Kentucky Bound and Down!

The last time I was in Louisville, Kentucky I was a freshman in college and competing in the 4-H Eastern National Round-Up Hippology contest. I was representing my AMAZING home state of New Jersey! I honestly thought that I would never get a chance to go back down to that amazing state but I am super excited to say that I will be heading there bright and early on Tuesday morning!!! This time I am not going to the Round-Up (although I wish I was!) and I am not going as a contestant but rather an Exhibitor at the National FFA Convention! I know I have made it to the big league now, I will be heading down with my fellow student teachers and get to work the AWESOME Penn State Booth! Since I have never been to the National FFA Convention I am super excited to walk around, take it all in, and get some really cool resources!!!

Although it is hard for me to contain my excitement I have TONS of things to do between now and then! Have no fear, I will get them all done and I will posting some blog posts about my experiences at convention so please stay tuned!

**Thank you all for reading my blog and leaving your comments! I LOVE reading them and sharing my journey with you all!! **

Tests, Rubrics, Evaluations...Oh MY!

This week's readings are all about evaluation and assessment! Growing up and going through school you learn about your teacher's favorite way to evaluate the class, whether it be exam, project, pop quiz or homework, you knew what classes you dreaded the end of the unit in. I learned that my least favorite form of assessment was Group Projects, I ALWAYS got stuck with the kids that never wanted to do work, it never failed. As I have grown up and made my way through college to
my student teacher preparation classes I have learned that there are many different ways to evaluate student performance, not just an exam, project, quiz, etc.

I think one of the coolest ways to perform assessment would be to use the E-Moments that we have learned about in the beginning of the semester. These are not only FUN but also ENGAGING. E-Moments also give you as the teacher a quick way to gauge where your class is at and what you need to go back and re-teach. Combining this idea with what I read in the readings, I was really excited to see that there were step by step instructions on how to create assessments that will be effective and helpful for both student and teacher use. I plan on using chapter 14 from the book a lot when I have to plan my unit assessments.

I also found both the readings on creating rubrics and evaluating in labs really helpful as well. First, I had never heard of a "vee map" but I think it looks really awesome! I honestly cannot wait to incorporate some of these techniques into my lesson plans. I think they will be really valuable for students to use as tools to help them retain and comprehend what they are learning. I also think it will be beneficial because these techniques can also help them to see the real life benefit of what they are learning. I found that rubrics are important because they give us guidelines for questions or problems that do not have a cut and dry, black and white answer. Rubrics help us navigate the gray areas. As a younger student I HATED rubrics, I always thought it was just something else for me to read and was just a pain. Now that I am older have rubrics attached with almost every project I am thankful for them because they have saved me several points on projects that probably would have not done so well had I not had one. Self evaluation is also a great way to get students to become accountable for their learning as well. As a teacher you can also see why a student may have thought they should have gotten point in that area and may be able to meet them in the middle for a grade!

To tie everything together for me, I read an ASCD article about "The Power of an Effective Teacher and Why We Should Assess It." The article started out with the quote:

This is the value of the teacher, who looks at a face and says there's something behind that and I want to reach that person, I want to influence that person, I want to encourage that person, I want to enrich, I want to call out that person who is behind that face, behind that color, behind that language, behind that tradition, behind that culture. I believe you can do it. I know what was done for me.

—Maya Angelou

I knew that as soon as I read that quote, everything was starting to come into perspective for me and make sense. As I read on through the article it talked about the qualities of an effective teacher, which we spoke about in class (BECOV!!) and how teacher effectiveness relates to student success! Up to this point, this article was like deja vu for the whole semester!!! Then, I got to the part about having high qualified teachers vs. highly effective teachers. Well that's an easy question Effectiveness over Qualifications (to some extent, you still need to have some proper qualifications, we cannot have Joe Shmoe walking in off the street and teaching children!)  I began to read on and think about what administrators and superintendents really look at when you go in for an interview; how can they look at how effectively you teach by just looking at your credentials. I know that in some interviewing processes they will ask you to do a demo lesson but that is not every school's policy. I thought it was something to think about.  Maybe that question will be answered as we travel farther and get closer to preparing for our future interviews? We may never even know the answer to that question.

I think that the readings this week have really given us something to think about because we are at that point in the semester where we are all starting to hit the unit plan and lesson plan creating hard, as we bring units to a close we need to find ways to assess them and will need skills for that. This weeks readings helped me to start thinking about the evaluation methods as a whole and not just individually for each lesson.

Just some words that we should keep in mind when we think about being an Effective Teacher! 

Did I just have an "ahha moment?!"

