Let's shake the world together! #psuaged16 #aee412

When we were younger, the world felt like it was in our control. We felt powerful, significant, and we meant something more to others than just a social order. As we got older, life started to get in the way. Some felt as if there were choices that were already made for their future versus others who felt lost and in need of guidance to keep their heads above water. When looking back at my childhood, I knew that I was put here on this planet to make a difference. BUT, I didn’t just want to make a difference in my hometown. I wanted to push the "average status quo" and help out communities that were strangers to me because I knew that I could help make a change.
 
Traveling and supporting others have both been passions of mine since I was little. I was raised in a family lifestyle that forced me to move around every couple of years and start all over. Making new friends, starting new schools, and pushing myself to be a better person by  helping others. I was able to break out of my comfort zone at a young age, but have taken it upon myself to help others find their way as well.

This year, the #psuaged16 cohort has been asked to create innovative ideas and to ask others for help in the annual #TeachAgGenius Hour. Our professors have literally let the leashes go and they are letting us explore avenues that WE are interested in learning and letting us ask for guidance from others! So, are you ready? Here is what I want to learn from you:

1) How can I bring international agriculture to my classroom?

2) What can I do to bring a “global perspective” into EVERY lesson?
 

3) How can I create an environment where my students feel respected and comfortable in the classroom?

4) How can I, as one teacher, impact the lives of students in my classroom and in classrooms around the world?

 

Whew, let’s bring it back in! I am asking for your help and your perspectives. How do you push yourself to be the best person that you can be? Who is your inspiration or what is your drive? Inspire me!

I can’t wait to learn more from you! Who knows, maybe we can help each other!

Stay Golden Ag Ed Fam Jam

 

Questions make a lesson: Lab Number 3 #labchat #psuaged16

One of the senior courses that pre-service teachers are required to take is AEE 412 also known as “Methods of Teaching Agriculture.” During this class, students are able to prepare lesson plans and teach to practice their classroom management and work on their teaching skills. During the course of this class, I will be reflecting on how my lessons went to help better me as a teacher. Enjoy!

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Before you begin reading this blog, I want to throw a question out there and I want you to reflect and think about it. Okay are you ready?

What makes your classroom interesting?

Tough question right?

This week in class, our lab was to create an interest approach that would get the students excited about the lesson that they were going to learn that day. The sky was the limit with any creative approach that you wanted to do, but it had to pertain to the lesson you were going to teach. For my lesson I wanted to communicate the importance of agriculture in other countries and I choose to use a scenario where my students had a plot of land, a budget, and then they had to feed a family of whatever number was on their paper.

When beginning the lesson, I thought that I had clear instructions about what the assignment was and knowledge that it was going to lead into the next part of the lesson. What I didn’t do accurately was ask the questions to my students about why this was important and how it pertained to the lesson. That is when I thought, questions make or break your lesson.

Questioning your students forms a knowledge base about why we are doing what we doing in the first place. Without them, students will think that we are jumping from activity to activity not fully understanding that all of these objectives correlate to one another. I need to do a better job in asking the RIGHT questions to help build them up for the rest of the lesson.

After my students completed their plot of land and they gave an explanation to the class, I read over the objectives and we then were able to build our lesson. Overall, my biggest take a way’s were that I need to ask clear questions and of course slow down again in my delivery of my presentation. I have a clear mind for next week and I look forward to more labs to come!

Objectives = Roadmap in the classroom #aee412 #psuaged16

With large amounts of reading assignments in various classes, reflecting on what I read is vital for the understanding of the subject matter. By blogging each week about the various readings, I will be able to think, reflect, and the share with my peers! Hang in there with me as the reading assignments come, just know that I am making it short and concise for you instead of your reading them all! Enjoy!

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This week was a true indicator of preparing for the classroom. In the reading this week, there were topics covered about writing objectives and using small groups in the classroom. So get ready, here are the snap shots for this week!

 

Snap Shot Number 1: Objectives=Roadmaps 

In the article by Professor Whittington from Ohio State University (*cringing because of the school* #psuforever) she writes an interesting piece about using objectives in the classroom. A metaphor that she uses is that objectives are road maps in the classroom and she couldn't be more right! When looking at the structure of a classroom, there needs to be an organized way you are helping your students remember information to help connect it to material farther along in the class.

Snap Shot Number 2: "Understand __________"

This objective with the action word "Understand" is a no-no in the class! Teachers and students both have different mind sets and different levels of understanding so it is hard to measure what exactly they understand. So, if you are a teacher who uses "Understand the anatomy of mice" how are you measuring that in the classroom?

Snap Shot Number 3: Bloom's Taxonomy Simplified

Bloom's Taxonomy of the cognitive thinking levels directly relates to action verbs! How you might ask? Bloom created a pyramid of 6 hierarchical levels in education. David Krathwohl simplified Bloom's pyramid to four categories. Those are: Remembering, Processing, Creating and Evaluating. All of these directly correlate with Bloom's Pyramid.

