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!)
I'd be excited to see your lesson plan since I'm teaching CASE Intro to AFNR as well! I'm really enjoying your blog, keep it up :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to share this with you!!! I have a few tweeks and some things to add in, but I'd be more than happy to send it your way when it's finished!!! Thank you for reading my blog! I am loving this so much more than writing papers! I'm hoping to make it even better by putting a lot of other things on here too!!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt all comes with practice. Now you know what you need to improve on and hopefully wont forget to use your props next time! For me, especially with my ag mechanics lesson plans I really try to seek out people that are knowledgeable in the subject such as some of my ASM friends. Maybe for some subjects that are giving you issues, you could find someone to explain it to you in simple terms so you will understand it better and be able to teach it better. Just an idea!
ReplyDeleteHi Brittney,
ReplyDeleteI think that you chose a good question, "How wet is our planet?" I can see how one can take this activity and make it into a problem but I also think it's very hard to make it into a question. I'm sitting here thinking, forked road? No. Possibilities? ...Not really. Situation to be improved... Maybe, yeah that could probably work. Effect, Cause...I don't think so...
So with that I think that it's really important in being sure that we know exactly which approach we're going to use and maybe even setting it up in a way that our learners would know that as well. Granted we probably shouldn't stand up there and say now class today we'll be doing the forked road problem solving approach. But, I think that if we address it in a manner that the students know what we want from them- multiple answers/ideas, one option or the other, etc. I hope you're understanding what I am trying to say, I know it sounds vague. But basically, just be clear with your question and it will help a lot!
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI love your ideas for this lesson and use aquatic wild is awesome! Your students will completely love this. I think we all struggle with questioning. Not to put you down but I think you just really over thought this one. I could tell you were really excited and put a lot of time into this! From sitting in on the lesson I think you were thinking too much about the overall lesson and had a hard time with the actual problem solving approach. No big deal it happens and we will have lots of practice. I think it would have went really well if you could have had us all come up with a question for the guest speaker and had more of a discussion about what the activity actually meant. I realize this is really hard to do since we missed half of it!
Keep your head up! By refining your questioning you will have that awesome lesson you were seeking !!
Hey Britt, I really love your blogs. Really. You are a natural blogger! Keep up the non-class posts, they are a great professional development tool. Plus, I LOVE your quote! (I have a thing for quotes... and Abraham Lincoln)
ReplyDeleteOkay, to your actual reflection - great thoughts, but I hope that you don't let yourself get too happy and pumped up about specific lessons, but rather build your confidence in the fact that you will be a teacher that can adapt to the different issues that arise in our lesson execution. Last week, for example, shows you that, no matter how we plan, lessons don't always go exactly the same as we practice because we have a LIVE audience in front of us... and hopefully an audience that ENGAGES in the lesson, thus changing the dynamic completely. So don't feel like you have to practice your lessons before teaching them, but rather know them well enough that, after this semester of practicing lessons in lab, we know the main areas we will face struggles in the real classroom and have an idea of how to face those struggles when we get to them!!
Hey great job keeping up with your blog and making the whole thing awesome! It's really great. Also, nicely written entry :) It can be so frustrating when we try to prepare as much as we possibly can and things go completely off! Grrr! Remember, we are all very new at all this. Focus on the small successes and don't be overwhelmed with all the things we have to achieve to be 'perfect!' Remember, this is our practice time.
ReplyDeleteMaybe think about using powerpoint slides to guide you! This may an additional tool, other than your lesson plan, to keep your lesson on track. These don't have to have a ton of words, maybe just a a key word or statement and a fun picture! I think it was Mindy that did that, and I think Todd also did that for a lesson, and I really liked that idea and it seemed to help the lesson go very smoothly.
Keep up the good work. It is clear that you are working hard!!
AY OH!!
ReplyDeleteHi Stumpy :)
I really like how you reflected on this lab and showed what steps you did to prepare for redemption! I completely agree that this is an approach which requires not only the students to have a thinking cap on but also the teacher as well (x2). Furthermore, the rehearsing is key in being prepared for what to expect from students. That will help keep you on your game when that oh so crazy question that comes in from left field arises and shocks the world (I was that kid). Your blog reflection is not just well written but does a great job outlining the thought process one needs to take to prepare for this approach. :)
So, I'm glad no blood was shed for this lab. However, it just goes to show that experience is going to be key in being a kick rear end teacher! We can prepare and work as hard as possible (which we should be!) but until we are experienced in front of the class, it probably won't be real. Keep your chin up, buttercup. At least you didn't lose an appendage this week!
ReplyDeleteBrittany,
ReplyDeleteYou are so good at this blogging I really enjoy reading your post! It sounds like there was a theme this week with everyone's lab not going as planed. Honestly I'm beginning to think that is the idea of the labs to teach us preparation, reflection, flexibility, and humility. But over all it sounds like you were more disipointed with the lab than what it really was. i loved you lesson concept and remember to just keep swimming swimming :)