Today I attended Project Learning Tree out at Shaver's Creek. First let me say just how much I fall in LOVE with Shaver's Creek each time I go there. The people are so amazing, the woods are so peaceful, and I always learn something really cool!

I could just tell that today was going to be a good day! As I pulled into my parking spot, I looked over at my roommate Jess and I said "oh my gosh look that's Poison Ivy in front of the car!" I know eww Poison Ivy, right?! However, I had just learned how to identify it a few weeks before in my Sci Ed 455 class, that takes place at Shaver's Creek. I actually identified something! Me! Never in a million years did I think I would be able to identify something in nature! It was such an amazing feeling. I also felt so accomplished when we practiced a species log. I was able to help others identify trees and plants and explain why it was a certain plant all because I have been going to class! This was so huge for me!

As I sat there listening to George talk about all his experiences and where he has gone, it hit me! I am pretty sure I had that "ahha moment" and found out what I might want to do for the rest of my life. Let's be honest, it really is not secret that I have been flip flopping around with what I want to do and today I think I may have found my calling. As I listened to George talk and teach I thought to myself "wow, wouldn't it be so amazing if I could do something like this and teach in an informal setting like this?" I began to think about how I could still teach, yet combine this new found passion for nature!

Okay, I get it you guys are all like, this is awesome but what are you actually going to do?! Nothing is 100% set in stone but my idea for an end goal would be to graduate and hopefully get a job with the local zoo or nature center to gain field experience and save up for grad school. Get my degree in either RPTM or Environmental Education. After grad school, I would hopefully get a job as an extension educator at a nature center where I can travel around and teach children about the importance of nature and conservation....and of course the really awesome animals!!!!

I am sure my idea will change tomorrow, but for right now I think it is pretty awesome! I have seriously never been this excited or inspired for a possible career path! Here's to hoping this could fit into my future!!! Stay tuned because I will be sharing more on this...eventually!!! :)

Remember: "EVERYTHING you can IMAGINE is real!"

Something to think about.

The Autism Spectrum is an exceptionality that is very near and dear to my heart! I have had so many wonderful and life changing moments that have involved children who have been diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. They are some of the smartest and most talented children that I have ever met regardless of where they fall on the spectrum. This video is really interesting and inspiring. It really gives you something to think about! Never count any child or adult with an exceptionality out, whether they be gifted or disabled they can always bring new perspective to your life and teach you something that I can guarantee you did not know before!!!

Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqvfsc374og

How Wet is Our Planet? The Problem Solving Approach....or so I thought!

Today's lab was all about Problem Solving to get our students to think deeper and more critically. This approach also helps our students develop and establish the skills for a strong foundation that they can use for problem solving throughout their lives.

This week, I decided to incorporate one of the Project Aquatic Wild labs "How Wet is Our Planet?" I am going to be adding this lesson into my 8th Grade Intro to Ag, Food, and Natural Resources (yay for CASE classes!!) the idea is to use this lesson to kick start off the CASE unit Water World. I think it is a great way to get my students to start thinking about the environment and the importance of water, which they will be learning about!

I was SUPER excited about this lab for multiple reasons...
1. I was going to redeem myself from last week's terrible mishap (I made sure to not have to deal with ANY sharp objects this week!)
2. I felt like I had written the most amazing lesson that has ever come out of my brain and fingertips!
3. I practiced, researched, and prepared as much as anyone possibly could
...but I seemed to be wrong! Things did not go as planned. In my head everything seemed to run smoothly and work out just so. When I got in front of the class and began to teach, I found myself getting flustered and frustrated. I did not use my props to my advantage and just kind of let them sit on the table!!! I also tried to practice using my lesson plan more this week, and that did not work out so well either, since I almost dunked it in the tub of water 5 times! I also realized that I did not really conduct the Problem Solving Approach effectively...bummer!!!

After teaching I was very upset with myself because I thought I was going to do awesome! I actually crashed and burned! I know this is a learning experience but it would have been nice to walk away feeling just as awesome about my lesson as I did when I walked into the room!!!

I did however, learn a few things about Problem Solving:
- knowing your content really well makes things easier
-keep the questions moving and going, ask kids to expand more and ask questions that can help get them to keep thinking
-be well versed in your topic
-practice, practice, practice

Although this lab did go better than last weeks, it could still be better! I know I may sound like I am being hard on myself but there are a million things that I could have changed to make this better and make me the best that I can be. I am striving to be the best teacher that I can, and I know that the more we preform labs the better off we will be, it will just take us a awhile to get there. I also know that some of us are slower bloomers than others, so I know that my amazing lab lesson will come in due time! I am excited to take this feedback and work harder for next time!

