Week 15 Student Teaching

Feedback & Goodbyes

This week I wrapped up my student teaching experience and said goodbye to my last group of students. Large Animal Science was the class that I had total freedom in, was my first class, and was the content area that I was most comfortable in. Therefore, I had no excuse not to do a survey of what the students thought about how I taught in that class. 

The last ten minutes were dedicated to taking the survey, saying goodbye, and signing my graduation cap. The survey was built around the 5 characteristics of great teachers by Rosenshine and Furst (otherwise known as BECOV.)

Unfortunately only 12 of the 24 students completed the survey which was completely anonymous. Regardless students ranked the 5 elements of BECOV on a 1(disagree) to 5 (agree) scale, and had two short answer questions. 

Here are The Results:

It is obvious that students that greatly enjoyed my class completed the survey, and I was appreciative of their feedback. In the future I plan to work on expressing my enthusiasm and curbing the energy that is present in the room. Frequently I found it difficult to handle energetic students that were off task, and it clearly impacted my other students. 

What is your advice for curbing off-task students back into content if they are completely disengaged and refuse to return to the task at hand?

Administrative Interview

Interview with an Administrator:

Mr. Chuck Benton is the CTE Director (shortened title) at Dover Area High School. Throughout my time at Dover I have seen Mr. Benton almost every day, and had the pleasure of coaching his daughter on my Horse Judging CDE Team. I had the opportunity to sit down with him for an interview this past week. 

The first question Mr. Benton always asks is, "Why are you an educator?" This is a question that I was well prepared for because I had already been in several mock and "real" interviews prior. This is a pretty typical question that weeds out the strong from the weak. Are you in education for summers off, to teach your content area and spread your passion, or to teach and influence students? Administrators want to know that you are there to educate students on a topic you are passionate about, but that you are always there for the student first. 

Mr. Benton mentioned that he usually can feel an "it factor" in the first several minutes of an interview. This is brought out in an interview of 2-5 people with questions written by HR. Although, the policy is new, he has years of experience with decipher the good from the great. Now, at Dover the last few candidates will be asked to teach a lesson. He mentioned that students will tell you who the better teacher is. Not by telling you who to hire but how they interact with the teacher candidates.

The last question Mr. Benton asks is, "Why do you want to teach at Dover?" This is a specific version of his opening question. If he asks this he already knows you love kids and want to improve their futures through your content and your commitment to make them better citizens. This is a question that I take time to walk myself through every single interview I have. With my interview in Arkansas, I had done research and found that the agriculture program was well established, the school was the top of the state as far as academics, and I wanted to be apart of a rigorous and rewarding experience. For my interview in Georgia, I wanted to be apart of the budding agriculture program that had lots of potential to grow a three circle model, with a supportive administration and equally supportive co-teachers and co-advisors. 

In summary, I may already have a signed contract in my corner, but interview skills and the ability to answer hard hitting questions about your motivations are what wins over not only your administration, but also your advisory committees, the community, and your students. I guarantee the CTAE Director at Camden County High School won't be the last person to ask me "Why did you choose Camden County High School if you're from Pennsylvania?" I will have to honestly answer my students, their parents, the community, and several state organizations before I can win them over with my "Northern Charm."

Science Teacher Observation

Observing A Biology Class Just After Lunch

I chose a science teacher to observe that I had the opportunity to have lunch with in the faculty room during my time at Dover. The teacher taught biology and anatomy classes. During 3rd period I would be able to observe her biology course just after they got back from lunch. This provided a great opportunity to see her classroom management.

The teacher was energetic, and loud, very similar to my teaching style. I got the opportunity to see which students were feeding off of her energy and which students were pushed away from it. Her class began with a bell ringer on study island, new content on genetic engineering with guided notes, and finished up with a worksheet assignment on schoology.

I was saddened when I discussed with her that the school had asked for labs to be pushed off until after the keystones to meet all of the anchors on the test prior to the testing window. Additionally, she cut content that was relevant to biology but not included on the keystone exams. She mentioned that she felt rigid in what she could and could not do based solely off of the keystone. 

Despite this worry, I could tell she retains her passion to be a positive influence on her students. This was evident in her discussions with them and how she chose to discipline her students for break rules or not focusing without being overbearing. 

I wish I had the time to observe her 4th period anatomy course because she mentioned she had the space to be more creative with her content and assessments to aid her students in learning. I found an example of one of her student's projects on the anatomy of the human brain! I hope to use these idea in animal anatomy in the future!

