They complained a lot about the quiz, but three of them ended up passing. I am hoping that seeing these three students will motivate the others to try to learn diagramming.
In my Introduction to Ag classes, we discussed soil pH. I let students use pH test strips and a soil pH probe to test the pH of three soil samples. I decided to try inquiry with my 5th period (student-centered) class. I told them that they were soil scientists and that they were asked to analyze the samples. I also gave them a very brief set of instructions and utilized the technique where you give them sticky notes and they are only permitted to ask that many questions. It went well, and was extremely interesting to watch the students try to figure things out on their own.
It did not go so well with my 6th period class. Instead of the inquiry approach, I talked to them about the importance of soil pH, they analyzed 1 soil sample per group and then we all shared our results. Students were not nearly as engaged during this period as they were during 5th period and many students were rude and disruptive.
During Wildlife, we played a Jeopardy review game. It was a lot of fun. I stayed after school on Wednesday to help coach our Parliamentary Procedure team.
Today (Thursday) I allowed students to practice their welds during second period. I am continually impressed with this class. It is my biggest class and it is full of boys. They are my best behaved class that I have. They are respectful and when I ask for something, they do it. For instance, I told them that I would like to implement a moment to debrief at the end of every period. After they are done cleaning up, they have all gotten into the habit of quickly and quietly having a seat.
This is such a drastic difference from my third period class. In electrical, I continued to show students how to wire. I also worked one-on-one with students who were struggling. I can tell that this one-on-one interaction is what some of them need in order to understand, so I am looking to use more of that next week.
Tomorrow, since I will be on campus, I will be leaving substitute plans for Mr. Kessler and Ms. Spurrier. Mr. Kessler asked me to write them how the school requires them, which was a great idea. I am having students take a quiz in welding, the students in electrical will be working on wiring and diagramming and the intro class will be learning about photosynthesis by drawing a comic. I am excited to see what my students come up with, but I am also very excited to see all of peers tomorrow on campus!
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
SAE Visit #1: Tagging Along!
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's) are a critical part of Agricultural Education. At Mifflinburg High School, all students are required to maintain an active SAE, which is included as 10% of their classroom grade. Along with the online or paper record book, students are also expected to schedule a minimum of one visit per year. Wednesday, February 11th, I had the opportunity to attend one of these visits.This visit came up kind of last minute, as a student needed to have his Dairy Beef steers tagged for the Union County West End Fair. Not much preparation was required for this visit. We simply needed the tagger and tags. This particular student is in 10th grade, and is extremely active in the FFA Chapter, currently serving as an officer. This student is very active in the local fair, showing every animal from pigs to steers.
After our Parliamentary Procedure practice (the student is also on the team), Mr. Kessler took the student home and I followed in my car behind. After a short drive down Route 45, we arrived at the students' home. He led us to the barn, where we met his mother and two small Holstein calves.Mr. Kessler asked if I would like to do the tagging. I was hesitant at first, because the only animal that I have ever tagged were pigs. Mr. Kessler tagged the first calf as the student held it's head still. He then handed me the tagger and I tagged the second calf. It certainly was much easier than tagging a pig, but very similar.
After we had finished tagging, the student's father arrived. As Mr. Kessler chatted with the student's parents, I helped the student feed the calves milk replacer. It brought back lots of great memories from my childhood (we had dairy until I was in about 5th or 6th grade), and it gave me a great opportunity to ask the student questions about his project. He told me that his calf was born on Christmas, and is named Leon (Noell backwards). He also mentioned that his sister's calf, the other one that was tagged, was named Fern and was born on New Years.
After finishing the tagging and feeding, I had the opportunity to also talk with the student's parents. Mr. Kessler did not look at the SAE book during the visit, because it is on AET. Instead, Mr. Kessler told the student to show him the book tomorrow at school. When Mr. Kessler looks at the books, he likes to see overall completeness and accuracy.
Overall, I think that this student had a great start to his SAE project. The calves seemed very spoiled, and were very healthy. The student seemed proud of his project, and excited to raise, show and sell these animals. Mr. Kessler did not make any recommendations for improvement, because the calves seemed to be doing so well, and I also did not see any need for this. I am looking forward to many more visits similar to this one, where I will have the opportunity to see students outside the walls of the classroom, working with projects that they are passionate about.
