Virutal Mentor Exploreation

One of the unique opportunities provided to us at Penn State is the interactions we are able to have through digital communication with our virtual mentors. These mentors are agriculture education teachers and professors around the nation. They have been specifically paired with us to guide and direct us through our professional journey to become rock star agriculture teachers. I had the opportunity to discuss teaching and learning with some of these professionals.


What is your teaching philosophy and/or core values as an agricultural educator?

The one overarching theme  my mentors discussed was the importance of student -centered teaching and learning. Becky Haddad from Oregon State University believes
 
"...that the biggest thing any teacher can share with their students is experience.  I believe that a student is motivated by what they can apply and experience."

Experiences are what shape our students, and it is our mission to enhance those experiences and foster learning through them.


What strategies or resources do you use to help your class/ program be responsive to cultural diversity and English learners?

This can be a tricky area for some teachers. The important thing is keeping an open mind and getting to know your students. Mrs. Pontius is always intentional in setting aside time each class to check in with the students and see how things are going. Being someone students can approach is always critical in responding to diversity in the classroom. Humility goes a long way. Becky had a student with a last name she had trouble pronouncing, but took the time to learn how to correctly say it and learn with her student. Having that openness and willingness to meet students where they are is critical for a teacher.


What are the best tips/resources you would provide to a new teacher regarding special needs accommodations?

Again, this can be a tough subject for new teachers at times. The important thing in accommodating students with special needs is to first understand that the needs of special needs students are, in many ways, the needs of all students. Becky puts it: 

"There’s nothing special about the needs of someone with a disability.  They need what everyone else needs: To feel valued, included, and have someone believe in them" 

It is her idea that meeting one student with special needs means you've met one student with special needs. Having an open mind and a willingness to serve all the needs of all of your students goes a very long way for any teacher.

The main takeaway I have pulled from all of the professionals I have interacted with this semester, is that great teaching isn't about what you are capable of doing, it is about making choices that aim to serve your students and help them succeed. When teaching is your passion, and students are your motivation, you can never go wrong.

Last week, we had the opportunity to travel to San Antonio Texas for the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Convention. This trip was definitely a highlight of my Penn State experience! It was such an incredible experience to engage with so many Ag Ed teachers, pre-service teachers and professionals in such a stunning and historic city.

We were able to participate in our own workshops as members of the Future Agri-Science Teachers (FAST) symposium, as well as join with practicing Ag teachers in general workshops. These workshops were designed to help broaden our skill base as future and current agriculture teachers by providing some hands-on experience with content across a wide variety of agriculture topics. One of my favorite workshops was led by Mrs. Krista Pontius, Ms. Kim O'Byrn, and Dr. Laura Hasselquist, all of whom are National Agriscience Ambassadors. They did a workshop on inquiry-based instruction using interactive notebooks and lab activities that allow students to take charge over their learning. We did a lab where students designed their own experiment on determining if the filling in a double stuffed Oreo cookie was double the amount of a regular Oreo. This seemed like such a cool lab to incorporate as a first day warm up lab for my food science class in the spring.

 Another extremely helpful workshop led by Natasha Morreson on communication basics. We learned some cool techniques on how to start and hold conversations, and how to communicate with your school administrators. A related workshop covered some job interviewing skills and resume tips, which was super helpful for a room full of future job-seekers.

 

My favorite part by far was getting to interact with so many different agriculture teachers from around the country as well as those right here in Pennsylvania. I was finally able to put a face to some names for a lot of those teachers, and seeing the support they have for us was incredible. The student teachers even received a standing ovation at our recognition, which was truly touching! I'm looking forward to a long career in n amazing profession with an unparalleled support system!

My Ag Mechanics Demonstration

For my agriculture mechanics lesson, I taught students the three steps involved in connecting PVC pipe into fittings. I started the lesson with explaining the steps and demonstrating to students in a "teacher says, teacher does" format.

The first step was priming the PVC and the fitting for the connection. I started with asking if everyone has their PVC and fitting before  beginning and explained the process of priming while doing so. As it was drying I asked the students why priming is important, and what might happen if it is not primed.