Snap Shot Number 4: Small groups can help socially and academically

When teaching certain lessons using small groups may be imperative to students learning in the classroom. By using small groups you can view if students are actually understanding the materials, more skilled students can teach others who don't understand, you as a teacher can bounce around and help students in need.

 

Overall, this weeks reading was very interesting in how to shape my future classroom. I look forward to working in my own classroom and aiding students on their own individual learning path. 

 

I speak like an Italian: Lab Numero 2 #labchat #psuaged16

One of the senior courses that pre-service teachers are required to take is AEE 412 also known as “Methods of Teaching Agriculture.” During this class, students are able to prepare lesson plans and teach to practice their classroom management and work on their teaching skills. During the course of this class, I will be reflecting on how my lessons went to help better me as a teacher. Enjoy!

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The first day of school brings back so many great memories. Reuniting with old friends, back to school shopping, looking your best to impress, and of course the new classes that you are able to take! It is an opportunity to start out the first day as one of the BEST days as a student.

In our lab this week, we had to demonstrate what we would do on the very first day of school with the new students! I learned a lot about my teaching style when I want to show my energy and excited but the down fall is..... I speak like my mother. Yes, that day has come where I can watch myself and see the similarities of the women that has been an inspiration in my life.

I speak like an Italian.
 

From a young age, I knew that my family was special. When I was able to see them, they were loud, exciting, and of course just loved spending time with each other. Growing up in a family lifestyle like that, it is surprising to see how much I have brought that into my teaching. Watching myself walk around the room, being loud and obnoxious, even flailing my arms during some points. After watching my lab, I have learned that I can be exciting BUT I need to slow down and stop using hand signals constantly. It led to be more of a distraction than an aid in the class.

I need to SLOW down with explanations
When explaining directions to the students about the activities we were going to do, some were hesitant and unsure with what was actually happening in the class. After the second time they did the activity, they were ready to go and confident with what they are doing. They suggested that I slow down with the directions and explanations for better understanding about what was going to happen in the class. I took this matter seriously and I want to try and map out a "script" of delivering a message across to my students. I believe that if I give direction, explain/demonstrate an action, and then repeat the directions, students will have a better understanding of what is going on in the class.

Future Expectations
I enjoy these labs because they help me focus on growing as a learner and a teacher. So, where do we go from here? I want to practice delivering directions and messages to others on a day to day basis. Whether my peers need help or they have a question I want to be slow and concise so that they understand. I also want to bring out my Italian flare in a more centered energy that does not have me bouncing all over the room like a cannoli! I need to direct that energy towards my students for their learning and growth.

Overall, I had a great time delivering this lab to my students! I look forward to perfecting my teaching strategies as the labs move forward.
 

Engaging Instruction #weeklywriting

With large amounts of reading assignments in various classes, reflecting on what I read is vital for the understanding of the subject matter. By blogging each week about the various readings, I will be able to think, reflect, and the share with my peers! Hang in there with me as the reading assignments come, just know that I am making it short and concise for you instead of your reading them all! Enjoy!

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Snap Shots of the reading this week

1)      “Teachers decide what they want their students to know and be able to do once the instruction has been provided” (Methods of Teaching Agriculture, pg.91)

Right off the bat this quote caught me off guard. My first question is, HOW can we as teachers hook in those students that we know have the potential for great things? You can show/explain/grade/test students on everything, but how will you know that they fully grasp the concept? By being clear and concise, I feel as a teacher the message will be able to come across easily and the students can grasp the concepts fully.

2)      Being that “fun and exciting” teacher is not a bad thing!

In high school my friends thought that my agriculture classes were all fun and games because hey, in some aspects they were... BUT there was learning that was happening all around. My teacher took the time to develop his interest approach to literally have all of the students ready to learn the next thing. By having experiments, labs, and hands on work, you can grab the attention of students promoting learning throughout the class.

3)      Common ways to keep students interested the entire class period (Burgess):

a.       Fluidity in Transitions

b.      Hooks/ Interest Approaches

c.       BE PREPARED

Dave Burgess, author of “Teach like a PIRATE”, talks about how these 3 things can help any lesson have smooth sailing (no pun intended!) He writes about ways teachers struggle after the teacher has the class at full attention. Myself included have many ways in which I struggle with these aspects as a student teacher because of the way that I prepare my lesson. I need to find the gaps, fill them with different approaches, to get a return of student success.

4)      "A good teacher, like a good entertainer, first must hold his audiences attention. Then he can teach his lesson"

I strive to be a teacher that is able to reach out to all of my students in different ways. I will never forget my fourth grade teacher that I had. She made sure that she spoke to all of her students every day and remembered details that we mentioned previous days before. It is hard work, but hey, being a teacher is not a career it is a life choice. You are effecting the lives of others who will no doubt effect yours as well.

Walter Biddle Saul High School Video #studentteaching

For my AEE 295 class, we were asked to create a video with certain criteria about our cooperating centers in the spring. Since I will be teaching at Walter Biddle Saul High School, I created this short clip about the school! Check it out below and leave comments!