Micro-teaching at Bellwood-Antis

Teaching. Is. Hard. 

That was how I felt on Wednesday, November 15th after teaching a class of high school juniors and seniors for the second day in a row. I had observed the class on Monday and planned to teach them about resumes and cover letters.

Monday

My first day at Bellwood-Antis High School, I was solely there to observe. As it came time for period 7 which was the period I would be teaching, I anxiously awaited for students to come through the door. When they started walking in my eyes widened as I realized out of 16 students, two were girls and 14 were boys. It was at this moment as I heard their playful banter back and forth that I realized I had my work cut out for me. 

Tuesday

On day two I was ready to teach. I thought that I would conquer the world and I basically did. We had a lot of fun and I got to know the students and dissect some of their mannerisms and personalities. Two students were absent which I knew would add some extra planning the following day but it went very well overall.

Wednesday

Day 3 at BAHS was not my finest hour. While I entered class with the same enthusiasm my mood quickly shifted as the class decided talking overtop of me for 45 minutes. I was not upset with them for talking because we all did that in high school and some of us even do that now in college. I was mostly upset with myself. I felt like a broken record as I kept saying, "Eyes on me." and "Okay, guys. Listen up!" I asked the class to email me whatever portion of their resume they had done by 8pm and the class ended. Sadly my feelings must have shone through to my face as my observer told me afterwards that I looked extremely frustrated. I left the school and felt rather beside myself for the rest of the evening. 

Thursday

My request from the day prior was not taken seriously and out of twelve students that were present on Wednesday, only four had sent me their resumes. I gave them honest and encouraging feedback in a written form and bought the four of them Boston Creme filled donuts. I tried a new tactic for the chatting and stood at the front of the room in silence until the students paid attention to me. It seemed to work out and I had a marvelous day. I had fun throughout the class period and was sad to hear the bell ring and realize that I wouldn't be working with this group of kids anymore.

I am glad that I chose to micro-teach at Bellwood-Antis. I believe that I learned a lot while I was there not only about real high school classes but also about management techniques.

Me, Ms. Becker, and Miss Fisher after
our micro-teaching.

PS.  I gave the students an exit survey before I left and I'm glad to say that many students were happy with my performance. All of them responded that they were satisfied or very satisfied with my time spent teaching them. Some of their suggestions for improvements were to slow down because I went too fast, to be more laid back and funny, and to do more walking activities. I will gladly take their criticisms with a grain of salt. 

#AEE412 Sunday Reflections 10: Classroom Management

As a pre-service teacher, I recognize that classroom management is a seriously important part of being successful, not only during student teaching but also once I enter my first job!

We have all been blessed with the horror stories that some veteran teachers like to share with (and scare) young teachers. Don't be scared! Realize that some things are out of your control. With that being said there are proactive steps that you can take to make classroom management a much easier task to tackle. 

1. Present procedures, expectations, and consequences on day one. 
Students need to know what you want them to do and the reasoning behind it. Make your expectations clear on day one as well as the consequences so that students know what will happen should they fail to follow rules and endanger the learning of others.

2. Organization and clarity make all the difference.
We have all worked with someone who has been the "least organized person we've ever met." How did you feel throughout this experience? I know that I have been frustrated when this has happened in the past. Disorganization can waste time and lose student attention when it happens in the classroom. Prepare yourself in advance!

3. Effectively utilize ALL instructional time.
This concept is one that I often heard pushed in my educational psychology class. If you engage your students for the entire class period they won't have the time or the need to misbehave! Crazy to think about, eh? Keep them actively learning and you drastically lower your chances of having to utilize intense classroom management as an afterthought. 

4. Building rapport is essential.
Credibility, credibility, credibility. Remember that "Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Building a respectful relationship with them will make life much easier. They will then respect your "ask" and focus on learning without "fighting the power."

5. Promote good behavior.
Positivity is KEY. Negative talk can really wear down on students. Reinforcing the type of behavior that you want to see in your classroom can help you to see more of that behavior. Be cautious not to over-praise as this can cause backwards growth in the realm of classroom management. There is a sweet spot that you should try to stay in when praising and reinforcing. Set you expectations high!


Classroom management is not going to be easy but it will be worth it! Remember not to get discouraged if you mess up when managing the class, just take note and remember to do better next time. You've got this!

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References:

Wong, H.K. & Wong, R.T. (2009). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher (4th ed.). Mountain View: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.

Newcomb, L.H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., & Whittington, M.S. (1993). Methods of teaching agriculture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Surprise, it's a reflection!

