Week 8: Lions, and Tigers, and Bears Oh My!

When Dorthy from The Wizard of OZ started walking down the yellow brick road she had no idea about the adventure she would have along the way. She encountered new people, went to a new place, and made discoveries about herself and others along the way.

In a way week 8 has been a similar experience for me! I was able to go on adventures with my students for FFA week, meet other teachers/ members of the agricultural industry and learn about myself/ my classes along the way. 

What did I teach this week?

Introduction to Agriculture: This week I tried out using Nearpod and Pear Deck to help engage students in my lectures. I found that my students really enjoyed Nearpod when doing parts of a cell. It helped engage them into the lesson and keep a "dry" subject interesting.

Guinea Pig autopsy with Current Topics in Ag

Current Topics in Agriculture: This week we had some sick Guinea pigs and one had passed. I used this as an opportunity to teach how to do a vet check/physical exam on the 2 still alive and how to preform an autopsy on the one that passed. We followed up the week by learning about using blood to spot illness and how to preform injections.

National FFA Week

This week was National FFA. Week which meant early mornings and late nights! We started this week off by attending a Reading Royals Hockey game and finished with a FFA Breakfast Friday. In between was filled with trips to the elementary school to educate them on the dairy industry and LDEs.

What did I learn?

Stand back and let the kids learn: This week I really tried to be hands off and let the students learn by doing and researching. I used the problem solving approach three different times this week and I struggled to sit back and let them take charge but, it was needed.

It is okay to change your plans to better the students: I changed my week to fit the needs of the students or the block. I changed the day we had the incident with the guinea pigs to provide a real life skill for the students. I adapted the week to help students with their LDEs or CDEs to allow for some class time to discuss these topics or to have time to teach these aspects. It was great to see the students engaging in content that they cared about.

FFA Week takes a ton of planning. This week ideally is planned by officers or at least I had thought so when I was in FFA but, it takes a ton of work on the teachers side. Sometimes it is hard to meet as an officer team so, I might have to pick the theme of what we teach to the elementary school or create ideas for the menu for the breakfast. I am the one who has tried things. I can give the officers options and ideas without picking it for them but, providing that guidance is important.

     Goals for next week

Teaching injections to Current Topics

I want to really focus on balancing that home/work life: Currently I go to school, come home and do work and then go to bed. My weekends revolve around school as well.

Think Time: I need to give more time for students to process my question before accepting an answer

Dealing with disruptive students in a class: How to properly discipline students in real time instead of after the fact. I cannot be afraid to have what we call the "Dutch Uncle" talk with them.

Questions?

1. How do you balance your home and work life?
2. How do you let students work on things but, check in on them without letting them feel like you are right next to them? I want to give my students time to process and attempt projects and activities but, sometimes feel like I am too much over their shoulder.
3. What system do you have for students who are not submitting work? What is your grading policy?

Week 7: Jack of All Trades and a Master of One

This week was not a typical week at Conrad Weiser High School. Monday we had off, Tuesday I was visiting a peer of mine which left me Wednesday- Friday with my students.

Demonstrating bandaging to Current Topics in Agriculture

What did I teach?

Introduction to Agriculture: I had students working on a design a fertilizer project with Mr.Serfass on Tuesday while I was out. Wednesday and Thursday we spent working in the lab and greenhouse. Friday was SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) Friday!

Current Topics in Agriculture: I had students working on a domestication project on Tuesday. On Wednesday we did a lab revolving around natural selection and Thursday-Friday we started the vet science unit.

Online Horse Evaluation Course: I have officially started an online horse judging class(New for Weiser) through ICEV. This class currently has 4 students in it and we are starting with basics of the equine industry!

What did I learn?

 This week was an eye opener to me. Up until now I worked with students in one main topic area, plant science. I sprinkled some animal science and professional skills into the mix but, this week I felt like I really had to become a jack of all trades.

Natural Selection Lab

Thursday I was in the wet lab doing fruit dissections with blocks 2 and 4. Block 3 I was in the classroom and animal lab working with vet science. Today in class for SAE Friday I was helping a student with his engine one minute, assisting with an animal behavior project the next and working with a student on a children's book for students about agriculture. Mix this all together with preparing to go to East and West Elementary Schools to teach about the dairy industry next week for National FFA Week, I was trying to become an expert in all these areas at once.

What I ultimately got out of this experience is I cannot help every student at once. I was very lucky to have Mr.Serfass to assist and troubleshoot questions to but, he will not always be here. So I am putting thoughts into how to improve this for the future. Part of this will come with practice. I will learn to allow students to look up information or write down questions without feeling the need to have an answer for them right now. Some of these questions will also be answered as I get my feet wet into different content areas of agriculture.

Goals for next week?

Next week is National FFA Week! I want to share my passion for FFA with the students in my class. We always talk about "opportunities" in FFA but, never give them the experience to want to learn more about those opportunities. I know in my block 4 class I have several students interested in animal nutrition. Maybe this is me putting together a lesson around the livestock judging CDE and having them experience a part of the contest. We do this with the middle schoolers and it has a huge success! I really want to find a way to connect the members in the chapter to FFA outside of the 4 walls of Weiser.