Friday, February 13, 2015
New Challenges + New Techniques= A Great Week
My fifth week started off strong, as Monday was the very first "normal" Monday I have had since I began student teaching. I had high hopes that this would be the first "normal" week; with no snow days, 2 hour delays or trips/ schedule changes.
Monday went well; I continued to allow students to practice SMAW straight and weave beads on Monday. As usual, that class was productive and for the most part, very well behaved. In my electrical wiring class, I taught them the electrical wiring rules, which can be used to help them remember how to correctly wire a circuit. While the instruction went well, students continued with their disruptive behavior. This was starting to get the best of me, as I was tired of feeling disrespected.
In my Introduction to Agriculture classes, we continued working on speech presentations. I was extremely disappointed because students did not seem concerned with finishing their speeches, and I had many students that (despite having over two weeks to write) did not have their speeches written. I gave students in my Wildlife class a work day, to help them finish their Pennsylvania Wildlife Species presentations. They worked hard on their presentations and were extremely well-behaved. After school, Mr. Kessler taught me how to Plastic weld and we worked on electrical diagramming.
Tuesday, I taught my welding class how to use the Plastic Welder. I showed a short video (which was shown on a VCR- students thought it was ancient...) and then I did a demonstration for them. In electrical wiring, I introduced the diagramming symbols. This went well, but students continued to be disrespectful towards one another and myself. Two students got into an argument, and that was my breaking point. I put my foot down and explained to them that my expectations clearly stated that I expected mutual respect. I explained that I felt that they did not respect one another and that they were not respecting me. I pointed out that this was supposed to be a positive learning environment, and that they were causing it to be extremely negative. Students seemed a bit taken back by my outburst, as I am usually quite laid-back. After class, one student even came to me and asked if I truly felt that he was disrespectful towards me. I was honest, and told him that I did feel that way. He seemed a bit ashamed as he left the room, but it made me feel good to know that I did have some backbone when it comes to classroom management.
We continued with speeches in the Introduction to Agriculture class and I allowed more time for students to work on their presentations in the Wildlife class. After school, I worked on wire diagramming again with Mr. Kessler.
Ms. Rice came to visit me on Wednesday, and it was great to see a familiar face, although I was a bit nervous. My welding class went well, as I let students practice the welds that I had taught them. I was apprehensive for my electrical wiring class, due to their behavior the day before. However, my talk must have helped, because they were pretty well-behaved. I gave them a quiz, and then they worked on their wiring diagrams. While some students seemed to be understanding, others simply did not get it.
We began the Plant and Soil Science unit during my fifth and sixth period Introduction to Agriculture classes. This was the unit that I was planning to use for my research project for AEE495. I decided that I would teach the fifth period class using a student-centered approach, and teach the 6th period class using a more teacher-centered style. After I gave students a pre-test, we learned the four soil ingredients. Taking a student-centered approach, I passed out bags and assigned different stations; one for each "ingredient". I then allowed students to perform the experiments in the bags and report their findings. We then related their findings to the four soil "ingredients". This lesson went extremely well.
I chose to teach sixth period a little differently. I allowed them to observe some soil, talk about their findings, then I presented a short PowerPoint about the ingredients. While I did take a different approach, the class went well. Because they are a bit more rowdy than my fifth period class, I did have to put my foot down quite a bit to move through the material. I was proud of my classroom management techniques during this particular class period.
In my Wildlife class, I presented eight Pennsylvania wildlife species. I then gave students time in-class to finish up their presentations. After school on Wednesday, I stayed for Parliamentary Procedure practice. I then attended an SAE visit with Mr. Kessler, where we tagged a student's Dairy Beef calves. It was a lot of fun, and it was neat to see a student interact with his animals outside of the classroom.
Thursday brought about some more practice in welding. Per Ms. Rices' suggestion, I implemented a bit of a stricter routine than usual for this class. I reinforced my safety rules and explained that students should wait to be dismissed for the welders before moving. I also implemented a new strategy, where we would reconvene at the end of the period to debrief about the day. After students practiced and cleaned up, they were patient with me and did not seem to mind the new routine.
