Week 6: Let's Get Busy!!

 What a week! Between new classes, shop work, FFA Week activities, CDE practices and officer meetings this past week was pretty busy, however I truly felt like I was thriving as a student teacher. Yes, there was the usual stress in trying to get everything done, but I loved playing the role of both teacher and FFA advisor and getting so much time to work with the students. 

A few highlights from the week include:

Finally getting to practice our plumbing skills in the shop. I completed demonstrations in CPVC cementing and soldering before the students got to work. I was very impressed by the work students were putting in, and some were even helping each other by working through the steps together as I assisted other students. I think both the students and myself were happy to get in some real hands-on learning this week. 

                                   

                 

I also taught a full load this week (even picking up an extra section of Small Gas Engines over my planning period). I loved getting to work with new students, and throughout my classes we engaged in some very interesting labs and learning activities. 

                                                                          

We also participated in many fun and engaging activities for FFA Week, including am FFA/Ag trivia game night with a visit from state officers, handing out donuts and coffee for teacher appreciation, serving chocolate milk to the student body to raise awareness of FFA, and of course dress up days! It was great to see the members so involved and taking some initiative to plan and carry out these activities throughout the week.

                   

Moving forward I want to focus more on my questioning techniques and really hone in on being a facilitator of learning. I believe my students can learn a lot more if I challenge them to discover answers for themselves, rather than simply providing them with information. 

Questions: 

#psuaged21 What were some of your favorite activities from FFA week? How did you incorporate service and Ag Literacy into the fun activities??

Week 5: What's the Point???

Week 5 was full of surprises, and some interesting learning opportunities,  as I navigated flexible learning days for the first time. Due to weather, the second half of the week was fully online, and in order to keep both of my half groups on track in their courses I had to get a little creative. While online learning days always present unique challenges for student engagement and learning, it is very different when you were planning for in - person and have to make last minute adjustments. 

Some peaks and pits of the past week include:

Peaks: 

1. During the first half of the week I was able to be in person with the students as we worked through an awesome inquiry lab in Vet Science and dove into measurement in Ag Mechanics. The students in both classes worked very hard, and I was very impressed by what we were able to accomplish. 

Ag Mechanics worked hard this week to improve their measurement skills. In addition to working hands-on with multiple measurement tools such as rulers, tape measures, levels and framing squares we also started out our lesson by thinking about what measurement really is and how we apply it in our everyday lives. 

Vet Science 1 started out their digestive system unit strong by completing an inquiry lab, investigating the functions of the mouth (specifically mastication). Each student had to create their own challenge question and hypothesis, run their experiment, collect data and then create a graph to communicate their findings to the class. 

2. Even though our plans changed, and one half group didn't get any in person instruction this week, the students still showed up and put in the work to stay on track for next week. I was so happy to see all the students logging in on during the snow days and making the best of the situation. 

Trying to avoid a simple lecture style for our online days (which are also only half the time of normal day) I worked in some edpuzzle review videos, a matching game that we completed as a class, and had students take time to do their own research on the different tools and materials we will be using next week in lab. 

Pits:

1. While I have prepared lessons to be taught fully online in the past, this week presented my first experience with having to adapt lab lessons last minute into an online format. While I am still happy with what each of my classes achieved during these flexible instruction days, I feel like I could have done better at creating engaging activities. I feel this is something that many teachers are struggling with right now, and I will take what I learned from this week to help me in the future. Some ideas I will incorporate in the future include using nearpod to create class interaction activities, have students research and share their finding with the class by creating a small presentations, or having students use flipgrid to create videos explaining different tools/materials that we will be using in class. 

Reflecting on my lessons from this past week, I realized that communicating the days' objectives clearly to students at the beginning of the class is extremely important. I want my students to be able to stay on task and be motivated throughout any lesson, whether in-person or online. Over the past year, we learned about the importance of aligning our course, unit, and lesson objectives so that we have a clear path to achieving student learning objectives over time. While these daily objectives can be very helpful for teachers to stay on track, it is also extremely important for students to understand what is expected of them and what they are supposed to be working towards. If students cannot understand why we are doing certain activities or learning new knowledge or skills, what's the point? 

Moving forward, I plan to work harder to communicate each lesson's objectives and what I want the students to learn/complete each day. I currently place the daily skill and agenda on the board at the beginning of each class period, but I will be more intentional about explaining what we will be doing and what I want the students to walk away with. I think focusing on this will enhance all of my lessons and help me to maximize the time I have with students. 