The second step was to cement the two pieces. This had to be done quickly, as the cement dries quickly. Both pieces needed to be coated thoroughly, but not excessively. The final step was to connect the two pieces together and give them a slight twist. This allows the cement to spread evenly and remove air from between the two pieces. After demonstrating, I had a student do it themselves while the other students "coached" them through it.

In a classroom setting, students would be able to each have their own work station, and could build their own project, but this exercise was just for practice. I had to do a retake of the video due to the lid sticking on the cement very tightly. Despite this, I'd say our objective of connecting PVC pipe and understanding the process was completed.

 

Life Knowledge Lesson at Greenwood

This week I had chance to show off some of my teaching skills at Greenwood for the first time with a life knowledge lesson on community service. The focus on the lesson was identifying ways that students can serve one another and their community, as well as what characteristics make an effective community leader.

The class was a very well behaved class, and really seemed to enjoy the discussion. It took me a minuet to get the names memorized, but the students were very graceful about my inexperience an newness in the classroom. To be honest I was nervous when I was getting started. I really didn't show my enthusiasm and I stuck to the podium at first, which I'm sure came off as being withdrawn. As the lesson progressed, I warmed up more and started to relax, which the students seemed to enjoy.

I spoke with appropriate volume and speed, but I really need to work on pacing my lessons. I asked a ton of questions and generated a lot of responses for m the students. Unfortunately, it would be a stretch to say I made it halfway through the lesson. My microteaching was on a block schedule the week before, so the 45 minuet class flew by like it wasn't even ten minuets long.

Considering each of these, I think I didn't do half bad for what its worth. The class was engaged, participating and I taught bell to bell. As I work with the students and build my teacher confidence, I will become more comfortable. I want to do well for the students, which sometimes leaves me to afraid to make a move. Hopefully I will work through that this spring!

What is Inquiy Based Instruction?

Why Use Inquiry-Based Instruction

When exploring the concept of inquiry-base instruction, I was really taken back to the novel concept of a teacher's job being to teach students how to think, rather than what to think. IBI connects student creativity, inquisitiveness and desire to learn with science, math, reading and writing in agriculture. As previously discussed, students need to feel a need to learn the material. Using IBI provides enough structure to create a need to learn, without stating what needs to be learned or how it needs to be learned.

Using IBI also allows students to collectively use their strengths and stretch themselves to overcome their weaknesses. Since there is little focus in IBI on how students reach an objective, students can creatively use their talents to direct their learning. Also, IBI provides differentiated instruction, since students at all levels of learning can participate and content is presented in a more interesting way.


How is Inquiry-Based Instruction Different from Problems-Based?

First of all, IBI typically allows for students to formulate their own question, whereas problems-based instruction poses a question, with emphasis on finding a solution. Inquiry-Based Instruction involves more intense investigation, and may lead to no solution in the end. The focus of IBI is not always on solving a problem, but on learning and the process by which students learn the content. IBI may not even be a problem to be solved, whereas problems-based, by nature, requires there to be a problem in need o solving.

What are the Key Elements of IBI?

As identified by Warner and Meyers, there are six stages within the inquiry cycle.

Inquisition: Learners need to being with a question or situation that requires investigation. This distinguishes inquiry based instruction from other forms of teaching because students are not told how to investigate, just that they need to investigate.

Acquisition: Students brainstorm possible procedures for investigating a situation. Again, a hallmark trait of inquiry based instruction is that students are not told what to do to investigate given materials. That is for them to self-direct.

Supposition: After deciding on a procedure, students then suppose an outcome

Implementation: Students carry out their plan.

Summation: Students collect data and analyze their results. They collect evidence and draw conclusions from that evidence. This is the driving force of IBI, as this the point where students learn from their collected evidence. They are not just taking the teacher's word on it, but witnessing for themselves.

Exhibition: Students communicate and share their results.


If you look closely, the stages of inquiry, and the foundation of IBI are similar to the Scientific Method. Students are presented with a need to learn or determine a solution, while creating and implementing their own procedures and subsequently collecting and evaluating their evidence. Inquiry based instruction is the way learning most often occurs outside of the classroom, as self directed learning is the most powerful form of learning.