My electricity class went extremely well. Also upon Ms. Rices' suggestion, I implemented a matching game for students, where they were challenged to match the wiring diagram with the photo. We then went over them to compare them, which seemed to get the wheels turning in their minds. Slowly, they began to understand, which I was very pleased with!
In the fifth period Introduction to Agriculture class, I taught students about the five soil formation factors. I assigned one factor to each group and challenged them to come up with a creative way to present the factor to teach their classmates what it was. The presentations went very well and I think that the students liked the fact that they had ownership of what and how they were learning. My sixth period class went very differently. I passed out items to represent each factor to different groups of students. I then presented a short PowerPoint, and asked students to take guided notes (again, in an attempt at very teacher-centered learning). I then passed out a crossword puzzle, which I used to review the material that we learned Wednesday and Thursday. Finally, in my Wildlife class, we began student presentations of their PA Wildlife species. These went extremely well and I was very pleased with their work!
Just when I thought I would have a normal week, along came this arctic blast of air. With a windchill between -10 and -20 degrees, school was put on a two-hour delay on Friday. This bumped all classes back to only 30 minutes and moved the schedule around quite a bit. In my welding class, I taught students how to MIG weld. I was a bit uncomfortable with this content, but I do not think that it went all that badly. I tried to think of a new way to relate the diagrammed circuit to the actual circuit for electrical wiring, in an attempt to make it "click" for students. I showed them how to wire the circuit and we compared it to the diagram. This did not go as well as I had hoped, but I also do not think that the two hour delay helped with their attention span.
My Introduction to Agriculture course during fifth period went well, although we were rushed due to the shortened periods. We analyzed five soil textures. Instead of going through them one at a time as a class, I allowed them to work at their own pace in groups of two. This was really fun and I loved seeing them so engaged in the task at hand. Despite the shortened period, many groups managed to get all five samples analyzed.
Again, sixth period was structured a little differently, with the same concept in mind. I began by asking them how they could tell the difference between sand and clay if they were blindfolded. This led into a discussion and a PowerPoint (with guided notes!) about sand, silt, clay and loam. I struggled with classroom management during this period (as usual) so we moved very very slowly through the notes. We only had about fifteen minutes to spare, and I used that time to introduce the soil texture flow chart and then demonstrated how to use it. While still pushed for time, I allowed each table pair of students to analyze one soil sample. This went A LOT better than expected.... mind you that I did preface the activity with something that sounded similar to "if I see any soil being thrown, muddy hands being wiped on one another or any other inappropriate behaviors, we will be DONE!". Students were, for the most part, well behaved and very engaged. Finally, in seventh period, students continued to present their PA Wildlife species.
Despite the fact that this was my first five day week, it certainly did fly by! Each week, not only do I see myself becoming more confident and comfortable, but I also see myself stepping into the role as a teacher. I made myself extremely proud this week, by implementing some new classroom management techniques, and addressing undesirable behaviors. I am hoping that this is something that I can continue with in the next ten weeks of student teaching.
Not only am I proud of myself in this aspect, but I am also extremely pleased with my eagerness to learn and understand the content that I am unfamiliar with. While I am certainly no expert on Ag Mechanics, and that is probably evident in my teaching, I feel as though I am stepping out of my comfort zone and challenging myself to understand how and why things work. Working with Mr. Kessler to understand these concepts has not only helped me become a better educator, but it has also given me the chance to bond with him even more. I am certainly enjoying my time here at Mifflinburg High School, and I am looking forward to seeing how much more I can grow and stretch until the end of my experience!
Monday went well; I continued to allow students to practice SMAW straight and weave beads on Monday. As usual, that class was productive and for the most part, very well behaved. In my electrical wiring class, I taught them the electrical wiring rules, which can be used to help them remember how to correctly wire a circuit. While the instruction went well, students continued with their disruptive behavior. This was starting to get the best of me, as I was tired of feeling disrespected.
In my Introduction to Agriculture classes, we continued working on speech presentations. I was extremely disappointed because students did not seem concerned with finishing their speeches, and I had many students that (despite having over two weeks to write) did not have their speeches written. I gave students in my Wildlife class a work day, to help them finish their Pennsylvania Wildlife Species presentations. They worked hard on their presentations and were extremely well-behaved. After school, Mr. Kessler taught me how to Plastic weld and we worked on electrical diagramming.