Week 14 Student Teaching

What did you say?!

Everyone knows me. When a student says a smart comment about a rule or action I have to help them prepare for the workplace, I often times bite my tongue, but every now and then a smart comment slips out.

Several of my students ask to go to the bathroom at the start of class. Then, during tech break they leave to go to the bathroom again. The time span is 45 minutes. I decided to bring this issue up with the class. 

1. I was no longer allowing two trips in the same period to the bathroom. 
2. My students reciprocated by saying they were going to the water fountain. 
3. I reciprocated by asking why it was taking almost 6 minutes to get a drink.
4. They said they "we weren't doing anything wrong"
5. I said your employer wouldn't be happy with the time spent off the job site, and I'm responsible for you. Therefore, my rule is non-negotiable.
6. One student stated "Why are you blaming the whole class, rather than just the violators. You're going to have a horrible career if you keep getting caught up in the little stuff."
7. This is where I can no longer bite my tongue "Oh so you are an educational expert now?"
8. The student, "No I'm a humanitarian expert and you are being ridiculous."
9. Me, "You, the student, a humanitarian expert, right." and I walked away.
10. The student continues to spout off angry remarks at me and I choice to ignore the comments, knowing I will only get more heated.

This was not my finest teaching moment. I am ashamed that I engaged in the spat regarding my "non-negotiable rule." As my cooperating teacher has told me a million times, I DO NOT NEED TO JUSTIFY MY ACTIONS to the students, only my bosses if there is a big enough issue.

After Reflecting on the situation, I would have changed it to go something like this:

1. I was no longer allowing two trips in the same period to go out of the room for any reason. 
2. If They said they "we weren't doing anything wrong"
3. I'd say "Not everyone was doing something wrong, this is just the new rule in place to may it more like a job site."

This is less accusatory, less combative, and will provoke less emotion from the students. After the one piece of rationale I give them, I simple would repeat this new rule is non-negotiable, until they drop the topic. 

I am human, I am a student teacher, and I am learning. I'm proud that I recognize this was not a good reaction to the scenario, and I am proud I thought through an alternate situation to the future.

PAAE SC Region Meeting

Importance of Participating in Your Professional Organization

At the regional PAAE meeting, I not only had a "hoot" with other agriculture educators at dinner, but I had an eye opening experience of how critical it is to attend and participate in the professional organization in your state for agriculture education. I saw two distinct reasons for this statement.

First, a strong Ag program has a three circle model. The meeting agenda hit all three areas of agriculture education. It also continued beyond that by including the land grant university and other organizations to help the profession in the state. The agenda reflected the progress being made to support all areas of agriculture education as well as a time for honest conversations about where the state organizations are falling short or the possible concerns of the agriculture teachers across the state. This organization provided a voice and an action plan to help agriculture educators.

Second, there was an unbelievable sense of cooperation and networking in the room. As "the youngster" in the room I was encouraged to contribute my new ideas in the "Ideas Unlimited" as well as where I can find support for implementing the three circle model in my program. Additionally, we are a group "jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none" but some teachers have a niche field. By going to this meeting I found teachers with skill sets and advanced curriculum in the classes I know I may teach in the near future!

Overall, GO TO YOUR REGIONAL MEETINGS! I LOVED IT! (and there is always food.)

Also - We still vote to buy PA FFA Light up pens!

Week 13 Student Teaching

I Teach Students

This on Friday, April 5th I taught my last lesson for Ag Engine Care. I begin to reflect on the strides I had made toward learning how to teach content that I was uncomfortable with. Instead, I came to a better conclusion.

I had grown tremendously in my content knowledge of Small Gas Engines because of the help of Mr. Bowen. I had taught the basics to students and brought something new to the class every day, but I worried that I didn't teach my advanced students a darn thing.

I announced in the last 5 minutes of class that it was my last day teaching, and Bowen would be on his own the rest of my time here. I asked them, since they contributed to my learning experience in college, if they wanted to, they may sign my graduation cap. A large amount of the students jumped up and grabbed a sharpie.

This experience made me feel appreciated. I was harsh some days, unhelpful other days, and I began to feel inadequate in making a difference to their learning. When they signed the cap, I realized they appreciated me for SOME reason, which made me think. 