Iquiry-Based Instruction Lab

This week, we put our knowledge of Inquiry-Based Instruction to the test by leading an IBI lab. In my lesson, I had the students build an irrigation system using a variety of materials that included Play Dough, pasta, straws, tongs, toothpicks and tape to name a few. After the two groups build their systems, we tested them to see how well they preformed, and used that as a springboard to discuss characteristics of an effective irrigation system.

Some "gems" that I think my lesson had was that it was very interactive. There were a ton of materials for the students to work with, and they were free to use whatever they wanted, however they chose. This lesson also gave students the freedom to think, design, and work with each system whoever they chose. There was no mandate on how the irrigation system needed to be built, or how the materials needed to be utilized, which really took on an inquiry conceptualization.

Some "opps" I felt my lesson had would be to connect the irrigation activity to an academic standard/ objective. I needed to sharpen up the connection between the activity and the actual scientific objectives associated with learning about irrigation.


I also got a tweet from Lisa and Olivia for my lab!

Our Surprise Lab

This week we were asked to swap lesson plans with each other and teach with only what advice the author of our lesson could give us in ten minutes. This lab presented two challenges, the first: creating detailed enough lesson plans that another teacher can use them easily. The next: using our own teaching ability to fill in the gaps of the plans we used. This was actually a fun lab, and many of us admitted to feeling less pressure using another’s lesson plan.

Some of my “gems” for this lab were my better comfort level with teaching, and how well I was able adapt the lesson as demands changed. Olivia did a great job in preparing a lesson plan, but there were point that I took the material into more or less detail than what was provided depending on what I needed to discuss with the class at that moment.

Some of my “opps” for improving mostly involved my own lesson plan. I leave my plans with some ambiguity, so I can adapt them as I go along. My lesson required some pretty in-depth content knowledge, and I did not have all of the resources to teach with on hand. I put too much on my sub to a the activities and discussion, which could have been fixed with better listing of questions and scripted prompts for the teacher. Otherwise, I think this was a great lab that went well!

My Problem Solving Lab

This week we were challenged with teaching a lesson using a problem solving approach. The concept of a problem solving lesson is that a problem requiring a solution is presented to students and a solution is arrived to by the class. The problem can have a single solution, or many. The solution can be known by the teacher or an entirely new situation can be discussed. The key to this approach is a focus on the method behind problem solving, rather than the actual solution.

The lesson I did was called the Oreo Cookie Lab. The problem to be solved was to determine if a double stuffed Oreo really has double the stuffing of a regualar Oreo. The answer to this question is arguably inconsequential, but again, the focus is on solving a problem, not necessarily the solution itself. The students were split into two groups each measuring the mass of either a double stuffed or regular Oreo.

Some “gems” for this lab were that it was a very interactive lesson, as students were able to work with their hands rather than sit and retain information. The lab really fit the problem solving approach and really had great interest from the group.

Some opportunities to improve are definitely my preparedness for this lesson. I should have had the needed materials more organized and the lesson should have had better flow to it than what it did. Also, instead of giving students the entire package of cookies, they each should have only been given what they needed to avoid eating cookies during class.

Is Our Tool Box Full?

Have you ever noticed how many types of multivitamins exist? Take a casual walk in the health section of any grocery store and you may be surprised how many vitamin supplements you find. There are numerous nutrients the human body requires in varying amounts at varying times that are supplied in various quantities in a variety of foods. That's a lot of variety! yet, if you are even slightly deficient or in excess of any one nutrient, your body could experience irreversible disease or damage as a result.
Contrary to popular belief though, we can satisfy our nutritional needs without supplements, but only with a healthy diet of a variety of nutritious foods. Since it can be difficult to know if you are consuming the right nutrients in the right amounts, eating a variety of foods will help fill in the nutrient gaps and keep your body healthy. For example, grain in cereal is deficient in the amino acid lysine, but milk contains an adequate amount of lysine--so consuming them together for breakfast is more healthy than eating one or the other, as they compliment each other's nutrition.  

Why is differentiated learning important?

