CASE is a teaching tool - not a one-size fits all curriculum.
This semester I have the chance to co-teach CASE Intro to AFNR with Mr. Fellenbaum. It has taken some getting used to when preparing for lessons. I honestly think it's sometimes a little harder to prepare for a CASE class because it's prewritten curriculum. I say that because it's easy to read over the CASE materials and feel like you're prepared for the next day - when really you should be reviewing your content knowledge and anticipating what questions students will ask. It's also important to keep in mind that CASE is just a teaching tool and you shouldn't always be teaching the lessons exactly as they're written. I feel like I've gotten better at planning/preparing for the CASE class and asking questions beforehand to make sure I'm prepared. One thing I would like to continue to improve on is incorporating/adding different activities into the CASE Intro to AFNR class to address more of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. One thing I tried the other day is having students take notes by doing a gallery walk. Essentially the notes for the day were posted around the room and students walked around to take notes. It was an effective and simple way for students to get up and move around - plus it is a nice change from taking notes via PowerPoint.
SAE's are AWESOME.
This isn't a new revelation for me, but the more I experience in the world of Supervised Agricultural Experiences, the more I believe in their power of fostering student growth and success. This week I went on an SAE visit to visit with a senior who is a 4th generation tobacco farmer (check out my blog about it here!). It was awesome to see and hear about how much that student has learned through his SAE project over the years. In my Intro to AFNR class, students began exploring the world of SAE and will work on planning their first SAE project this coming week. It was so much fun to see how excited some students got as they looked through the SAE Idea cards and began picking out ideas that appealed to their interests. I'm looking forward to seeing where their SAE projects will take them this semester.
Thanks for following this journey with me, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Rose, as a former CASE teacher, it is great to see that you understand the usefulness and importance of making CASE work for your students and tailoring the activities to fit their needs! With some much information out there on each area/subject of ag, CASE serves as a great guide for what are the most critical concepts to cover and how to effectively get student engaged in mastering the content. Love your gallery walk note-taking activity!
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you are thinking about how you can incorporate variability in your instruction that will help every student learn in the way that they best learn. I know that you mentioned in your discussion related to CASE, but I am sure you can do the same in all of your classes. I look forward to talking with you about this, and more when I visit later this week!
-Dr. Ewing
Rose, you hit the nail on the head. No matter what curriculum you end up using in your teaching experience (or that you borrow, copy, follow...whatever), it is perfectly acceptable for you to tweek it to make it your own. I have been telling our student teacher that is is OK to not copy me... and don't... be your own, create "new", try to do it a different way etc.. Going through the process of modifying or creating curriculum helps YOU to learn it and to become more confident. Great job! Let me know if you need anything. I'm just ... ya know... 2700 miles away. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Anna, I really appreciate all of your support! My cooperating teachers tell me that it's ok to not copy them and try new things as well, so that's something I'm working on this semester - being ok with trying different things and being ok if things don't go as well as I'd hoped. :)
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