Some food for thought:
"It's okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are our teachers...they help us to learn"~ Abraham Lincoln (by far the most amazing man in American History...next to George Washington!)

So You've Got a Problem...How are YOU going to solve it?!

Through the discussion that we had on Friday and the readings for this weekend I am really beginning to find the Problem Solving Approach to be very interesting and challenging for students. I like how it helps make students think critically and dig deeper into their brains to find possible answers for a problem. I think that a lot of times students, and even us as future teachers, only see the surface of a problem and its few outcomes. We never really get to see the BIG picture, which is what we should always be looking at!!!

I found the readings to be very insightful and helpful with the clarification of what we spoke about in class on Friday. I especially enjoyed reading chapter 4 in the "Methods of Teaching Agriculture" book. I really like how that book uses case studies to help put what we are learning about into a real life context for us. Since I am a visual learner I have to see the value of what I am learning and I have to be able to see how I will apply this to real life which is why I enjoy reading the chapters in this book. I liked how the book breaks the Problem Solving Approach down into the 6 steps which are:

1. Interest Approach
2. Objectives to be achieved
3. Problems to be solved--questions to be answered
4. Problem solution
5. Testing solutions through application
6. Evaluation of solutions

The chapter then went on to further break down some of the techniques that could be used to achieve this idea and it also compared it to the 6 steps of the learning process which were:

1. Experiencing a provocative situation
2. Defining the problem
3. Seeking data and information
4. Formulating possible solutions
5. Testing proposed solutions 
6. Evaluating the results

 I also enjoyed the other two readings as well because it helped to answer some of my questions that I thought of after class the other day. They really helped to put things into perspective. I think after reading these readings and finishing the discussion on Monday will really help me tackle the Problem Solving Lab this week!

Mission Abort!

Today I was all prepared to demonstrate how to graft trees to my "students." I should have known from the uneasy feeling that I got when I had to sneak my box cutter and kitchen knife onto the bus this morning that this was not going to be a good day. As I waited my turn to go in lab I started thinking about all the things that I SHOULD have done with this lab and probably needed to complete this task. Should do and actually do are two completely different things. I set up for my lab and realized that there was nothing I could do to change it now and I would just have to hope for the best and make sure I was extra careful.

As I progressed with teaching I thought that I should have a saw to make the cutting go easier and I also should probably have gloves on in case of a slip. I no sooner got to the part where "Student says, teacher does" when I really did slip with the box cutter and sliced my thumb. I no sooner said "And I just cut myself" when my thumb started to gush blood! I do have to thank everyone in my Lab because they all rushed to my aid and helped to patch me up! Thanks guys! You really do ROCK!

Although I did not get to finish my lab teaching, I learned a lot of valuable lessons today:

1. Thankfully I had this goof now and can learn better what to do next time, rather than have this happen in front of my actual students.
2. I will be that teacher that has a first aid kit in almost every drawer or every where physically possible around my classroom (just in case you never know!)
3. I do not think that I will be attempting grafting any time soon
4. I should think things through and maybe find a safer way for my students to complete what I want them too

I will say that if I was to try and complete this lab again I will make sure I have things pre cut for my students and that I will also use a softer material that is not so difficult to cut and does not require a sharp object like a box cutter!

Individualized Teaching Techniques = Mind Blowing!

After reading the assigned chapter for this week my only reaction is that I am totally mind blown! I knew that there were millions of different techniques for individual work in the classroom, but actually reading about some of them and learning how you should put them into practice was really interesting for me. I must say that I am still a little confused on some of them but I know we will be discussing them in class which will really help. I was especially interested in the idea of teaching students how to create a "proper notebook." I had no idea that there was a technique behind it. Going through school my teachers always told us to "take notes the way that works best for us" and I always found myself writing down way too much information and suffering from MAJOR hand cramps because I could not decide what was important and what was not. I think that giving the students the foundation skills of how they can decide what is important for them to write down would be really beneficial, this way students can focus more in the moment and less on "oh my gosh I have to get all of this down because Ms. Rigg never tells us what is on the test and this could be important!"

The other technique that I would like to learn more about was the Information, Assignment, and Skill sheets. I found them to all be beneficial and useful but how to do you know when you are more so relying on them rather than using them as an "aid" to what you are already teaching? Maybe I am over thinking that idea a little bit however, it is something that I am curious about. I do not want to be that teacher that relies on the packets. I want to really captivate my students and make sure that the handouts and worksheets that they receive are an added bonus. 

I know that we are going to be working through these in class and I am really excited to learn more about them and dig deeper into each teaching technique! I think that they can be skills that could really help us as student teachers next semester.