 No one food can supply all of our needs, though some are better for our health than others. It takes a variety of healthy foods that each provide a wide array of nutrients to meet the nutritional requirements of our bodies. Just as the human body has a set requirement for various nutrients, students have a standard that must also be met regardless of how close they are at the start. We have a learning goal we want our students to reach, but just like the foods we eat, no single method of instruction can singlehandedly meet that demand. Students have variety of interests and process information taught to them in ways as unique as they are. Since one way of teaching cannot address all of those at once, teaching content in a variety of ways over time results in better student learning and achievement. Unfortunately it is not feasible for teachers to sit down with each student and ask them which of the eight multiple intelligence types they are, or if they are an auditory, visual or kinesthetic learner. Teachers need to appeal to all of these variables and infinitely many more for each student through individualized instruction.

 

How could we utilize individualized teaching techniques?

 Below are some methods of effectively utilizing individualized instruction as outlined in our Methods of Teaching Agriculture text of Newcomb et. al.  

Individualize the Learning

The first step in using individualized teaching, is recognizing that each student is unique in their interest and goals. We as teachers need to do whatever we can to cultivate student interest and provide the means necessary for building their skill in a subject area beyond what our own standards may be. If there interest in something beyond what you each, or perhaps in something you don't teach much of, you need to adapt that and give an individual the resources need to go beyond what you currently provide.


Help Students Learn to Inquire into the Subject Matter

Though we may only cover a certain topic to an extent, we as teachers can cultivate interest in our content to spur student exploration further in depth than we cover. SAE projects and FFA Career Development Events are a great way for our students to continue further into subject matter than we cover in the classroom.


Promote Independence

Remember how students are more motivated when given autonomy? Well, when we allow students to make choices in their education, they are more invested in it. Since students learn and process content differently, allowing them to chose how they are assessed or how they learn the material will go a long ay in fostering their learning.


Learn to Make Use of More than One Opinion

Some of the most current hot button issues revolve around the agriculture industry. Allow students to have an opinion when I comes to what they learn will allow them to have greater investment in their learning. When they have a say, and that say is respected, students will more readily learn material.


Learn How to Evaluate and Apply Information

When giving students more autonomy, we as the teacher relinquish some control. When that happens, we need to be sure that students can effectively evaluate and apply the information they learn to be sure that it is factual and applicable to the content.

 

In short, students need autonomy and interest in the subject matter before we can use individualized teaching. Appealing to different student needs doesn't mean we alter our goals or curriculum standards (except perhaps in an IEP). It just means that we are aware of student individuality and we provide a variety of teaching practices to appeal to that individuality as much as possible.

How do we Assess and Evaluate?

      I check my oil every so often so I can see that I have enough and that it is the right consistency to function as my truck's lubricant. If I never assessed whether or not it was up to par, I may find myself with a burnt out engine some day. If I didn't have a gas gauge, I would never know if I need more gas until after its too late. Another example, if I didn't have a speedometer, I wouldn't know if I was speeding or not, and may end up with a ticket.

Why do we Assess Learning?

      The point being made here is that, without assessing these types of things, we wouldn't be able to take corrective action in time to avoid a terrible issue down the road. The same is true for teachers and their students. If I never assessed the learning of my tractor driving instruction, and how well the students learned to drive a tractor, they may end up putting one through the wall someday. We assess student learning to be sure:

1) Students are learning the material
2) Students are able to apply what they've learned
3) Our techniques in teaching that material are effective


What is the Difference Between Formative and Summative Assessment?

   Formative assessment is when we grade individual students and provide feedback with a low-stakes assignment or task. This is the type of assessment that occurs most frequently in the classroom, and is intended to provide students with feedback and monitor their progress. Summative assessment are the larger type assignments that are worth more points and typically require more student input. Summative assessments are usually exams or projects that are a larger part of a student's grade for the course. These types of assessments are intended to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction throughout the larger swaths of the course. For example, a midterm exam is a summative assessment used to gauge how well the class preforms and how well they've learned the material.

      Assessment isn't always a test, or a quiz. Any means by which we can gauge how well are students are learning and applying what they've learned can be utilized as assessment. Not only do we assess if students know the material, but also to what extent they do. We are facilitators of learning, and we need to provide a means by which we can uniformly and effectively measure and adjust that learning.