I came to the conclusion after some reflection that throughout the experience my ability to hold them accountable to being professional human beings in a "workplace" helped them learn tiny nuggets of knowledge toward the real life. Often times the informal conversations added greatly to this.

Even though I struggle with the content, I made an impact on their learning. I can apply this to any course I ever teach in the future. 

Week 12 Student Teaching

Using My DIY Project

One of my project for the Penn State Agricultural and Extension Education 495 course is to complete a DIY project of professional development. I was fortunate enough to be notified of an awesome source of professional development within my placement school. Mrs. Sheffer is a member of the Paideia National Board Council, and she was willing to train me in a Paideia practice called Socratic Seminars.

Socratic Seminar

1. Provide the students with a challenging text for them to analyze and form opinions on, prior to the seminar.
2. Read the pre-seminar script, which includes:
• Setting a class goal, developing goal, and one achieving goal from the goals provided.

1. Students participate in the seminar through active listening and contributing discussion's rooted from the text provided. 


• During the seminar students are working towards achieving their goals, such as talking twice, actively listening, not talking while others are, using quotations from the text, etc.
• The teacher's role is to facilitate the discussion by posing open ended questions, which can be opinion, analytical, or other types.
• Additionally, the teacher notes the flow of discussion and what is contributed by which students on their "map."
  
2. Read the post-seminar script, which includes:
• Completing the Paideia's Reflection Paper
• Giving themselves a letter grade for their progress toward achieving their goals.
• Ranking the class on a 1-10 scale for how well the seminar went.
3. The next day, students are asked to write a response to the Socratic Seminar and what was discussed.

My Experience

The socratic seminar was used in my small animal science class during the "animal rights versus animal welfare" unit. The text we provided was The Ethics of Animal Research, which was challenging to my students. 

To aid my students who had difficulty reading the text, I read out-loud, and paused at the end of each paragraph to allow time for them to highlight if they agreed or disagreed with the statements. Additionally, students were asked to research terms they weren't comfortable with or examples of animal testing.

During the seminar, 5 students dominated the discussion. Our class goal was to speak voluntarily at least twice. I began the seminar with a round robin question, which all were required to answer, "What percentage of the statements in this research article do you agree with?" Which transitioned into my opening question, "Our class is evenly split, 8 of 16 people say that they agree with 50% or more of the statements in the article, what quote made you agree or disagree with the idea of animal testing?"

Other Questions asked included:

• What is your interpretation of the statistics in paragraph G from GP Net.com.
• What do you think of the UK's Home Office Publishing anonymous animal research projects in paragraph I?
• Closing: How do scientists implement the 3R's (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) of the use of animals in research?

Question for you: How can I encourage students to speak more openly? My training suggested calling on specific students in a way that gives them a second to think. Such as: "Luke, I see you agreed with 70% of the statements in the paper, what do you feel about the quote from paragraph H that states..."

SLLC

Making Meaningful Learning Connections 

ACES was my first attempt to take students on an overnight trip with the FFA to learn from, and I learned a lot of great things, refer back to my ACES blog. SLLC was my second attempt and I had the opportunity to plan and structure the trip to add learning connections beyond what the conference had to offer.

Planning SLLC

1. Get approval from school board and van reservations
2. Announce the Conference as soon as you can following the State Registration Opening
3. Get a sign-up sheet with minimum information (Including dates of the conference, teeshirt size, roommate preference, signatures needed from parents and teachers, and price of the conference)
4. Register Participants that have paid
5. Hand out packing and To-Do List
6. Get last minute administrative sign offs for the trip

Structuring the Conference for the Students

• This begins with the packing and to-do list. I added the schedule so the students knew everything I knew.
• I created a GooseChase! (Check it out below)
• Have check-ins daily with expectations for the next day
• Reflection on the way home: What did you learn? What did you enjoy the most? What would you do differently to better prepare/get more out of the conference?

GooseChase:

I was introduced to GooseChase on my Domestic Study Away to Wisconsin. I thought about creating this for Mid-winter Convention and ACES but never got around to learning how to do it. With a little extra time for learning I got ambitious, which I am now thankful for.

I created my GooseChase in less than a half hour for my students to join on their personal devices. The students we took to SLLC were responsible, motivated, and competitive. This seems to be a great mix for success with GooseChase.

