How many questions do you ask?

Did you know the average teacher asks between 300-400 questions a day! Wow that's a lot of questions if you ask me. I don't know if I could think of more than 300 questions to ask each and ever day.

But these questions are more than what did you learn or how does this system work. Rather these questions are used as a tool to gauge what students know, what they have learned, and what you need to go back and reteach because every word that just came out of your mouth for the past ten minutes flew right over their heads. You can also use questions to develop interest in the subject and boost motivation. I think this is often over looked when we consider questions and what their purpose is. Questions can also be used to develop thinking skills. Now what are thinking skills? Thinking Skills are " the mental processes we use to do things like: solve problems, make decisions, ask questions, make plans, pass judgements, organize information and create new ideas."

Questions come in levels, like everything else we learn it ties into Blooms Taxonomy (I think I am finally beginning to see how important Bloom is...just kidding...I know he is important). With one of the reading we had this week there was an awesome chart that had what questions went along with lower level questions and higher level questions. I couldn't find the exact chart but this one is just as useful! The link to this chart since its hard to see.

Now about those levels of questions...there are higher-leveled questions and lower-level questions. Higher-level questions require complex application, analysis, syntheses and evaluation skills where lower-level questions use knowledge and comprehension. In case you didn't realize these are all "steps"  on Bloom's Taxonomy.

As a future educator its important to remember that questions are here to help us not hurt us. But questions can hurt our students if we don't give them proper time to answer, give them positive feedback, or handle their answers properly.  Its important to remember that we were once students and that feeling we got when the teacher called on us to answer a questions we had no idea what the answer the teacher wanted, and remember we should never want a student to feel that way.

That's all for now. Check back in for more updates on my path to becoming an Agricultural Educator and all the fun I've been having along the way.

What Bugs You?- An interest approach

Lab went much better this week, which is good, means I am improving ever so slightly. Anyways, lab this week was all about interest approaches and I think mine went very well. I started off by having my students break into two teams, one team was the "farmer" the other were the "pest". The pest team was challenged to pick one of five pest that they wished to be. Their end goal was to invade the farm and collect as many crops as possible. The group I worked with played along extremely well and even did a caterpillar dance on their way to the farm. The farmers were challenged to plant their crops in a per-designed field. They had restrictions on what could go where, and how many plants could go into. Once time ran up the pest group had the opportunity to invade the farm, based on the pest they chose they had limitations as to what crops they could take as well as how they could move around the farm. After the pests got to ravish the farm everyone got some of the treats and we moved on with class.

Overall I think my interest approached worked well for me. Can you guess the topic we were learning about? Today's lesson was on introduction to Pesticide Education, I think I hit the nail on the head for this lesson. We got to talk about what made a pest a pest as well as some of the impacts a pest can make on a farm. I would hope this approach would keep students excited and eager to come to class the next day to see what else we may do. For this Landscaping class which my lesson was prepared for this would be the first class session I thought and I believe I am starting out strong. 

Now things didn't go exactly as planned there were some bumps along the way. Thankfully this is only a learning experience. One major issue I am having is making my presence in the classroom strong. I know this will only come with time and practice so every chance I get I am gonna take it and go for it. I know this is a topic we all need to work on check out this great blog on how to make a presence in the classroom. Some tips include greeting students at the door and being careful how you use your tone of voice. Greeting students at the door is something I have done for both of my lessons and I want to continue doing. Now to work on my voice; I found a few resources that have tips on making a strong even toned voice, other ways I can improve my voice would be to practice speaking in a mirror. 

 

Another point of weakness is my classroom management. I had an incident where one student bullied another. I know I did not handle it very well and that is one MAJOR problem. Bullying in schools should not be tolerated by any means and I did not draw attention to the problem. There are countless websites and tips on how to solve the problem. Here is one particular site that I found helpful.

I know I have a lot of room to grow from these labs and I am embracing all the constructive criticism I am receiving because I know in the long run I am going to become a better Agricultural Educator! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful National Teach AG! Day and in case you missed it check out the video the avengers made!