Greenwood SAE Project Visits

Over this past summer, I got to meet some of Greenwood's agriculture students at their Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) project sites. SAE projects at Greenwood Middle/high School are counted as one class credit, with students registering for an SAE project outside of class. Specifically, the Greenwood SAE project credit is listed in the high school's offical course selection guide with the description:

"Students will maintain a project outside of class time. The agricultural instructor will supervise the project and assign a pass/fail grade on a quarterly basis by evaluation of the SAE record book and/or visitation. Students enrolled in SAE will expand their knowledge and experience base through individual project work. All second year agriculture students must be enrolled for SAE credit."

Mrs. Pontius and Mr. Clark work with their students on their SAE projects throughout the year, and conduct 5-6 visits per year with each student. The last visit of the year is before the Perry County Fair so that animal projects can be assessed for showmanship suitability. I had the awesome opportunity to visit some of these very gifted and talented Greenwood Students.


Thomas is a senior in the Greenwood ag program, and chapter treasurer. His SAE project is two market lambs he's been raising for the Perry Country Fair.

Ethan is a senior, and Greenwood's FFA chapter president. His sister, Ella, is a sophomore. Their SAE projects include sheep and pigs they raise on their family farm. During our visit, Ethan got to show us around and let me hold a baby pig!

Will is a sophomore at Greenwood, and was eager to raise pigs at his pap's farm for his SAE project. During our visit, we were able to weigh his pigs with him and discuss best feeding practices for getting them to weight.

Cecilia is a sophomore, and Greenwood's chapter historian. Her SAE project was raising her market goats for the Perry County fair. She had an awesome set up for her goats in her garage turned barn.

Mallory is a senior and her brother Mitchell is a sophomore in Greenwood's agriculture program. These two both show steers for their SAE projects on their family's farm.

I had a great time getting to meet these students and visit with some of their family. Each of them have a unique set of skills and interests that they are able to put to the test with their SAE projects. I didn't get as many pictures as I would have like to, but it was no less of an experience for me as an agriculture teacher in training. I am so looking forward to teaching these awesome students!


*all of these photos were taken and published with consent, as well as the names of the students being published with consent

My First Unit Plan

Last week we each constructed our first unit plan in AEE 412. This past week, we received feedback on each of our units and were able to submit them subscribing to that feedback from our peers. The unit I created was titled "Principles of Poultry Production and Management," and was focused on introducing students to basic poultry care and flock management.

The goals of my unit were to introduce students to basic poultry knowledge that they can apply in the real world. My intent was to show them how to properly care for poultry on their own since several students have their own birds at home. Mr. Clark told me that he doesn't have many students interested in poultry, so I planned with capturing some interest in mind.

Specifically, my goals for this unit were:

1. Understand the basics of poultry anatomy and physiology
2. Assess the importance of poultry for humans
3. Outline the key components of the poultry industry
4. Evaluate the productiveness of meat and egg producing bird
5. Analyze the parts of the egg and their significance in reproduction
6. Examine career prospects within the poultry industry
 7. Describe poultry diseases and how they can be prevented

I wanted students to be able to apply what they learn in this unit to others, as well as enhance some of the skills and topics covered from their STEM type classes. My goal was to show students how poultry isn't just chickens, and that they can become much more efficient flock raisers and more educated consumers by applying what they learn.

Some of my feedback was to include better PA SAS standards and appeal my unit rationale to the local level. My goals were kind of narrow at first, and my materials list was a little too brief. Other than that, I just needed to improve some formatting.

I revised my goals to be more general to:

1. Evaluate animals using applied principles of anatomy and physiology 
2. Connect key concepts of bio-chemistry to animal systems
3. Examine career prospects and job requirements within a given field
4. Outline disease methods of action and prevent through biosecurity

I reformatted the unit plan an beefed up my resource lit a little more. I wend back through and made sure that my lesson titles were more appropriate and incorporated some assessment days. My objectives weren't up to par originally, so I went and improved them to be more appropriate. The one thing that was suggested to me that I did not do was to add in the criteria and conditions to my lesson objectives. I wanted the unit plan to be concise and useful for quick refrence. I felt that the condition and criteria were more appropriate to specify in the individual lesson plans, rather than the unit plan. I enjoyed getting feedback on my unit and I hope to keep improving as time goes on and I develop better ideas for teaching this content.

 

What is the Problem-Solving Approach?