My tips for making a great GooseChase:

• Make Teams: Stepping out of your comfort zone is easy with a friend or two
• Have some "getting started" missions: when they first join their team they will be chomping at the bit to get started. Load this with information that is key to know ahead of time
• I asked them to research their State legislators for the Conference Breakfast on Tuesday
• I asked them random PA FFA facts for them to know, like who is the executive secretary or the name of our state degree. 
• Have tasks at varying levels of difficulty
• Easy like: "get a selfie with a state officer/Person from North/South Central/West/East"
• More Difficult, Like: "Get 40 signatures at the "Glow Rave" and submit photo evidence"
• Fun like: "Bust your favorite dance move"
• Use the Missions for Selfish Reasons:
• Get photos for the scrapbook or social media through the photo missions
• Evidence Learning to Administration: What content did they learn? Community Service?

The 2nd SAE Visit

Visiting an Established SAE

My first SAE visit was to a placement that we helped him establish the week prior, for my second SAE visit was to a student that is a junior that has had strong SAE projects since his freshman year. 

Summary of the visit:

My student, who is an officer but I do not have in class, he previously had a swine production SAE that he enjoyed. He made a business decision the year prior to switch to a meat goat breeding operation since goats were selling for much more than the pigs were. 

He had approximately twenty breeding does that were kidding for the first time that spring. He had three does that had kids (two with a single kid, and one with twins.) He bought a buck and plans to get a second season of kidding for later in the summer. The previous breeding season he leased a buck, therefore by buying a buck out of the genetic pool he will be diversifying his herd. 

What I learned:

• Use questions to get students to talk more than you (the teacher) so you take a listener role.
• Ask questions about growth since their first SAE.
• It can be informal, be silly and have fun, to build rapport with the student if appropriate. 
• Take time to meet the family and discuss their involvement in the FFA, SAE, or potential classroom activities. 
• Don't hesitate to contribute your knowledge to the project even if you are not an expert in that area.

Week 10 Student Teaching

Reviewing: when is it a waste of time and when is it constructive?

This week we finished a rather large unit in large animal science and I had two days of review. The first day was dedicated to a "wake up call" for the grade book to sum things up for the marking period, as well as starting independent work on the study guide because of several snow days and delays. The second day we experienced BreakOut EDU boxes for group review, as well as bringing things up to the whole class to review items.

My Rules for Review Days:

1. Students must always be working: Making up work, Completing the study guide, or Studying other material in the unit
2. Students should participate in group review and independent review.
3. Students should ask for clarification for content after they have asked their peers.

How do I prevent this from being a waste of time?

Technically, the content has already been learned and you should have an understanding of student knowledge from your formative assessment. I see the benefit of reviews for students who were absent or if you covered large amounts of content, but how can I prevent this from becoming a wasted day?

Starting an SAE

My SAE Visit for a Student Just Starting

I was fortunate enough to experience starting an SAE with a freshman student. My student, his two parents, Mrs. Barzydlo and myself sat down one evening and officially started the SAE Record Books in TheAET.com for two projects. 

It was a unique experience because the student's parents were highly engaged and supportive in the process. They threw out many ideas for the student to choose from. They asked helpful questions like "What is an SAE?" "Why does he need an SAE?" in ways that were non-threatening, simply from a place of inquiry to better know their expectations to help their son. 

The Types of SAEs the Student Started:

The student decided to start two SAE books. 

1. Placement SAE - Stermer's Auction Service
2. Entrepreneurship SAE - Livingston Farm Grain Plot

The Placement SAE is a place that the student displayed auction items and handles livestock in exchange for an hourly wage. The student learns critical career skills including workplace expectations, communicating with bosses and customers, and other aspects of employment that he cannot learn from his family farm. Additionally, he learns about handling livestock and agricultural equipment. 

The Entrepreneurship SAE was developed when his father agreed to sell the student a plot for grain crops on the family farm in exchange for the labor it takes to successfully grow and harvest the crops. The student will become proficient in an area he struggles, crop production, opposed to animal science where he has experience with raising cattle. 

How do these SAEs contribute to the student's future?

The student has expressed interest in working for the family farm, in addition to other agricultural workplaces. These on farm and placement experiences will develop an agricultural professional network, career readiness skills, and a learning space to apply concepts of critical thinking and self-motivation for success. 

Week 9 Student Teaching

Having Live Animals in Class

Our Situation: 

At Dover Area High School we do not have availability to keep live animals in the class or ag program. During my time teaching two animal science courses I wanted to bring some live animals into the class to give it some realia. This required more planning than meets the eye.

