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.