Tuesday, I taught my welding class how to use the Plastic Welder. I showed a short video (which was shown on a VCR- students thought it was ancient...) and then I did a demonstration for them. In electrical wiring, I introduced the diagramming symbols. This went well, but students continued to be disrespectful towards one another and myself. Two students got into an argument, and that was my breaking point. I put my foot down and explained to them that my expectations clearly stated that I expected mutual respect. I explained that I felt that they did not respect one another and that they were not respecting me. I pointed out that this was supposed to be a positive learning environment, and that they were causing it to be extremely negative. Students seemed a bit taken back by my outburst, as I am usually quite laid-back. After class, one student even came to me and asked if I truly felt that he was disrespectful towards me. I was honest, and told him that I did feel that way. He seemed a bit ashamed as he left the room, but it made me feel good to know that I did have some backbone when it comes to classroom management.
We continued with speeches in the Introduction to Agriculture class and I allowed more time for students to work on their presentations in the Wildlife class. After school, I worked on wire diagramming again with Mr. Kessler.
Ms. Rice came to visit me on Wednesday, and it was great to see a familiar face, although I was a bit nervous. My welding class went well, as I let students practice the welds that I had taught them. I was apprehensive for my electrical wiring class, due to their behavior the day before. However, my talk must have helped, because they were pretty well-behaved. I gave them a quiz, and then they worked on their wiring diagrams. While some students seemed to be understanding, others simply did not get it.
We began the Plant and Soil Science unit during my fifth and sixth period Introduction to Agriculture classes. This was the unit that I was planning to use for my research project for AEE495. I decided that I would teach the fifth period class using a student-centered approach, and teach the 6th period class using a more teacher-centered style. After I gave students a pre-test, we learned the four soil ingredients. Taking a student-centered approach, I passed out bags and assigned different stations; one for each "ingredient". I then allowed students to perform the experiments in the bags and report their findings. We then related their findings to the four soil "ingredients". This lesson went extremely well.
I chose to teach sixth period a little differently. I allowed them to observe some soil, talk about their findings, then I presented a short PowerPoint about the ingredients. While I did take a different approach, the class went well. Because they are a bit more rowdy than my fifth period class, I did have to put my foot down quite a bit to move through the material. I was proud of my classroom management techniques during this particular class period.
In my Wildlife class, I presented eight Pennsylvania wildlife species. I then gave students time in-class to finish up their presentations. After school on Wednesday, I stayed for Parliamentary Procedure practice. I then attended an SAE visit with Mr. Kessler, where we tagged a student's Dairy Beef calves. It was a lot of fun, and it was neat to see a student interact with his animals outside of the classroom.
Thursday brought about some more practice in welding. Per Ms. Rices' suggestion, I implemented a bit of a stricter routine than usual for this class. I reinforced my safety rules and explained that students should wait to be dismissed for the welders before moving. I also implemented a new strategy, where we would reconvene at the end of the period to debrief about the day. After students practiced and cleaned up, they were patient with me and did not seem to mind the new routine.
My electricity class went extremely well. Also upon Ms. Rices' suggestion, I implemented a matching game for students, where they were challenged to match the wiring diagram with the photo. We then went over them to compare them, which seemed to get the wheels turning in their minds. Slowly, they began to understand, which I was very pleased with!
In the fifth period Introduction to Agriculture class, I taught students about the five soil formation factors. I assigned one factor to each group and challenged them to come up with a creative way to present the factor to teach their classmates what it was. The presentations went very well and I think that the students liked the fact that they had ownership of what and how they were learning. My sixth period class went very differently. I passed out items to represent each factor to different groups of students. I then presented a short PowerPoint, and asked students to take guided notes (again, in an attempt at very teacher-centered learning). I then passed out a crossword puzzle, which I used to review the material that we learned Wednesday and Thursday. Finally, in my Wildlife class, we began student presentations of their PA Wildlife species. These went extremely well and I was very pleased with their work!