      As most people know, I've worked at a local pet store since I was a junior in high school. Its a tricky job to become effective at because there is a certain degree of "content knowledge" you need to possess in order to work there. Unlike most entry-level jobs, I can't just be trained in a single video on how to do my job. I can't just read a manual to know about what products we sell, how they work, and how well they work. It takes years of interacting with a variety of pets and their owners to develop even a basic idea of how to care for them. I've learned how the nitrogen cycling of a fish tank works- because I've had to cycle plenty of fish tanks. I've learned how reptiles use UVB wavelengths of light to process calcium, because I've seen what metabolic bone disease can do to someone's beloved bearded dragon. I've even learned about pseudo ruminant coprophagy from working with guinea pigs and rabbits. My job offered a lot of real world applications of what I was learning in my agriculture classes throughout high school and into college.


What is Problem Solving?

      In the classroom, we can define problem solving as a set of skills and dispositions in which students apply what they have learned to a real-world situation to develop a solution. It is an approach to learning that teachers can use to teach content to students by providing a way to apply that content to a problem a hand. Problem solving is a learned skill, and one that must be applied to any subject in order to enhance learning of that subject. This process involves a continual loop of being presented with a problem, researching solutions to that problem while drawing on past experiences, and testing that solution to solve the problem. If the solution succeeds, then what has been learned can be applied and modified in similar problems to come. If the solution fails, the plan needs adapting and retrial must occur until the problem is solved.

      When this approach is employed within the classroom, problems must be well-structured and have clear goals to achieve. When teaching using a problem solving-based approach, teachers need to be aware that their students may not have many past experiences or prior knowledge on which to build for a solution. In the real world people face problems everyday, and when students learn how to solve problems, they will be more successful in their post-secondary lives.


How is Problem Solving related to Project-Based Learning?

      Project-based learning is an approach by which a "felt need" is created by offering an engaging question or situation to students. Students demonstrate what they know by applying it in the context of creating a product. For example, this spring I plan on teaching poultry and will have the students hatch eggs and rear the chicks. They cannot accomplish this task without understanding the material which creates a need for them to learn the material. Their success in raising the chicks is a real-world problem based project by which they can apply what they've learned and demonstrate their understanding.

      One of the most important things I believe a teacher needs to remember is that we are in this profession to teach students how to think and apply what they've learned. We live in the age of Google, where all of mankind's collective knowledge is held in our pocket. Agriculture is just the bus that carries those critical STEM skills. Problem solving and project-based learning are what drives that bus so that students can value their learning and translate it into other facets of their lives.

Teaching Outside the Box- Final Reflection

      This past week, my mentor group and I have wrapped up our summer reading project for Teaching Outside the Box. I have to say that this book is incredibly insightful, and the author's candor and seasoned advice makes it a powerful read. Author LuAnne Johnson answers the tough questions about classroom management, student behavior and teacher preparedness. I highly recommend this book to new and seasoned veteran teachers alike. Here were some of the groups final thoughts on the book.


What was the most influential advice you received from this book, and how can you apply it to your classroom in the future?

      My mentor team and I appreciated the author's candor and thoughtful advice. Teaching is often portrayed in the movies as a romanticized profession, but in reality it can be very exhausting and demanding. Johnson reveals some of the worst that teachers can face in the profession and how to face those issues. Our group appreciated her effective methods for managing the classroom, and the approach she takes of solving issues over time rather than with quick-fix gimmicks. A point also discussed was how excessive planning and over-idealization of your classroom leads to disillusionment.


The author often discusses teaching students more than just content. She's taken a break from time to time in her instruction just to help students learn valuable skills (such as how to read a transcript, form an argument, make a decision etc.) In your day to day job, how do you address those "soft skill" issues with your students?

      Our group shared some thoughts about how to accomplish this task. Its always good to take the time to know your students and learn their goals. Although we are called to teach, a teacher is so much more than someone at the front of the classroom. There are students without good role models and need someone to take a few minuets of the day to check in with them. Through our teaching, we can  develop those skills with what students are learning from their classes, SAE projects and FFA participation.


What aspects of a complete (3 circle model) Ag program do you feel apply some of the topics discussed by the author?