This week's methods lab was executed differently than normal. It was a surprise! That's right...a surprise. On Monday the #PSUAgEd18 members entered "Money Monday" at 8 am and received a sheet of National AFNR Standards from a random pathway. Once given that sheet, we were told to prepare a lesson to teach in our laboratory section on Wednesday that fit those standards. Now this task might be daunting to some but I honestly didn't mind. We've been practicing teaching and writing lessons for  weeks now!

Come Wednesday, I taught my lesson and here is what I took away...

Gems

• There's nothing like learning to embrace a teachable moment and think on the fly. I had no issue with our surprise. I completed a lesson plan that was descriptive and thought out. I also didn't allow the short turn around time to stress me out! This is a personal goal of mine to time manage and reduce anxiety levels in all aspects of my life. Thanks to #PSUAgEd for challenging me to reach this goal!

Opps

• I was less confident in the content of this lab. (electrical wiring) I also entered the day in a bit of a funk because of some personal issues. I think that the combination of the two made me come off as a bit "hard" or "harsh" sounding in my video. I certainly wasn't trying to give off the wrong tone of voice or even seem cross in any way. This reminds me that I need to be careful and ensure that I leave all of my feelings or emotions at the door when I enter each day because it really does show!

#AEE412 Sunday Reflections 8: Individualized Teaching

Recently, #PSUAgEd18 has learned about individualized teaching techniques. Personally I felt that learning about individual after learning group techniques had "completed" the technique thought process in my mind. Now we experienced the reading about individual teaching techniques and the instruction is almost full circle. 
As we discussed in class, there are five types of individual instruction techniques that are as follows:

1. Sheets
2. Experiments
3. Supervised Study
4. Independent Study
5. Student Notebooks

In an agriscience classroom we see all of these techniques being used. Our last lab experience was problem solving approach which can be carried out either as a group or individual teaching technique. 

Being involved in Agricultural Education in some capacity means that we should all be familiar with the three circle model! What I find interesting is that when taking a look at all three circles individually, I notice that the different individual techniques can be applied to all three of the circles. While we assume that a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) would be an independent study scenario, it can actually be almost any of the above five techniques. How you ask? Think about this, students work on their SAE independently, sometimes the teacher assists and guides but not always, some students hold a research SAE, and lastly records on any and all SAEs must be kept. If that doesn't explain that it can fit in with all five then I have no idea what will. This is great because every circle can fully utilize differentiated instruction. Remember, if you're fed your favorite food for every meal you will soon get tired of it. Differentiate your instruction and make each lesson fun whether the activities are group or individual. Make it fun, ya'll!

Check out my resource for this week! It's a nice article that talks about the benefit of individualized instruction that fits each student. It somewhat fits activities that take place in an average agriscience classroom. I think that it can be looked at through SAE goggles when thinking that each student has an experience that is unique to them because SAEs are meant to ignite their passions. 

http://www.dreambox.com/blog/pros-cons-individualized-instruction

Let me know what your thoughts are!

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References:

Newcomb, L.H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., & Whittington, M.S. (1993). Methods of teaching agriculture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

EduGains. (2015). Reach every student through differentiated instruction.  Retrieved from http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesDI/Brochures/DIBrochureOct08.pdf

Green, N. (2013). Pros and cons of individualized instruction. DreamBox Learning. Retrieved October 14, 2017, from http://www.dreambox.com/blog/pros-cons-individualized-instruction

Problem Solve This!

This week I taught for twenty minutes in my teaching methods laboratory demonstrating the problem solving approach. I believe that it went very well! If you have been keeping up with the blog, you will may remember when my "Sunday Reflection" was about problem solving a short time ago. It was fun this week to try my hand at a type of instruction that benefits learners but can feel a bit awkward to a new teacher due to silent time.

Gems

• To begin the problem solving approach, I presented students with a real question/problem which drew them into the lesson! I had told them that homecoming was approaching and was just three short weeks away. This automatically seemed to draw interest. My problem was a "forked road" where I asked if it would be better to purchase their date a corsage/boutonniere  or to make them one. Students then talked about what factors would go into determining this and made a budget to figure out the cost efficiency. 
• I spoke to each student as they were working on their budget. This allowed me to keep them on task and find out what they were thinking. 

Opps

• My classroom management was a bit subpar this week. The students in our lab are actually our peers and I was unable to decipher if his/her behavior was a classroom management issue or if there was an issue that he/she was dealing with that day. 
• I could have probably left the students in silence to work on their budget for a longer period of time. It just feels so awkward standing in front of the class and not doing anything! 
• This may be very generalized but I need to increase my confidence in teaching, planning, and timing. 

If you have any tips on how to utilize questioning in a problem solving approach without feeling awkward or increasing please let me know! 

Thanks for reading!