Just when I thought I would have a normal week, along came this arctic blast of air. With a windchill between -10 and -20 degrees, school was put on a two-hour delay on Friday. This bumped all classes back to only 30 minutes and moved the schedule around quite a bit. In my welding class, I taught students how to MIG weld. I was a bit uncomfortable with this content, but I do not think that it went all that badly. I tried to think of a new way to relate the diagrammed circuit to the actual circuit for electrical wiring, in an attempt to make it "click" for students. I showed them how to wire the circuit and we compared it to the diagram. This did not go as well as I had hoped, but I also do not think that the two hour delay helped with their attention span.
My Introduction to Agriculture course during fifth period went well, although we were rushed due to the shortened periods. We analyzed five soil textures. Instead of going through them one at a time as a class, I allowed them to work at their own pace in groups of two. This was really fun and I loved seeing them so engaged in the task at hand. Despite the shortened period, many groups managed to get all five samples analyzed.
Again, sixth period was structured a little differently, with the same concept in mind. I began by asking them how they could tell the difference between sand and clay if they were blindfolded. This led into a discussion and a PowerPoint (with guided notes!) about sand, silt, clay and loam. I struggled with classroom management during this period (as usual) so we moved very very slowly through the notes. We only had about fifteen minutes to spare, and I used that time to introduce the soil texture flow chart and then demonstrated how to use it. While still pushed for time, I allowed each table pair of students to analyze one soil sample. This went A LOT better than expected.... mind you that I did preface the activity with something that sounded similar to "if I see any soil being thrown, muddy hands being wiped on one another or any other inappropriate behaviors, we will be DONE!". Students were, for the most part, well behaved and very engaged. Finally, in seventh period, students continued to present their PA Wildlife species.
Despite the fact that this was my first five day week, it certainly did fly by! Each week, not only do I see myself becoming more confident and comfortable, but I also see myself stepping into the role as a teacher. I made myself extremely proud this week, by implementing some new classroom management techniques, and addressing undesirable behaviors. I am hoping that this is something that I can continue with in the next ten weeks of student teaching.
Not only am I proud of myself in this aspect, but I am also extremely pleased with my eagerness to learn and understand the content that I am unfamiliar with. While I am certainly no expert on Ag Mechanics, and that is probably evident in my teaching, I feel as though I am stepping out of my comfort zone and challenging myself to understand how and why things work. Working with Mr. Kessler to understand these concepts has not only helped me become a better educator, but it has also given me the chance to bond with him even more. I am certainly enjoying my time here at Mifflinburg High School, and I am looking forward to seeing how much more I can grow and stretch until the end of my experience!
Friday, February 6, 2015
Another Week in the Books!
To say the least, this week was hectic. On Monday, we had a snow day (Mr. Kessler and I figured that I have not had a "normal" Monday since I've started!). Tuesday was about the only "average" day this week. In my welding class, I allowed the students time to practice striking arcs. One student in particular was very hesitant to weld, and insisted that he just was not interested. In reality, I think that he was a little nervous. So after some convincing, I got him in a booth and worked one-on-one with him, teaching him how to strike an arc. I think that this made him more comfortable and I was glad that I urged him to give it a try.
During my third period electrical class, I gave students an opportunity to finish their safety brochures. Students began presenting their speeches on Tuesday in the fifth and sixth period Introduction to Agriculture classes. Finally, in my Wildlife class, students played the inquiry fishing game, which demonstrated the Tragedy of the Commons. This went well, and students seemed to enjoy the activity almost as much as they enjoyed the Goldfish crackers and Swedish Fish.
On Wednesday, we had 8th Grade Tours, which is an event hosted by the Ag Department that gives 8th graders the opportunity to come and see what agriculture courses are all about. This meant that students who had a class in the ag room or ag shop during the time that the 8th graders were there, would be sent to a different classroom. My welding course was not effected by this, so I let the students practice their welds.
My electricity class was sent to another room, and I gave them a crossword puzzle to complete in order to review for their quiz the next day. We continued with the prepared speech presentations during fifth and sixth period. Seventh period, I brought in Mr. Dirk Remensnyder, who is a State Conservation Officer. Mr. Kessler's class, as well as my Wildlife class, listened to his presentation about Pennsylvania wildlife laws, illegal activity (i.e. poaching) and his experiences as a Conservation Officer. The presentation went great and I was very pleased with students' questions and interest in the topic. I even heard a few students talking to later period classes about what they had learned.