Brown Paper Bag

My Family: Unlike most families my dad’s family didn’t move to far away. Growing up I thought everyone could walk to their grandma’s, play at the barn with their cousins, and that your neighbors where your aunts and uncles. Well it turns out my family isn’t like most…we all live on the same road and very very close to each other. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was a great experience having everyone so close, seeing my grandparents every day, and having my cousins to play with every day. My family is extremely supportive in all of my endeavors, from raising market goats to going to Penn State. They have had my back and are always there for me to fall back on. It’s nothing to get a few text messages and phone calls when I get home asking if I could stop over and come by. I always end up walking away with a little “gas” money and the random bag of food. My family isn’t like most but I couldn’t imagine them any other way. This past month I was convinced I was getting my uncle’s little red car, but my family being the way they are had a surprise just for me when I got home from camping. Somehow they were able to keep the secret even my little brother. I am so thankful for having such an amazing family. They are a large part of me and the way I was raised. Being raised on a farm is hands down the best way to be raised and I hope one day I can give my children the same experience. 

4-H has given me so much from my best friends to life skills. I can’t even describe how amazing my 4-H experience has been and the best part is it hasn’t ended. Last weekend I got to spend it with 40 amazing 4-Hers who have a passion for leadership. I started going to camp when I was 8, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I met this fiery loud mouth red head who has since become my best friend. I also met some of the most amazing people along the way from leaders to fellow members each has impacted me in a different way. I can’t believe the opportunities I have experienced because of that green clover. I’ve traveled to workshops in Ohio and Georgia, went to so many camps and conferences and even got a Teen Council started in our county. 4-H has given me so much and I continue to give back. I couldn’t find the perfect picture I have so many….so I chose a video we made a few years ago. The memories from that day will last a life time and the friends I made those memories with are still the ones I can rely on to pick me up when I’m feeling down.

 My loves: First family portrait…we just took this…but nether less Grady has made a huge impact on my life these past 2 years. When I first met him I thought he looked a little rough around the edges but you can’t judge a book by its cover and after a few months I saw what was in that book. Grady is the most caring open-hearted person I have ever met. Not only is he my best friend but he is also the biggest rock I could ever need. No matter what he can always put a smile on my face and these days that is all that matters. I know we are young but at the same time we aren’t that young, I do graduate this May. Anyways Grady is now a major part of my life, he is the one I can call at 2 am when I can’t sleep, the one to hold my hand when life just gets to be to much, and the one to make me laugh when it feels like the world is caving in.

The first day of school

Such a terrifying day right? Well maybe not for you seasoned pros but for me its a scary thought. My experience in lab however has given me a grip on what to prepare for though. After feedback from my peers I have a better understanding of what I did wrong and after reviewing the video myself I have a good idea of how I can improve my first day experience.

My biggest weakness was classroom management, I know everyone says that is their weakest point but it truly is mine. I needed to set my expectations right away about talking and the use of phones. I did not clearly say no phones or no talking so my own fault right? I also should have made a point to everyone when I corrected individual students to show what I expected so I wouldn't have to repeat myself a 100 times.

A second issue of mine was my down time when students were doing bell work. I did not use it to my full advantage and should have moved around the room and got to know each student better, I also did not provide a solid get to know you game and that is one thing I would like to change.

Some things I did feel comfortable with were my confidence in front of the class. Even when megan gave her phone to Toby after I took his I kept my cool although I wanted to send them both outside! I also like how I greeted the students at the door. That is something I want to use each and everyday.

To improve for my next lab on interest approaches I want to research a little more on classroom management. I also know I need to develop stronger bell-work and keep my students on task. I also want to make sure I really hook my students in because they didn't seem to like coloring dairy cows last week.

Another great resource is http://www.edutopia.org this website is chalked full of amazing blogs!

Till next time!
Rachel

Field Trips, Objectives, and Group Work...oh my!

What do these three topics have in common? From my readings this week I have picked up that field trips, objectives, and group work are often over looked or under used by educators. These three items also serve to be valuable learning tools that when used correctly can ensure learning is beyond the bottom rung of Bloom's Taxonomy. First lets learn about field trips.