#AEE412 Sunday Reflections 7: Assessing Student Learning

This week we read about assessments! I appreciate that each week our reading gives us a small taste of what we can look forward to learning in the upcoming class sessions (starting with "money Monday" as Dr. Foster likes to call it). On my road to a teacher I find that I am constantly learning things that I never knew! One thing is for certain, I know that we have to grade our students in a fair and accurate way. With the past few years as a college student it is easy to snap straight to "test" as the only way to assess learning. I appreciate that my education courses have jolted me out of that mentality and reminded me that there are many other ways to assess.

Think back to when you were a student! Did you consistently like being drilled with exams? Ask me that question and I would say, absolutely not! I can think back to one of my favorite classes which was high school biology where we often completed dissections, presentations, and other lab activities. The variety of assessments that we had in that class certainly was a more collective way to test the knowledge and skills that we gained.

As all Agricultural Educators know, our classes are never "black and white." Students are learning hands-on at higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy and should therefore be assessed at those levels. This certainly does not mean that every assessment needs to be a test or a project but they need to see if the learning objectives are being met! In order to do this we must provide formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments are incorporated throughout the unit and a summative assessment is taken at the end of a unit.

I am reminded about our opportunity to complete a SLO or Student Learning Outcome in the Spring during student teaching. I look forward to this opportunity to assess students while assessing my performance. The link below includes a reference that I found regarding SLOs! It helps me to better follow the steps in figuring out what my SLO should be. Check it out.


https://www.nvcc.edu/assessment/_docs/PS4.methodsforassessingSLOs1009.pdf

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References:

Newcomb, L.H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., & Whittington, M.S. (1993). Methods of teaching agriculture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence. (2015). Assessing student learning. Retrieved from http://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-ideas/assessing-student-learning/index.html

Jung, L.A. & Guskey, T.R. (2010). Grading exceptional learners. Educational Leadership, 67(5). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/Grading-Exceptional-Learners.aspx

Roberts, J. E. (n.d.). Methods for Assessing Student Learning Outcomes. Retrieved October 6, 2017, from https://www.nvcc.edu/assessment/_docs/PS4.methodsforassessingSLOs1009.pdf

Stoughton, A.L. & Myers, B.E. (2008) Creating and working with rubrics Retrieved from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WC/WC06900.pdf

Warner, W.J. & Myers, B.E. (2010). Evaluating learning in laboratory settings. Retrieved from  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WC/WC06000.pd

#AEE412 Sunday Reflections 6: Problems to Solve

We have recently spent a lot of time getting to know the problem-solving approaches (forked-road, possibilities factors, situations to be improved, effect/cause).  In this week's readings we learned about problem based learning and how it evokes a higher level of thinking. This is magical for teachers because learning about problem solving and problem based methods provides a path on which students pick up 21st century skills! 21st century skills are essential in creating functional and successful adults. You can find 21st century skills in the image below.

Now, as I read and learned about involving students with an applicable problem that they will want to solve I am drawn back to inquiry based instruction. I am incredibly excited to learn more about inquiry-based as I feel that my knowledge on this method has been slowly increasing. I have applied to the Inquiry-Based Pre-Service teacher workshop at this year's National FFA Convention and am anxiously awaiting a response to see if I was accepted as a participant. I really do believe that
inquiry helps students to retain information longer and at a deeper level. It is said that students will learn what they do. If your class makes students memorize content then they will learn how to memorize. So by providing opportunities for students to utilize resources to solve real-world problems they will be able to do the same thing any time they encounter a problem. Project-based learning allows for this authentic process to take place. I can remember learning the scientific method and how to critically think about hypotheses and experiments and why these tests even mattered.

As teachers who strive for nothing less than the best, wouldn't inquiry be something that we would jump on board with without hesitation? I would believe so and therefore I can't wait to master it!

Check out this video below where a teacher from Bolder, Colorado shares his experience with inquiry based learning. It provides a good example that could be utilized in a wildlife or environmental classroom!

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References:

Kirkley, J. (2003). Principles for teaching problem solving. Retrieved from

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.117.8503&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Larmer, J. & Mergendoller, J.R. (2010). The main course, not dessert: How are students reaching 21st century goals? With 21stcentury project based learning. Retrieved from http://bie.org/object/document/main_course_not_dessert

Larmer, J. & Mergendoller, J.R. (2010). 8 essentials for project-based learning. Retrieved from http://www.sbcss.k12.ca.us/attachments/article/1058/8_Essentials_article_small_file_size_Oct2012version.pdf

Phipps, L.J., Osborn, E.W., Dyer, J.E., & Ball, A.L. (2008) Handbook on agricultural education in public schools, 1st Edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

(2015, August 18). Retrieved October 01, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbqPaKTsDIU

#AEE412 Sunday Reflections 5: Students Are the Focus

Why Do We Teach Agriculture?