It made me feel really good talking to Mr. Remensnyder. He commended me on asking him to come in, because he said that it is rare for agricultural teachers to do that. In addition to speaking, Mr. Remensnyder brought me a bag full of PA wildlife pelts, which I planned to use later in the week. I believe that Mr. Remensnyder and the PA Game Commission will be a great resource when I have a classroom of my own.
After school, I stayed to help the Parliamentary Procedure team practice. This has been a great experience for me, as I am not strong in this subject. I feel as though I am learning just as much as my students are!
On Thursday, there were more 8th grade tours, this time during second and seventh periods. Therefore, I did not have my welding class, but instead had them do a reading and questions. My electrical class took a quiz, and then I initiated a hangman game, to introduce some electrical tools. This class is beginning to push my buttons. The students are not rude or mean, but they are so talkative. In addition to this, they don't seem to think that I have much authority. On this particular day, they were not being very cooperative while playing the game, and I had a few of them back-talk me. Mr. Kessler observed this, too, and told me that he can see that the students think that they have me figured out. He suggested throwing them off one day, by not being my happy self. By acting in a stricter manner, he said that students will learn that I do have authority, after all. I think that this is a technique that I will try next week.
During fifth and sixth period, students continued to complete their prepared speeches. I noticed that students were extra chatty and rude while their peers were presenting, and I could feel myself getting angry with them. After warning them multiple times and reminding them to be respectful, I finally had enough. I put my foot down, by talking to the entire class and reminding them of my expectations. I must have made them nervous, because from that day forward, they have been very well behaved in class!
I did not teach seventh period on Thursday, but instead had students go to the library to work on their Pennsylvania Wildlife research. I stayed at the ag room and helped with the tours. It was a lot of fun to interact with 8th grade students, and hear my students promote agriculture. I think that these tours are a great idea, and I would love to implement something similar in my own classroom.
Today, none of my classes were interrupted. I began second period by reviewing information about electrodes (which they learned from their reading on Thursday). I then explained how to run a straight bead, and then allowed students to practice. In my electrical class during second period, I had students use electrical testers to complete a scavenger hunt. Again, some students in this class made me angry, by constantly goofing around and distracting their peers. I tried my best to work through this, although it is something that I am planning to address next week.
We continued with speeches during fifth and sixth period. Many students did not have their speeches finished, so I allowed them time in class to get them done. Many of them were very productive, but I am still questioning as to whether a few will have them done in time, or not.
Seventh period was my favorite class today, because we did a pelt identification activity with the wildlife pelts that Mr. Remensnyder brought in. I set it up very similarly to a CDE, which I thought might pique some interest in the Wildlife competition. Students had to use the clue cards and the pelts to individually identify the 12 animals. After we reviewed their answers, I let them have the remainder of the period to work on their research.
While working, one student approached me. She seemed very distraught and told me that she had severe ADD and OCD, and she was worried about her presentation. I was a little caught off-guard by this, but I am very pleased that she felt comfortable coming to me with this information. We talked about what she needed to be successful and I laid out the timeline of when the presentations would be due. I also provided her with a print-out of my own presentation (There were 26 species to cover and only 6 students, so I am presenting on 8 animals!). I am hoping that this provides her with some guidance and that she can be successful in this course.
Overall, this week went extremely well. As usual, I can see myself becoming more comfortable in front of the classroom. I also see students getting more comfortable with me, but continue to struggle with classroom management. I am a bit confused by how my students perceive my classroom management skills. One day this week, I had a student tell me that I was stricter than Mr. Kessler, but he continues to misbehave in my class. Maybe I am not giving myself enough credit, but I think that there is room for improvement. Despite this, I do believe that I am using great variability in my lessons, and I am trying to provide students with fun and engaging activities.
So far, this experience has brought a lot of unexpected and unplanned-for things upon me. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing things correctly, but I need to remember that this is a learning experience and that is what I am here for... and so far, I have certainly learned a lot!