Questions I have?

Students working on their research for SAE Friday

What does your chapter do for National FFA Week? Do you use a class period to do any fun FFA activities?

How do you filter students to find answers on their own or at least help them become a bit independent with their SAE? I want to be there to answer questions as needed but, give them the space to sink a little to have to find the information for their projects.

When it comes to lab safety how do you have eyes on all your students at once? I plan to be more hands on in the lab in the coming weeks but, I cannot be everywhere at once!

 

The Next County Over: Visiting Mr.Kerstetter

Mr.Kersetter teaching welding

What is a better way to start off the week than going to visit a fellow colleague of mine! I left my school and students in Berks County for the day to check out what Mr.Kerstetter does at Solanco High School in Lancaster,Pa.

Setting the stage...

While at Solanco I got to observe Mr.Kerstetter teach agricultural mechanics through a power technology class, a welding class and a hand and power tools class. These courses are very opposite from my courses at Weiser but, that was not the only difference. His classes are 42 minutes instead of the 80 minutes that I am use to and enjoy!

What did I learn? 

The Grade and Ungraded Welding box with task sheet.

• I loved the way the welding beads were graded in the welding class. Students did welds off a task sheet. Once completed the students put them in a tool box on the ungraded side for Mr.Kerstetter to grade. This is a great way to have students to have a routine in the shop as well as work at their own pace. 
• Mr.Kerstetter allows students to retake tests and quizzes. WHY- So students can be successful and learn from mistakes. 
• When cleaning the shop Mr.Kerstetter has a shop cleaning assignment/rotation. Each student is assigned to a specific job in the shop for clean up and then they are graded on how well they completed that task. I was struggling with clean up routines at my program but, I can see this working nicely in the greenhouse.  
• Kahoot!- Mr.Kerstetter used a Kahoot! to introduce himself to his students. I loved this idea and the students enjoyed this too!
  

At the end of the day...

Power Technology Class doing engine rebuilds

Mr.Kerstetter has a great relationship with his students that shows he has set up routines that work for him and his kids. He knows their interests and preferred learning styles which he keeps in mind when designing his lesson. I am excited to see how Mr.Kerstetter continues to grow as an educator in the next 10 weeks.

Week 6: The Student Teacher from F Wing

With a school population of 930 it is important to get to know not only the student that sits in your class day after day but, the rest of the community too. This week my goal was to try and connect with the students in my room outside of their lives in my class.

How did my week go?

This week I really got to know a few of my students. I asked them for their input on not only how they learn best but, for what they are interested in. In both my Introduction to Agriculture classes I met with each student to discuss their Supervised Agricultural Experience project (SAE). As I met with students I learned that several of my students were continuing research from high school/Middle School. Having them share their passions was very valuable to me as I start to design more lessons for the class. This also gives me more talking points with them.

Creating a list of technology students enjoy using

I also made it a point to ask students what technology helps them prepare better for assessments. I got a ton of good feedback and some new tech sites to try out because of this. With the upperclassmen I asked them what kind of assessments they would want to do. I had a good conversation with them about their opinions on projects and exams. I plan to take all this information and adapt it to my lessons as I feel fit. Student input is important to me as a student teacher. I want to know what they enjoy or despise. Knowing this information can help me become a better
educator for them.

I also decided to attend the Girls Bowling Tournament for the County Bowling Finals. I had 2 students on this team. Not only was I able to connect with these students at something they are passionate about but, I got to speak with the parents of the students. I was seen as more than the student teacher in F wing but, as a part of the community who cares about the students. I now plan to attend Mini THON in 2 weeks as well as a Reading Royals game with some students.

In my classroom...

Intro to Ag in planting radishes

This week I really stretched myself. I spent more time in the lab and greenhouse with the Intro to Ag class. I had to monitor students preforming a seed dissection while some students were already done. This gave me the time to practice keeping everyone engaged in the class although students were at different stages and different interest levels in the content. Some students spent 15-20 minutes look at the seeds under the microscope while some checked it out and were done in 5 minutes or so. I saw the same experience when we planted seeds in the greenhouse the next day. Keeping students engaged was one skill I strengthen through this week.

This week I also took a look at how I can take what another school is doing and show my students another view point. I had seen on the Ag Ed Discussion Lab a teacher post about her live stream of piglets. This was a perfect opportunity to connect what they were doing at that high school with what we could do at Weiser. I showed the video, although it had nothing to do with plant science, and got great discussion from my students. This opened up to some great ideas for what to do with our piglets that will be coming in a few weeks. I may not be teaching animal science in the Intro to Ag class but, taking what is currently going on in the industry and showing it off was a great way to show the students that "You are only limited by their lack of imagination" as Mr.Serfass would say.

Questions I still have...

1. How often do you do SAE check ins with your students?
2. What are some pro tips on integrating technology? (I need to do better at this)

Week 5: Reflect and Revise

As a child we are told "Practice makes perfect." While practice is a key part to mastering something we are missing a key component to practicing:reflection

What did I teach?