Planning it out:

• Two months out I coordinated visiting timeframes for animals to come to class with the people who were bringing them.
• About two weeks out I set a definite day and "snow-date" incase weather hindered our plans
• One week out I confirmed administration approval to have guest speakers with animals in the classroom.
• Two days out I sent a school wide email out, warning other teachers that animals would be coming to the school in case students would get distracted looking out windows and potentially louder noise then usual.
• The day before the visit I coordinated parking, arrival time, sign in procedures, and what is expected of the visitor and my class's expectations.
• The day of the visit I coordinate with the main office the times of arrivals for the visitor as a reminder to keep everything running smoothly.

The Actual Visit:

Students love to get their hands on actual animals, but unfortunately some students can be spoil-sports for the class. A few complained about the cold when working with the horses outside and a few complained about the poop when working with the goat inside. Overall it was worth it for the rest of the class.

When they are visiting you must find an appropriate amount of "downtime" for the students to interact with the animal and get used to seeing, feeling, and smelling the animal. Then we begin asking questions. I did this in two ways - first, I had them write down questions as a bell ringer, second I allowed them to ask questions about things they saw on the psychical animal.

Questions for Readers:

How can I maximize live animals in the classroom? I was able to have two components to every visit, the students asked questions as a large group but also had an individual activity for handling the goats and horses. What other tasks can I have them do without taking away from the experience of meeting a horse or goat for the first time?

ACES - The first overnight trip, and what to change for the second

Reflecting on My Time at ACES to benefit the trip to SLLC

My first trip as an advisor:

Dover FFA took approximately 20 students to ACES in Harrisburg for a two day, one night conference. It was my sixth trip to the conference, but first in the capacity of an agriculture teacher. On Saturday afternoon we battled with the traffic of the high school wrestling tournament and fought out way out of Dover.

Getting students to the big group opening session was our goal, which we then "off-duty" for professional development while the students went through their workshops. Professional development gave great insight on analyzing your NOCTI scores. 

Then the role of facilitating room check in... this was more complicated than meets the eye. You didn't just given them their key and off they go. To prevent further headaches you gave them a checklist of things to accomplish before dinner, such as check for enough towels in the room and do all the keys work.

For dinner we got split up, this gave an awesome opportunity to make students break out of their comfort zones, as well as increases your network with ag teachers when asking for extra seats at their table. 

The dance offered time for the students to socialize, you to get to know their personality, and a teacher a second to sit and do work while closely monitoring your students. Additionally, the time of reflection offered not only an opportunity to inspire students, but a time to get them calm before sending them to bed. 

Thats the key, tired students = quiet students... kinda... as good ag teachers always do Mr. Bowen, Mrs. Barzydlo, and I served on the courtesy corp to get all the rooms to sleep and ensure no noise could be heard in the halls. This ensures students are where they should be and that the hotel staff doesn't have to chase noise complaints around. 

Finally, the morning of the conference we encouraged all students to attend the optional time of inspiration before breakfast. As well as participated in the community service event afterward. Then we drove home, decently exhausted for a relaxing Sunday!

Things for me to utilize at SLLC:

1. A thorough packing list - Making it not only clear what they need, but also what they CAN'T bring
2. Give them a room check in To-Do List, also the talk of no girls in guys rooms and vice versa
3. Preparation in creative way - I created a Goose Chase! A few tasks they can research ahead of time like finding your state senator or rep, but also tasks for during the conference like taking a selfie with a person from each region!
4. Preparing for tired students - packing granola bars in your purse to "pick them up"
5. Get a cup of coffee before starting courtesy corp - It may be a longer night than you wanted, but fun times with fellow ag teachers nontheless

Further Advice I missed?

Week 8 Student Teaching

Leveraging Student Rapport

You've Heard it a Million Times:

Having student rapport squashes classroom management issues, motivates students in your classroom because they want to succeed, and again displays for the student that you care for them. Now completing week 8, student rapport is pretty strong with some students. I want to share a story about one specific student which I have developed rapport with and how it unexpectedly helped me in the classroom.

The Student with the Nickname:

During my first week in Small Gas Engines, while I was learning names, one specific student told me a nickname (rather than his given name), later he confessed this is not his name on the roster and it was all a big joke, which is fine because that class does joke a lot. I now refer to this student as his given name AND his nickname (which is a mouthful to say) which he appreciates and finds humorous. 