This week had many readings that portrayed various topics. I feel that I can sum it up in a few words: 

We do this for the students.

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/john-dewey/?lp=true

Now this may seem like a no brainer when written down in plain sight but in the quickness of each day and the speed that life passes us by, it is easy to push to the back of our mind. We often see teachers pushing CDEs so that they can bring hardware back to the classroom after the competition. Each day becomes mundane and repetitive as autopilot takes over. Does this represent the best way to grow shape and teach our students? No. As agriculture teachers, we have been trained to dive deeper than your typical checklist chaser. We have learned about the benefits of becoming a Dewey Disciple and promoting hands on learning. Never stray from your beliefs! It is easy in any profession to become worn down but if we forget who we are then not only do we suffer, but so do our students. 

Keeping in mind that our students growth is extremely rewarding, we need to take steps to give them a voice. Prepare them for success with effective questioning. Give students a voice and let them run with their interests to find their passion. It is essential to be the guide on the side and assist in goal reaching for students. Student-centered classrooms can provide a chance for ownership and exploration! Be the type of teacher that you would like to have. 

This week I found the following video that talks about essential questioning of your students! Check it out!

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References:

Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence. (2015). Using Effective Questions. Retrieved from http://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-ideas/engaging-students/using-effective-questions.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Dyer, J.E. (n.d.) Effective Questioning Techniques. Retrieved from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WC/WC08400.pdf (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Jan, K. V. (2011, October 24). Pursue Passion: Demand Google 20% Time at School. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-von-jan/unstructured-classroom_b_1024404.html

Maiers, A. (2011, August 05). Retrieved September 21, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FHdHUzRnms

National FFA LifeKnowledge. (n.d.) Coaching Session Quick Reference Guide. Retrieved from https://www.ffa.org/myresourcedocuments/coachingguide/Basics_of_Coaching/coaching_Guide/Lesson02/pdf/Individual-Coaching-Session-Quick-Reference-Guide.pdf

Simonds, K. (2015, February 09). I'm 17. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OkOQhXhsIE

T. (2013, January 10). Tweak your Teach: Dr. Tae’s Building a New Culture of Teaching and Learning. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from https://tweakyourslides.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/tweak-your-teach-dr-taes-building-a-new-culture-of-teaching-and-learning/

#AEE412 Sunday Reflections 4: Collaborative Learning

Collaborative Learning is Grand!

This week our readings discussed group or collaborative learning, writing purposeful learning objectives, and facilitating instruction. All of the topics are important but it seems that collaborative learning techniques happened to stick with me the most. I believe this is because I have made the connection between utilizing groups as a teaching tool when I'm a teacher and having them used on me! Within our Ag Ed courses here at Penn State Dr. Foster, Dr. Ewing, Dr. Curry, and Dr. Rice demonstrate different ways to teach our students increasing their level of comprehension and moving to a higher level on Bloom's Taxonomy. Having these techniques demonstrated on myself, I hope to use some of them as I cross the line from student to teacher. 

Digging deeper into the tactics and structure of collaborative classroom activities, I can clearly see where this benefits students. Instead of simply listening to a lecture students can make more connections between the taught material and their own thoughts. Personally I gain vast amounts of comprehension in group situations. The fact of the matter is that many people see things differently. Just as our weekly investments focus on different points of the reading, group members will all pick a different facet of the content that they are working on and bring a different view to the discussion that they are a part of. Not to mention the fact that the way a teacher tries to teach something might not click for a particular student. Having group work allows for more discussion and even some clarification from other students. When used correctly collaborative learning can really make a positive difference in the classroom!

This week I found a great video from "Teaching Channel" which I have included a link to in my references. In this video, a high school teacher from Texas talks about the 1-3-6 approach to group strategies in his classroom. When a topic is being approached first the students individually comprehend what they learned. They then get into a small group of three and discuss the topic. Finally their group of three pairs with another group of three to gain even more perspectives and provide some personal views of the topic. If desired, each group of six can quickly share what they decided was the most common theme in their discussion. I like this approach to a collaborative activity and will have to test it out in the classroom to see how well it works in meeting comprehensive objectives!

Do you have any thoughts or tips on group teaching? Any stories or examples you would like to share? Please comment!

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References:

Groseta, K.J. & Myers, B.E. (2006). Using cooperative learning in formal and nonformal education. Retrieved from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WC/WC06200.pdf

Newcomb, L.H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., & Whittington, M.S. (1993). Methods of teaching agriculture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

(n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/1-3-6-protocol

Whittington, M.S. (2005). Writing objectives in secondary agriculture courses that challenge students to think. Agriculture Education Magazine. Retrieved from  http://www.naae.org/profdevelopment/magazine/archive_issues/Volume77/v77i5.pdf