      FFA and SAE projects help interest and motivate students in the classroom. You have to decide as a teacher how much you want to involve your chapter with FFA events and how you can delegate power to students. They allow students to apply what they learn and build their enthusiasm and participation in class.

How do we transition between techniques utilizing effective questions?

 Are all questions the same?

      Many are often surprised to hear that humans share almost 95% of their DNA with a banana. If you say this to someone, they may stand aghast at the mere thought that they, a highly intelligent, sentinel being, could be remotely similar to a soft yellow fruit. Yet the fact remains that only a mere 5% of genetic material stands between you and that splotched oblong pile of produce in your crisper.

 

      Think about Legos. How many different things can you build with the same pile of Legos? I'm sure some diligent scientist somewhere crunched the numbers, but if I had to guess, the possibilities would be seemingly endless. No matter what you were to build, the fact remains that each creation would still be made with the same Legos. Just like DNA and all living things, no matter how different they may seem on the outside, they are still made of the same material- it's just presented differently. Just like you and that banana.

      Similar to bananas and DNA, infinite questions can be posed from the same materials if you will. Although one could argue that nearly all questions are posed in a universal nature (with only the content of the question being changed) most would tend to agree that questions differ from one extent or another. I can deliver infinite questions in the same format, but each question I pose is unique with its own set of acceptable answers. For example, I can ask what the Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby symbolizes to readers just as I can ask what the painting symbolizes in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorain Gray. They are not the same question, but they follow identical format-- same "Legos," different sculptures.

 

 

What is the coolest teacher “question tip” you want to incorporate?

      I love asking questions. I feel as though that is the only way learning can be accomplished in the classroom. One of my biggest faults however, is that I tend to ask questions that solicit recall prompting. I often catch myself asking students such basic questions so much that I sometimes skimp on those deep, thoughtful questions. I would definitely suggest asking more questions that are open-ended and lead to "playground" discourse among students.

 

Why Would Asking Questions at Higher levels of Cognition Matter?

      -for the same reason that teaching at higher-level of cognition matters. Our goal as educators is not to disperse content, its to illicit thinking, develop student thinking ability and teach students how to apply what they learn to other contexts. When I have students rank laying hens based on their productive ability, the exercise has surprisingly little to do with chickens, and so much more to do with making decisions and intelligently substantiating their claims. Questions must also appeal to those skills rather than get students to repeat information back to you. Otherwise, they only know what to think and not how to think.

 

What is Student Agency or Student Voice?

      According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the word "agency" is defined as "the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power." With this, we can easily define student agency as giving students the capacity or state of acting or of exerting power over their learning. This concept is somewhat synonymous with student autonomy. When you examine yourself as being a producer of student learning, and your students as your consumers. it only makes sense that students be given a say in what their learning consists of. If not what they learn, students should at the very least have a say in how they learn.

My Interest Appraoch Lesson

 

This week we were able to demonstrate our skill with implementing effective learning approaches. This is the part of the lesson designed to “hook” students and get them engaged with the material you plan to cover. This can take on a variety of forms, from gimmicks to problem solving, or bringing in cool props. This is the part of the lesson where the teacher brings in their own “flare.” This part of a lesson requires more creativity and craft than any other components.

Reflecting on my own interest approach this week, I think it was a unique approach that tied well into my lesson but needs some more refinement in execution. The chicken waterer was something unique that a student may never have the chance to experience again. It makes the history come to life, as there is physical evidence of agriculture history almost 100 years old in front of them. I think using the rice was a neat way to display the massive quantity of poultry that gets consumed. It’s a dramatic, yet authentic example of how much we as humans rely on poultry production.

I definitely had more rice and should use something larger like corn kernels, popcorn seeds or candies instead. That way it won’t be as messy. I think that I should include more targeted discussion questions to keep learning occurring when they go quiet. I think with some more practice and refinement I can improve upon my techniques for this interest approach.

What structure do we need in our instruction? Appling Instructional Design Techniques?