This student got into trouble around week three, for a presentation in another ag class, that was done with others students in small gas engines. Bowen corrected the issue and addressed professionalism. Later, around week six, another presentation was due in the other ag class, and the small gas engines were discussing it. My nicknamed student stated "If you don't take that meme (which was inappropriate) out of there you can take my name off the project" to his friends. I noticed this and after class thanked him for standing his ground and displaying professionalism, which he was glad I noticed the improvement. 

Then, which this rapport that was built through humor in the classroom, professional recognition of successes, and constructive feedback, he did something that I did not expect.

Student Body Self Regulation:

While completing a task that had to be submitted with their groups, a student stood up and walked to a different group. This student is notorious for being off task, so I checked for a submission and didn't see one. I decided to say something to the student to get him back on task. The student responded with apparent rudeness that it was already completed. With Schoology lagging I final saw he did complete the task and was okay, I apologized for telling him to get back on task and let it go.

Meanwhile, my nicknamed student called the rude student out by saying "Dude, she just asked you a question you don't need to give attitude." 

In this instance, it was appropriate for him to call out another student and the issue wasn't severe. I appreciated the student's effort to regulate the room so that I didn't have to. It carries a different meaning when a peer calls a student out for not following the expectations of the classroom. 

This Leads to a Question:

Leveraging student rapport is great and has many benefits. Although I worry this will lead to students claiming I am picking favorites or the student "defending me" when others act up when they shouldn't intervene. How can I keep student rapport in check?

Week 7 Student Teaching

National FFA Week as an Advisor

This year I celebrated National FFA Week in my new capacity as an FFA Advisor and Student Teacher. Although the week was limited due to yet another snow storm I learned many things.

FFA Spirit Week

Having a spirit week is a great way to identify supporters and members of the FFA in your school. Dover had Blue Tuesday, Flannel Wednesday, Gold Thursday, and Official Dress Friday. On social media I noticed other chapters have an FFA Tee Shirt Day, Camo Day, or Agriculture Businesses and Supporters Day which participants wore logos of their favorites. 

Supporters Luncheon

Dover FFA hosted a faculty luncheon on Friday, where they enlisted the help of an OAC member to roast a pig, as well as frying catfish in the ag shop. FFA Members volunteered to bring in the other foods, and volunteered to cook, greet, and serve faculty during their lunch periods. 

This is a perfect way to reward people who support you year round as well as gain supporters by inviting them into your program. 

Recruitment Activities

Although the snow foiled our plans, we had the intent to visit all 6th graders in their science class and the officers would teach an agriculture lab in honor of FFA Week. By displaying agriculture as a science, the opportunities available in Ag and the FFA, and networking underclassmen to upperclassmen making joining agriculture classes and the FFA a lot less scary. 

Student Teaching Week 6

Wait, When did I last see my Students?

This week, I saw my students for a total of 8 hours... Monday and Tuesday they were out due to a snow day, Wednesday we had a 2 hour delay, and Thursday was a 3 hour early dismissal for inservice data collection, as well as having Friday off for in-service professional development. 

Current mood regarding snow days...

I need advice:

When I see my students next, how do I assess the forgetting curve? Where do I pick back up, or how much content should I re-cover?

I have been guilty of moving too fast, and here we are days out of class, and I fear my students are losing content at large rates while I get my feet under myself as a teacher!

My Thoughts/Plan:

Until I get your awesome feedback, I've developed a forgetting curve plan to aid in recovering information. We had covered Breed ID from the National FFA Vet Skills Handbook and Animal Terminology, because of this I feel a day dedicated to review is necessary. 

I doubt my students looked over their terminology or breed during their time off, and seeing that the knowledge hasn't been used at deeper levels of understanding yet, I feel it would have a higher likelihood of being forgotten. 

Therefore, review group games are in store for us on Monday to get a formative assessment of how much they have forgotten. IN addition to re-learning the material!

Visiting West Perry

Different Program, Same Positive Impact

On January 18th I visited Ms. Winkloski at West Perry High School. During my time at the high school I observed Mrs. Miller teach a class, Mr. Hines teach a class, and Ms. Winklosky teach two classes.

When I visited I noticed quite a few differences between Dover Area High School and West Perry High School. First, the student body had a different feel. They were mostly quite and attentive and they enjoyed the project based learning I observed in Mrs. Miller's Class.