Why field trips? Don't those cost money, take up valuable time from the classroom and learning, and force teachers to prepare logistical data? So why spend this valuable time money and resources? Because its worth it, being able to see what you are learning about ties it all together. I loved field trips as a student not just in middle or high school but in college as well. My sophomore year my geography teacher took us to lake Erie at least once a month to actually see what we were learning about or what we just learned about. Learning about erosion would not have been as fun if all we did was look at pictures and read. Instead we went out to a bluff and saw first hand the impacts of erosion.

Field trips tie in well in agricultural classrooms. When learning about different career options having students observe first hand gives them a chance to decided where they want to go in life. It opens up doors to their SAE projects and allows for exploration in a new setting. Field trips shouldn't be over used though, they are simply one tool you have in your belt. 

There is more to a field trip then picking a destination, you must first set up the roles you students must play as well as continue learning in the new environment. It is vital to have objectives on your trip, to allow students to explore on their own, and finally to give students the chance to share what they learned by debriefing. 


Objectives, didn't we learn we NEED these? Apparently some times we forget to give our students a road map of daily learning, sometimes we provided unclear directions that lead students to failure. However we view our ability to write objectives its important to remember why we come up with o it. We painstakingly come up with quality objectives to make sure the quality of learning is more important the the quantity of learning. there are numerous websites and aids that can help you write great objectives to steer students down the path of learning to their final destination in your classroom.

Now we all remember that one group project where it seemed like nothing was getting accomplished and no one did their fair share. Some may have more of these experiences than others. I know I have had a few not only in high school but college as well. But we need to remember that group work is important and teaches life skills that we can't in front of the classroom. From problem solving to deeper learning  group work forces students to work together, communicate, defend their ideas, and understand the content to the point that they can teach the concepts to others.

There are some important steps and roles to remember when using group work. You need to take into consideration the size of a group you want, if students should be at the same skill set or different, as well as what restrictions do you have?


All of these topics tie together because they are ways we can improve our student's quality of learning. As a per-service teacher I know I won't have the best objectives, I won't have the most prepared field trips, and my group work won't be at the top of my game. But I will work hard to improve on these areas so once I have my own students I will give them the best I can.


Be sure to check me out on twitter @rachie12rach and instagram @ Rachel Telesz

I had a wonderful weekend at the Lawrence County Teen Council Fall Retreat: Battle of the sexes so check out all the great things we did!

The Biggest Little Fair Around! -The Albion Fair

I have been to my fair share of fairs...from showing, to seeing fellow 4-H friends, to my lovely summer job of fair concession food. However, I have never even heard of the Albion fair until this year. It is true what they say: it really is the Biggest Little Fair Around.And unlike most of the fairs I've been to this one does not take place during mid to late summer. But that's okay because who doesn't wanna wear their parkas and Carhearts to the fair? That being said I wish I had brought my winter coat on my SAE visit to the Albion fair.

                          In case you were wondering why in the world I would even consider a winter coat in September check out the snowfall..I am pretty sure it snowed when I was there last weekend.

Check out all those trophies Robert
pictured below won with
his goat!

Coming from a FFA background I knew what an SAE visit entailed. I didn't know what it was like to be on the other end of the visit though. It was a great experience getting to see my students show off their projects they worked so hard on. I got to talk to two students who I will have this coming January about the animals they were showing at the Albion fair as part of their SAE project. I also got to see numerous other student's projects which was awesome seeing the diversity the Albion FFA has. 

Robert the Vice President of the Albion FFA is giving a 4-H member a ride in his cart pulled by the 4-H members goat in the parade! How awesome is that? I know I want one now

 In case you don't know what SAE is it stands for Supervised Agricultural Experience. Now where does a supervised agricultural experience fit in with teaching? Well in order to be a complete agricultural program there are three vital parts; SAE, FFA, and Classroom instruction.  SAE fits in by applying what you learn in the classroom into a real life situation. There are numerous types of SAEs from research, production to job placement. So in other words you don't need to live on a farm to have a SAE you can work in the agricultural industry or conduct a research project on any agricultural related topic! Now the SAEs I visited last weekend were production based.

Justin is a sophomore who has a job placement SAE as well as a beef breeding production SAE.