Introduction to Agriculture: 
This week I had 2 blocks of Introduction to Agriculture. We looked at safety in our labs at Weiser and safety in the workplace. I utilized the lab, animal room, greenhouse and barn to have students pick out hazards and assess how to over come the hazards in the area.

What did I learn?

The main take away from this week focused around differentiating my classes. I teach 2 blocks of Introduction to Agriculture. In between these blocks is a Current Topics in Agriculture class and my lunch so, I have time to reflect on the Intro to Ag class.
Each day I would reflect briefly on how my first block went and make changes before my second block.

While taking several of my education courses in college I always heard about methods of active reflection. Never having been in a classroom I never got to utilize this skill. Now that I am in the classroom I can see this coming into play and how it has benefitted me teaching the same class twice a day.

I think actively reflecting also helps me tailor the methods of delivery of content and discussion to the particular class I am teaching. I know block 2 is a quieter group than block 4 so, I can add more discussions and time for group work in that block because of the student dynamics. At the end of each day I also speak with my cooperating teacher to discuss how I can improve each lesson. The idea of engaging in this reflection no matter how successful the lesson might have went is important to me as an educator and will help my future students as well.

Goals for next week?

This week I am starting a plant science unit with Intro to Ag. While doing this I plan to be hands on in the lab and greenhouse a lot. I want to focus this week on managing a lab setting. This is very different than a classroom setting since I need to trust my students more. I also want to foster a more inquiry based learning environment. I plan to have students experimenting with plant health and growth. I need them to know it is okay if the experiment did not go exactly as planned or if their hypothesis is not supported by the results.

I will be picking up the Current Topics in Agriculture Class this week! In this class I am starting with animal genetics. I need to make sure that I keep the students within their zone of proximal development. There are 10 students in this class but, all with different interests and backgrounds. I need to make sure my content engages all students no matter the interest/ previous knowledge of the student.

Questions?

1. When students are working in groups, how do you keep all the students engaged?
2. When working in a lab with a huge class, how do you keep students all engaged as they finish? Some groups might finish earlier than others but, I do not necessarily want to give them busy work. 

 

Supervised Agricultural Experience: Life on the Farm

Today I had the pleasure of visiting a senior in the agricultural program at Conrad Weiser. This student grew up on her family farm, in Wernersville, Pa, where she cares for a wide variety of animals including dairy cows, beef cattle, swine, chickens and ducks. I was able to tour this farm that has been in her family since 1930!

Life on her family farm

The farm consists of 50 head of cattle, 20 head of swine, 20 chickens, several ducks, dogs and cats. The student is up at 4:30 am to help her Father and Uncle feed and get the animals set for the day. After school she is back on the farm working with the animals to help prepare the animals for market. She helps manage breeding plans and nutrition plans for the animals. Part of her time is spent making sure that the calves and piglets is are healthy once born. Over the years she has learned valuable skills in barn management, responsibility, customer service and veterinary skills that will be useful in her future career.

Animal agriculture is only part of this operation. In the summer the student and her family harvests and bales between 10,000-11,000 bales of hay and straw. She helps plant, grow and harvest crops to feed her animals as well. Everything is done in house to help save on costs of operation.

This farm has a rich history. I was able to not only meet with the student but, her family as well. I was amazed to learn this barn was built in 1901 and was built with many unique features. For example, the barn has an indoor silo that was at first made from wood. The indoor silo keeps the silage from freezing in the winter which is key for Eastern,Pa.

The Educator View 

This SAE visit taught me a lot about managing student SAE projects. My expectation in class is students will use the Agriculture Experience Tracker (AET) to track their hours. Each marking period students must have 5 journal entries from their project. These journals should illustrate skills the students learned through their project. The AET system is also used to log all hours and financial records for the project. Each marking period I will go through the report generated on AET and make comments on the students projects. 

Students have time during their flex time or "Personalized Learning Time" at the end of the day to come and work on their SAE or get help and guidance on their SAE. During this time I will help students look for research in their project area to help narrow in on a specific project. I enjoy using this time to help work individually with students on their projects since it is a common time both the student and I have in the building together.

My Future Program 

At my future program I will keep the number of journal entries for the student SAE project as a graded. This helps students of all levels of engagement in FFA and the agriculture program to be able to have a SAE. Keeping the records can show an ongoing SAE as well as a student who may take agriculture for one semester learn the same skill set.

I will keep the idea of projects not having limits. A project can look like preforming research on common fish in the area and doing a presentation or can be something more stretched out over time like research projects or working at a vet clinic.

I use to think of SAE in boxes but, I have learned these projects are meant to be student centered and teacher facilitated for a reason. The model at CW allows students to get their feet wet and learn a little about something they are interested in or dive right in. The idea of having no limits or requirements on hours and such allows for diversity among student projects and helps that student who might take agriculture as a senior for the first time have the experience of a SAE and learn the skills without scaring them away.

I will also try for once a month to have SAE Friday. This day will be looking at how we have grown over the past month in our project area. This can include content knowledge or professional knowledge. At this time I will also provide a professional skill. This can be looking at resume and cover letters or even just how to manage time more effectively. I think doing something in our class once a month connected to their projects helps keep them relevant in our class and lives.