           I remember when I was younger, my family would go to Knoebels Grove Amusement Park each year in Elysburg Pennsylvania. One of my favorite spectacles was the woodcarver’s shed where skilled craftsmen would carve away at shapeless logs unveiling a marvelous work of art such that only imagination could conceive. They made the process appear to be one of ease to casual onlookers, but their work was no small task by any measure. Each detail, each crater, each carve had to be carefully executed—even the slightest mistake in their planning and execution would tarnish the entire piece. Through their planning, dedication and attention to detail, these artists seldom failed to deliver such unique pieces of art. Customers were eager to pay a pretty price for their statuesque figures of the forest. Their work spoke for itself and anyone who saw such work were eager to buy.

            What do teachers produce? Well you might argue that teachers produce educated students. You might say that they don’t produce work at all, but rather are facilitators that help students to produce their own work. Much more perplexing than this question, how exactly does a teacher evaluate their teaching? How do we know we’ve taught effectively? Unlike the woodcarver, we haven’t a finished product we can look to or sell. After all, we have no art to sell, no profit to turn, no customers. Yet here we are, teaching. Here we are with investors of our trade who see some value in it. What are our goals, and better yet, how do we evaluate those goals to determine if we’ve been effective or not?

 

Why are Objectives Important?

             Well as it turns out, teachers do produce an outcome, and we do have a way of determining if that outcome has been satisfactory or not. The hallmark of the teacher’s trade is the classroom objective. Our objectives for learning are standards we set for our students (and by extension, ourselves) that are used to determine if what we are teaching is being learned. They provide a means by which we assess the progress of our students, as well as provide feedback on how well we were able to teach to those standards. Teachers produce students who can accomplish those objectives and apply what they learn in our classroom to real-world situations and needs.

 

How Does Bloom’s Taxonomy Impact Instructional Design?

So with objectives being our outcome—what we teach to and produce students capable of accomplishing, we need to examine what these objectives look like. By virtue of being a measurable outcome, objectives are stated as actions that can be completed after instruction. They are to be quantifiable skills or behaviors that we can expect of students after receiving instruction. With this, there are varying degrees by which one can understand or accomplish a given task. For example, if one were to list the tools used in carving a wood statue would they be able to actually carve it? If someone can carve a small limb, is this the same as carving a log? Although each of these measurable skills pertain to the same topic, they each represent only a partial understanding of what it means to carve wood. Each may be considered an important step along the way to carving like the pros, but they are not the same, nor do they require the same skills.

                Bloom’s taxonomy organizes these levels of understanding in a way that corresponds them with their required level of understanding. To list the tools needed in wood carving requires less understanding than to use those tools, and using those tools requires less understanding than to carve a statue with those tools. Carving with those tools requires less understanding than to evaluate the effectiveness of those tools in their carving ability. Because our goal as teachers is not to dispense facts, but to teach students how to think, we rely on Bloom’s taxonomy to build from a basic or nonexistent understanding, to an appreciation and masterful understanding of our content.

How can Group Teaching Techniques Be Effective?

                Remember how our goal as teachers is not to teach students what to think, but how to think? We are not dispensers of content, but facilitators of learning, which is a goal often best demonstrated through group work. When we arrange students into groups and allow them to work through issues among themselves we take the backseat and give students charge over their own learning. Not only that, but students build important social skills and combine their unique efforts into a common goal. This can help maximize student learning by delegating some of our responsibility as an instructor and placing the charge for individual learning on our students shoulders where it belongs. This does not mean we remain unengaged as the teacher, but that we assist and facilitate rather than be the “sage on the stage.” When group teaching is organized, and groups are structured in a meaningful way, then group teaching can be effective. For example, instead of just dividing the class into groups, I can give each group a task to be in charge of.  Group teaching is effective when each member of each group contributes, and each group contributes in its own right to the learning of the class as a whole.

 

 

Teaching Philosophies and Core Values

Teaching Philosophy

I had the pleasure of talking with my virtual mentor Becky Haddad about her professional teaching philosophy in the classroom. Her philosophy is that teaching comes first, and that students each bring their own skills and experiences to the classroom which contributes to the learning of the whole.


Core Values of Being an Effective Teacher

Ms. Haddad believes that learning needs to come first and that it needs to be open in such a way that all students can bring their abilities and interests to the table. Her next core value is being aware of your responsibility as a teacher, as well as students being aware of their responsibility. Being aware of your requirements and profession obligations in the field. Meeting expectations and using your skills in such a way to fulfill the requirements of those responsibilities.