Questions:

How do you incorporate more student interaction/engagement into online lessons?

What strategies do you use to communicate your daily learning objectives with students? How do you help them to see the "point" of each activity? 

Science Classroom Visit!

Class: Biology 1 (9th and 10th grade)  

Date: February 8, 2021 

Lesson Title: What are the differences between viruses and bacteria? 

 

1. 1. What were the objectives of the lesson? 

Given today’s lesson materials and discussion SWBAT... 

Explain how different types of graphs can be used to visualize data. 

Distinguish between viruses and bacteria based on defined characteristics.  

 

2. 2. In your opinion, were the students interested in the lesson? Why or why not? 

Throughout the lesson it appeared that some students were very interested, especially during the videos and discussions surrounding the corona virus. However, it was clear that some students were not engaged or interested in the day’s material. Some students were distracted during videos and activities and did not willingly volunteer answers during discussions.  

 

3. 3. What teaching methods or behaviors were most effective in achieving the objectives? 

1. The teacher utilized a great variety of teaching tools, including student worksheets, PowerPoint notes, instructional videos, and open class discussion. Additionally, the teacher provided clear instructions during each part of the class and all students appeared to understand what they were expected to be doing.  

2. I also think the teacher did a great job at relating the day’s content to real world examples (covid) which kept the students engaged and definitely gave them a solid connection to the material.  

 

4. 4. In your opinion, was the teacher “giving away” information or facilitating learning? Please Explain. 

1. I believe the teacher was doing a great job at facilitating learning. The students had been asked prior to class to fill in the worksheet, which forced them to discover information on their own. Also, the teacher paused during the notes and instructional video to ask probing questions. This forced the students to think about the material more critically and find connections to the material.  

 

5. 5. How would you evaluate this teacher in terms of clarity, enthusiasm, business-like behavior, variability, learner-centeredness, and with-it-ness? Please provide specific examples to support your evaluation. (I will use a 5 point scale)  

1. Clarity- 4.5/5 The teacher was very clear on his instructions for students throughout the class period, and re-stated lesson objectives throughout the lesson. However, lesson objectives were not clearly stated at the beginning of class.  

2. Enthusiasm- 5/5 The teacher was upbeat and enthusiastic about the material right from the beginning of class all the way to the bell. I was very impressed by his rapport with students and ability to “wake them up” in the beginning of class.  

3. Business-Like Behavior- 4/5 While it was clear that the teacher had a plan and achieved his plans for the day, I felt that there was a lot of “joking around”. I think that this more relaxed approach to teaching is actually very helpful for creating a solid rapport with students (especially 9th and 10th graders) and worked well in this classroom.  

4. Variability-5/5 There was a huge variety of instruction as previously stated. (PowerPoint notes, instructional videos, class discussions, and student worksheets/work time). 

5. Learner-Centeredness- 2/5 This lesson did not provide a lot of space for student led activities. While the teacher was not simply giving information, he led or directed each activity during the class. I think that having the students search for instructional videos on topics that interested them that applied to the days lesson or having them create a model to illustrate the the anatomy of a virus would have moved the entire lesson to more learner centered. 

6. With-it-ness- 5/5 The teacher clearly knew what he wanted to achieve during the day and had a solid plan to do it. The students knew the “routine” and worked with the teacher to achieve the lesson objectives.  

 

6. 6. Other comments or observations 

1. Overall, this was a great observation. I find myself falling into the “business” of class far too much and it was nice to see how a teacher can still achieve their lesson objectives while keeping the class lighter and fun. Additionally, I learned a lot about teacher enthusiasm and the impact it has on students. I am finding it difficult to “wake” my students up during the first 10-15 minutes of class, but this teacher started off much louder and more upbeat right from the start which got the students alert much faster.  

 

 Summary: 

 

1. The teacher tried to focus the students’ attention on the presentation by... 

1. Calling on students by name and holding each student in class accountable at least once during the lesson.  

2. The teacher tried to capitalize on student interests or experiences by... 

1. Relating the material to the current corona virus pandemic that is greatly affecting everyone’s life. (lesson was on viruses and bacteria)  

3. The teacher tried to use a structure or framework to help students visualize the new material by... 

1. Providing a visual during the PowerPoint lecture/notes, orally discussing the major points, and providing an audio/visual real-life example through an instructional video. (Video also included a great visual diagram of the anatomy of a virus)  

4. The teacher tried to clarify goals of the presentation by... 

1. Repeating lesson objectives during different parts (including before, during and after each activity) of the lesson and clarifying student instructions.