Lab 1: First Day of School

It's the first day of school! Brings both excitement and dread! Excited to be back with our students, but also gotta renorm with all our students. How do we as teachers, expedite this process. I think it is most important to establish yourself as a teacher, but also don't come off like a dictator. But as always, it's important to remember to not be a friend. Students crave mentors and leadership. They can find friends other places. There's a difference between having authority and respect, and demanding authority with no respect. One picture that I always loved was this one. It shows the many hats a teacher can wear.

Along with that, I believe in the power of humor and fun. We just learned W.H. Lancelot's principles and one of them states about the power of humor. I think it is important to play some sort of game or fun activity with your students every chance possible! Especially on the first day! On the first day you want to get the students engaged with you, so I think it's important to do something fun before you jump right into rules and expectations. That's what they've heard all day, they won't truly listen to you if you just follow the pattern.

Your fist day establishes you for the rest of the year. It is one of the most important days to get right!

The Why of Lesson Planning

This week's reading stressed even more the reason why. Why we do the things we do. Why do we write lesson plans. Why are we teaching what we are teaching. I never really thought about how does this relate specifically to your community. I thought about it in the broad sense, sure. Agriculture is important and effects every part of our lives. But why specifically does Johnny care to learn about agriculture. Why is learning about milk production important to Johnny. Understanding community need is important.

It is important to be relevant. The biggest comebacks of students is: "When will I use this in the future." (Which I may be one of the guilty parties.) It's important to explain to them why they are learning a particular topic. Milk production is relevant because the student needs to understand where milk comes from. Something that would be irrelevant to a student here in the US would be something like koala reproduction, as koala's don't live here in the US. You wouldn't teach in-depth forestry if you didn't really live in a forested area. Relevance and community based need are important when designing our lesson plans.

Lesson Plan Design... Backwards?

Something that really stuck out to me this week was the way one of our articles in particular says is the best way to design a lesson. In my mind, and how I've written the few lesson plans in my past, was to start from the beginning and write it from start to finish. In a sort of chronological order kind of way.This idea is flawed. It describes writing a plan in a backwards kind of manner. It suggests identifying your ideal results first. Makes sense, that is the point of teaching. Next it suggests how you will assess your students in achieving those results. It's important to figure out how you want to "test" them. Lastly, it suggests actually writing out the activities and instructions. In this manner, you can be certain your lecture and activities will lead to your desired goal.

Tractors, Furs, and.... go carts? And that's just the start!

The 3 circle model is the basis of every Ag program. It was time to tackle the SAE portion! I took a trip up to Erie to visit 3 delightful students. Each with their own unique interests!

Elliot with one of his calves.

First, we drove out to the home of a student by the name of Elliott. Elliott is in the 10th grade. He has quite a variety of SAE's of his own, but I'll just cover a few. One of his favorite SAE's is working on his derby or show tractors. He blew out a piston on his latest derby tractor and is currently in the process of fixing it. He also has several SAE's based on a nearby farm. He helps work the dairy herd. In turn, he gets to keep calves and young heifers there for his SAE's. He also helps with the hay harvest during the harvest season.

Elliott showing us his thrown piston.

Next we visited another 10th grader named Keaton. Keaton has two main SAE's. He works for a local dairy farmer known well as Beef. He helps milk, feed, and maintain equipment around the farm. Keaton also has a unique SAE: he is an avid trapper! He keeps a well kept Furbearer record book. He traps a wide variety of small game, allowing him to trap during many times of the year. He traps raccoons, skunks, possums, coyotes, foxes, beavers, minks, and weasels.

Keaton explaining his trapping to us.

The last student we visited was another 10th grade student by the name of Kelsey. She has two main SAE's. She works for another local dairy farm. She helps milk and help with various farm chores. Her other SAE really makes her stand out from the crowd. She races go-carts! I unfortunately couldn't get any pictures as the carts are kept at her grandparents' a distance from Albion.

Kelsey showing us her cow pals!

Cooperating Center Video!!

Check out my cooperating center!!!

What makes a good class according to students?

We constantly hear what makes a good classroom according to other professionals and standards. But what do students feel? There are in fact the one's we are teaching?! I was pleased to find an article by DePaul University, where they researched into what students thought made a good class. Now you would think students would like classes that are easy A's, which can be true, but most students also like actually learning something. According to students, a class that is an "easy A" is quite different from a class that "is interesting".

One thing students say affected their ability to learn was the motivation of the teacher. If the teacher seems discouraged or unmotivated to teach or even be there, why should they feel motivated to learn? If a teacher just sits behind a desk, reading a power point, the students feel cheated. They want their teachers engaged and interacting with them. 

This leads to my second point. Students want to build a professional relationship with there teachers. Students desire the same respect from us that we expect of them. It's important to remember though to always be a mentor, not a friend. Another thing students appreciate is open-mindedness. We are supposed to "know it all", but that doesn't give us a right to judge students opinions. Students want to feel heard, and not be criticized for there opinions. Students also don't want to feel pressured by your opinions. 

Students want freedom as well as structure. They want to feel challenged, but not confined to a strict protocol. Some of the student's claimed that they learned the most when given some freedom to be creative. They also want to know that what there learning means something. Why? That's something I get challenged with everyday. 

There are many more reasons, but these I feel are some of the most crucial. It's important to always remember that not only to you have to do right by your profession, but also by your students.

DePaul Study
Hamer, Lawrence. “What Makes a ‘Good’ Class?” DePaul University Distinctions, DePaul University, 15 Aug. 2011, resources.depaul.edu/distinctions/words-and-deeds/Pages/a-good-class.aspx.

Natue-Deficit Disorder: 21st Century Problems

How lucky are we?! We are considered the pinnacle of society. But are we? We rank in the middle of the pack when it comes to English, Math, and Science. According to a review in 2003 by the Organization of Economic Corporation and Development, Finland beat us and 30 other countries.There students don't enter any formal schooling till the age of 7! US students have already been in school for 2 or 3 years! Finland offers no gifted programs and spends less per student on education. Finnish educators are given wide girth on how to teach the required national curricula, and the best part, Finnish educators believe in the power of play!

Another problem with the United States, we as a people, are greedy! You constantly hear no matter where you go about lawsuits and liability. We are a sue happy society! Some people are looking to get money any way they can. So people are constantly worried about liability. People close off there properties from children with no trespassing signs so parents cant sue if something happens to there child in the owners woods. Even places such as state parks and other recreational places are having to limit play due to possible lawsuits! 

This book connected with me on many levels. As an outdoors enthusiast and aspiring teacher, I want all my students and future children to be in tune with nature to the best they can be! Some of my fondest memories occurred in the woods, and I want to continue to provide that opportunity.