Additionally, it was a Friday, on a two-hour delay for snow. This could have affected their energy level. But, this quietness was quickly put to rest in Mr. Hines' intro course were they were learning Parliamentary Procedure! THE STUDENTS LOVED IT! They were awarded a certain number of points for serving as the chair, the secretary, debates, motions, seconds, and so forth. Once they got to 80 points they were no longer able to earn points, except for point of order.

Finally, although Ms. Winklosky was just starting out I noticed her ability to quickly interact with her students and motivate them! The students wanted to work with her and learn what she had to say about SMAW.

Although My time was brief, I was grateful for the opportunity to compare the schools, student body, programs, and teachers to my own experience. It is wonderful to be able to identify the benefits and drawbacks of the schools and programs. I feel this experience has made me better prepared to select a school i would desire to work at. 

Week 5 Student Teaching

"I already know how to do that"

A common theme I noticed this week was fielding the phrase "I don't have to do, that because I already know how to" or some variation of that. This phrase sparks frustration and even anger inside me. 

I respond with phrases like, "I'm glad you know how to do it, but it doesn't hurt to practice." or "Excellent, now you can help your peers figure out how to do that also." To which I have been ignored or I receive another excuse. 

What more can I do?

• I've explained the "Why" behind what we are doing (important to tests/grades, important in real life, important for the rest of the course.)
• I've asked them to be experts
• I've told them its not optional
• I've ignored them and hoped they'd come around when they didn't get attention

Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to help students that don't want to help themselves. 

I now realize I cannot get hung up on students that are negative and refuse to do anything, because I can't MAKE them do something. But, I surely can follow up with what they earned in grades and I'll have opportunities in the future to discuss why they should have put in the effort prior. 

ADVICE IS APPRECIATED! THANK YOU!

Week 4 Student Teaching

The First Summative Assessment

The Scenario:

In Large Animal Science we concluded our first unit "Animal Agriculture as a Science" within the early dismissals, 2 hour delays, and 3 hour delays. On Monday we conducted our inquiry based instruction egg dissection lab and finished the scientific method learning, Tuesday I didn't see the class due to an early dismissal, Wednesday I saw them for one hour and we worked on their lab worksheets and lab reports, Thursday I saw them for approximately an hour and a half and we played an extensive Kahoot which paralleled EACH question that would be on the test, and finally, Friday they took a 30 point, untimed, unit 1 exam which they were aware of several days in advance.

Because I love drawing correlations, I decided that the Bell Ringer (which I do every day in schoology, ungraded) was to complete a google form, assessing how confident they felt about the test and how well they prepared for the test. 

The Google Form Results:

The Results of the Test:

Out of 20 test takers (Three were absent, and one was a late add and will take the test next week)

• The Average Grade Received on the test was 80.44%
• Three students received a 100% 
• Eight students received an "A"
• Six Students received a "B"
• One Student received a "C"
• Five Students received below a "C"

Somethings I noticed:

Two of my students that earned 100% had expected a B. The students that did earned B or above paid attention in class or reviewed notes outside of class.

What I am Thinking:

I feel the test was an accurate assessment of their knowledge we covered in the class. I had matching, short answer, ordering, multiple choice, and one true/false question to assess different depths of knowledge comprehension. Additionally, I had them correlate the steps of the scientific method to the steps we completed in our lab, to display that we truly did experience every step.

If I could do this exam over again, I would have a short review game for Wednesday, in addition to the extensive review on Thursday. Granted, the bell ringers serve as a daly review of the content we had covered prior, and the closing with connections was a formative assessment tool I had used daily. I feel a short review a day earlier would give more time for repetition and another chance to handle the material for my less confident students.

My Question for You:

How do I motivate my students to perform on tests that don't care about their grade? I have students that don't necessarily care about the class, but apply themselves to meet academic requirements of sports. Although, I struggle to get students to see the value in performing well on tests.

ALSO

Two of my students (One earned a 29 and the other earned a 30) won't complete any other graded items and It is pulling teeth to get them to complete their lab report. How can I motivate them to participate in graded assignments OTHER than the test? They clearly know the material, why won't they practice it?

I plan to continue running this survey before each test, I'm also curious to see how their expectations change as they get more comfortable with the content and my testing style.

Week 3 Student Teaching

Energy!

My situation:

In large animal science this week I experienced a range of student energy. While playing with the seating chart and testing different methods of management, I noticed a considerable difference in their energy.

On Wednesday, I had a group of rowdy boys that were well intentioned but were difficult to curb their energy back to the class.