At the fair Justin was showing one of his Hereford heifers. He only brought one to the fair this year however between his younger brother and his family they have 19 beef breeding cows, and 27 dairy cows. Justin also works at a livestock auction barn! All this work is paying off though, with 1,000 hours logged in last year Justin is on his way to earning his Keystone degree in two years and hopefully he will pursue his American Degree one day!

Desirae is all about horses and her SAE reflects that. And that is the beauty of a SAE its student driven, so what ever you are passionate about that's what you get to put in all that hard work for! Desirae is also a sophomore at Northwestern High school and is really into rodeo. I had a great time getting to know her and talk to her about her career goals. She currently has six horses she brought three to the fair this year to compete in gaming. Her dedication to horses is pretty evident, she started with her main horse Splash and trained him from the bottom up to make him the horse she wanted. She is hoping to qualify for the state rodeo with Splash. Desirae competes in pole bending and barrel racing as well as various other rodeo events. From her passion for horses Desirae as found a path she wants to create into a life long career. How many sophomores know where they want to go to college as well as what they want to do with the rest of their lives? Well this girl knows! She would like to attended college in Kentucky where she plans on taking Splash and competing on the rodeo team. Her career goals are to get into Chiropractics for horses. All of these life plans were made possible simply because Desirae had the chance to find out what she loves! Who knew you could get college prep in an agricultural classroom? 

SAE is all about the student; getting the chance to work towards awards and degrees, getting a chance to try out a career or industry, and giving students experience in fields they have a passion for. No program would be complete with out an SAE and Albion FFA has  76% of their students involved in SAE. They also won an awesome award for their improvements in SAE! They are one out of 20 schools that received this award with over 130 applications. So great job Albion FFA! 

 

I am so honored to work with such an amazing program full of students with so much potential and I can not wait to become even more involved in each student's SAE.

Be sure to check me out on Twitter @rachie12rach! Until next time...

Sowing the seeds of our next generation: what does a good classroom look like? Weekly writing 3

"The expert in anything was once a beginner"

We are all beginners at one point or another, when I began my journey I didn't really know where I would end up. I know now I will end up in a classroom (hopefully) but I will still be a beginner. I will no longer be a beginner student but rather a beginner teacher. Starting from the bottom isn't easy, there are so many things you must consider walking into a classroom: How will I keep their attention? Will they learn anything? Is my room set up in the best way to facilitate hands-on learning? Are my objectives clear? Will my expectations be clear? 

Ah to many questions if you ask me...but that is the beauty in being a beginner you can only go up from where you are. The readings I am reflecting on today seem to bounce around from topic to topic at first. But once you dive in its clear they are about how you can create the best "seed". Jonathan Velze stated it pretty well "seeds thrown on uncultivated ground lack the environment necessary to produce a bountiful crop" as an agricultural teacher I am the farmer sowing the seeds of our future workforce. These seeds can come in prepared to be sown and others are wet and starting to mold. Its my duty to ensure each seed grows into the biggest crop it can be. 

 

Each article flows into ways of how to cultivate the ground in which you are sowing your seeds: from creating self-worth and motivation, to keeping your classroom exciting, teaching to each student, teaching in a varied amount of styles, and creating a safe environment where learning can occur.

Setting goals is a tricky topic, we want our students to succeed and not set unreachable goals yet we need to make sure the goals that are being set are S.M.A.R.T and are worth measuring up to. What good is the goal of "doing better" goals such as these are set by students unsure of themselves. SMART goals on the other hand are goals we all need to focus on a little more. I've been learning a thing or two about SMART goals and they are worth the extra work put into them.

Keeping your room exciting is a challenge we often think I am not creative enough for that. I had this idea implanted in my head until I read a book...

"Teach Like a Pirate" showed me that anyone can be creative it just takes one thing- work. With the help of some aids (Pinterest) I feel confident that I can keep my room exciting,new, and engaging. When students enter my classroom it will be obvious what our new unit is, what my expectations are, and that we are here to learn! In a fun way that is.

Be sure to check out Teach Ag's Pinterest page for awesome ideas on how to motivate students, learn new techniques, tips and trick for social media, and creative ideas on how to make your classroom a one of a kind experience! 

http://www.pinterest.com/psuteachag/