During my third period electrical class, I gave students an opportunity to finish their safety brochures. Students began presenting their speeches on Tuesday in the fifth and sixth period Introduction to Agriculture classes. Finally, in my Wildlife class, students played the inquiry fishing game, which demonstrated the Tragedy of the Commons. This went well, and students seemed to enjoy the activity almost as much as they enjoyed the Goldfish crackers and Swedish Fish.
On Wednesday, we had 8th Grade Tours, which is an event hosted by the Ag Department that gives 8th graders the opportunity to come and see what agriculture courses are all about. This meant that students who had a class in the ag room or ag shop during the time that the 8th graders were there, would be sent to a different classroom. My welding course was not effected by this, so I let the students practice their welds.
My electricity class was sent to another room, and I gave them a crossword puzzle to complete in order to review for their quiz the next day. We continued with the prepared speech presentations during fifth and sixth period. Seventh period, I brought in Mr. Dirk Remensnyder, who is a State Conservation Officer. Mr. Kessler's class, as well as my Wildlife class, listened to his presentation about Pennsylvania wildlife laws, illegal activity (i.e. poaching) and his experiences as a Conservation Officer. The presentation went great and I was very pleased with students' questions and interest in the topic. I even heard a few students talking to later period classes about what they had learned.
It made me feel really good talking to Mr. Remensnyder. He commended me on asking him to come in, because he said that it is rare for agricultural teachers to do that. In addition to speaking, Mr. Remensnyder brought me a bag full of PA wildlife pelts, which I planned to use later in the week. I believe that Mr. Remensnyder and the PA Game Commission will be a great resource when I have a classroom of my own.
After school, I stayed to help the Parliamentary Procedure team practice. This has been a great experience for me, as I am not strong in this subject. I feel as though I am learning just as much as my students are!
On Thursday, there were more 8th grade tours, this time during second and seventh periods. Therefore, I did not have my welding class, but instead had them do a reading and questions. My electrical class took a quiz, and then I initiated a hangman game, to introduce some electrical tools. This class is beginning to push my buttons. The students are not rude or mean, but they are so talkative. In addition to this, they don't seem to think that I have much authority. On this particular day, they were not being very cooperative while playing the game, and I had a few of them back-talk me. Mr. Kessler observed this, too, and told me that he can see that the students think that they have me figured out. He suggested throwing them off one day, by not being my happy self. By acting in a stricter manner, he said that students will learn that I do have authority, after all. I think that this is a technique that I will try next week.
During fifth and sixth period, students continued to complete their prepared speeches. I noticed that students were extra chatty and rude while their peers were presenting, and I could feel myself getting angry with them. After warning them multiple times and reminding them to be respectful, I finally had enough. I put my foot down, by talking to the entire class and reminding them of my expectations. I must have made them nervous, because from that day forward, they have been very well behaved in class!
I did not teach seventh period on Thursday, but instead had students go to the library to work on their Pennsylvania Wildlife research. I stayed at the ag room and helped with the tours. It was a lot of fun to interact with 8th grade students, and hear my students promote agriculture. I think that these tours are a great idea, and I would love to implement something similar in my own classroom.
Today, none of my classes were interrupted. I began second period by reviewing information about electrodes (which they learned from their reading on Thursday). I then explained how to run a straight bead, and then allowed students to practice. In my electrical class during second period, I had students use electrical testers to complete a scavenger hunt. Again, some students in this class made me angry, by constantly goofing around and distracting their peers. I tried my best to work through this, although it is something that I am planning to address next week.
We continued with speeches during fifth and sixth period. Many students did not have their speeches finished, so I allowed them time in class to get them done. Many of them were very productive, but I am still questioning as to whether a few will have them done in time, or not.
Seventh period was my favorite class today, because we did a pelt identification activity with the wildlife pelts that Mr. Remensnyder brought in. I set it up very similarly to a CDE, which I thought might pique some interest in the Wildlife competition. Students had to use the clue cards and the pelts to individually identify the 12 animals. After we reviewed their answers, I let them have the remainder of the period to work on their research.