On Thursday, While recording for an Edthena reflection, my students were very unenthusiastic. I was having trouble generating the energy I wanted to have in the room.

Keep in mind, both days were manageable and we had a good lesson, but curbing/maintaining/creating energy is a useful tool that I wish I would have more experience with.

How You Can Help Me:

When experiencing a wave of energy and the crash following, how do you curb, maintain or create energy to manage your class?

COMMENT BELOW

Week 2 Student Teaching

Teaching My First Lesson!

In the grand advice of Mrs. Barzydlo, "You've been dreaming of your first day teaching since freshman year of college, it is impossible for you to perform up to your expectations you have for this day."

The background information

The students at Dover have recently gone through the ringer, my first week there they did keystone testing for four days and Friday was the only "normal bell schedule"I've seen. This week, Monday they had finals in Block 1 & 2, and Tuesday they had finals in Block 3 & 4. Then the big day came, on Wednesday,

On Wednesday we had career and college day. The first 3/4 of the day were spent with speakers, in workshops, and at lunch. Then, students had the opportunity to meet all of their 2nd semester classes and teachers for the first time, but only for 25 minutes each block. This Career & College day was the only thing between them and their 5 day weekend. 

So for 25 minutes I decided I would cover classroom expectations, procedures, and consequences with an activity and asked for them to write their most important quality in a teacher that I should master for them. Additionally, I introduced myself, what a student teacher was, and established classroom procedures of assigned seating and the bell ringer on schoology.

What actually happened

When the students walked in I heard quiet, but polite grumbles regarding the assigned seating. I fully, expected more push back, so this was a pleasant surprise.

When the bell rang, I walked in with Mrs. Barzydlo, who went straight to the back of the room and let me take the lead. I prompted the students to pull up the bell ringer on schoology, which was a first day survey. All the students pulled up the bell ringer, and all but two did so on a fully charged iPad, the other two used their phones.

Once everyone was finished I introduces myself and started the lesson. I was met with full participation and interest with what I was saying. Although that was it... They did not want to speak... at all.

I WAS TERRIFIED! What was a doing wrong? Why weren't they willing to talk? They were doing everything as they should have been, and I was warned this was a chatty bunch, yet I heard not a peep. I FLEW THROUGH THE LESSON, originally Barzydlo and I both thought I had too much material and wouldn't get through it all... and here I was, 10 minutes left, and 26 students were boring holes into my forehead.

Analysis & Future Plans

I've come to the conclusion that they were overloaded. First, they were burnt out from testing and a long day, and were eager for their 5 day weekend. Second, there were actually four teachers in the room (Myself, Barzydlo, an aid for my students with IEPs, and an aid for my students who are neurologically impaired.) Third, I had come out swinging with assigned seats and a straight to business demeanor that they may not have been expecting. Finally, they had never seen me before because they were all new students.

For next week, we have . few things planned to get my foot in the door a little better.

1. Barzydlo plans to sit in the office, with the door closed, but can hear all our interactions.
2. The students will be fresh and won't be expecting a long weekend (in a different mindset)
3. I will scramble the seating assignments to find the best flow, allowing the aids to reach their students easier. 
4. Engage in more "chatter" before class to learn my students, in addition to a name game, since our roster should be shuffle out.

Week 1 Student Teaching

The First Day & Field Trips 

On January 7th #PSUAgEd19 was FINALLY able to get in the classrooms, and for most of us we were hitting the road to Mid-Winter Convention. Dover FFA Had participated in the landscape contest, tractor restoration project, had one keystone degree recipient, and three jacket scholarship recipients. 

Being flexible was key because the day started with Keystone Testing and two of our members who were traveling with us had to finish the tests prior to our departure. Fortunately enough we were able to hit the road at a decent time and get to Farm Show in time to get lunch and a milkshake before Mid-Winter.

The rest of the week was a whirl wind of keystone testing, half-hour classes, mis-matched schedules, and meeting my great students. Friday was our only "normal day" and Mrs. Barzydlo began the Small Animal Science Final which will continue into next week. 

Looking Forward to next week, I unfortunately will not be teaching.... yet... Monday and Tuesday will have an adapted schedule for final testing, Wednesday is the career and college advising day, and then our students will be out of school until 1/22 while we complete professional development. 

Because of this modified schedule I look forward to visiting Ms. Winklosky at West Perry on Friday to check out what she is up to!