While working, one student approached me. She seemed very distraught and told me that she had severe ADD and OCD, and she was worried about her presentation. I was a little caught off-guard by this, but I am very pleased that she felt comfortable coming to me with this information. We talked about what she needed to be successful and I laid out the timeline of when the presentations would be due. I also provided her with a print-out of my own presentation (There were 26 species to cover and only 6 students, so I am presenting on 8 animals!). I am hoping that this provides her with some guidance and that she can be successful in this course.
Overall, this week went extremely well. As usual, I can see myself becoming more comfortable in front of the classroom. I also see students getting more comfortable with me, but continue to struggle with classroom management. I am a bit confused by how my students perceive my classroom management skills. One day this week, I had a student tell me that I was stricter than Mr. Kessler, but he continues to misbehave in my class. Maybe I am not giving myself enough credit, but I think that there is room for improvement. Despite this, I do believe that I am using great variability in my lessons, and I am trying to provide students with fun and engaging activities.
So far, this experience has brought a lot of unexpected and unplanned-for things upon me. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing things correctly, but I need to remember that this is a learning experience and that is what I am here for... and so far, I have certainly learned a lot!
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Science Classroom Visit
On February 5, I observed Ms. Karen Musser, who is a Biology teacher at Mifflinburg Area High School. The first period class is Biology 1, so the majority of students were freshmen. This particular lesson was focused around water movement in a cell. The objective of the day was posted on the board, and read "Demonstrate comprehension of tonicity by getting A or B on the quiz".
Ms. Musser began the lesson by facilitating a discussion about the difference between hypertonic and hypotonic water movement. She showed hand motions to help students remember and continued to repeat the vocabulary words for the students. The students then took a quiz and completed a coloring worksheet about cells. Ms. Musser had a daily agenda posted on the board, which gave the students a better idea of what the period would look like. I thought that this was a great idea, which provided structure for the students.
Ms. Musser had a great teaching style, and displayed a very enthusiastic attitude. It was evident that she was very organized and knew a lot about the topic that was being discussed. She provided the students with a variety of teaching methods, which helped give some variability, and created a more learner-centered classroom. For the most part, students were engaged in the lesson. When students had a question, I noticed that Ms. Musser would give them some helpful information, and then ask a question back to them. The students tended to answer their own questions this way, and it seemed to aid in comprehension.
The students in Ms. Musser's class seemed very disciplined and did not test Ms. Musser in any way. There were a few typical chatty students, but for the most part students seemed well behaved. To refocus student's attention, Ms. Musser addressed them directly, which seemed to work well. One student sat at the back table with his head down, so Ms. Musser tried to engage him by asking him to read and answer a question.
Overall, I was very impressed with Ms. Musser's ability to make the lesson realistic and relatable to student's personal lives. I thought that she did a great job facilitating learning and understanding. I found Ms. Musser's teaching style very engaging, and enjoyed watching the students participate in a variety of tasks.
Ms. Musser began the lesson by facilitating a discussion about the difference between hypertonic and hypotonic water movement. She showed hand motions to help students remember and continued to repeat the vocabulary words for the students. The students then took a quiz and completed a coloring worksheet about cells. Ms. Musser had a daily agenda posted on the board, which gave the students a better idea of what the period would look like. I thought that this was a great idea, which provided structure for the students.
Ms. Musser had a great teaching style, and displayed a very enthusiastic attitude. It was evident that she was very organized and knew a lot about the topic that was being discussed. She provided the students with a variety of teaching methods, which helped give some variability, and created a more learner-centered classroom. For the most part, students were engaged in the lesson. When students had a question, I noticed that Ms. Musser would give them some helpful information, and then ask a question back to them. The students tended to answer their own questions this way, and it seemed to aid in comprehension.
The students in Ms. Musser's class seemed very disciplined and did not test Ms. Musser in any way. There were a few typical chatty students, but for the most part students seemed well behaved. To refocus student's attention, Ms. Musser addressed them directly, which seemed to work well. One student sat at the back table with his head down, so Ms. Musser tried to engage him by asking him to read and answer a question.
Overall, I was very impressed with Ms. Musser's ability to make the lesson realistic and relatable to student's personal lives. I thought that she did a great job facilitating learning and understanding. I found Ms. Musser's teaching style very engaging, and enjoyed watching the students participate in a variety of tasks.
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