A Day with Macy and the Selinsgrove Ag Ed Program!

Today I was in a classroom, but I wasn't the one teaching. Today I got to go spend the day with my fellow cohort member and friend, Macy, at Selinsgrove High School where she is rocking it as a student teacher! When I arrived, there was maple sap being boiled down into syrup, designs being prepared for the CNC machine, baby trout growing in the back of the classroom, and a large greenhouse full of plants. Selinsgrove Ag Ed is a busy place! I had a great time and really enjoyed getting a tour of the program and seeing Macy teach.

Getting ready to strike their first arcs!!

Ms. Fisher's 9th grade classes just started their welding unit and today was their first day to burn rod! Macy did a great job demonstrating how to set up the arc welding machines and strike their first arc. It made me reflect back on my own experience teaching welding just a few weeks ago and how awesome it was to see students overcome their fears and improve through practice. I can definitely say that welding is my favorite Ag Mechanics topic to teach.

Macy also teaches Building Construction and Horticulture. In Horticulture, the students are working on designing their own greenhouse! All of the students were engaged and asking questions, and it was neat to see them apply what they have learned.

Here are some key takeaways from the day:

1. One of the great things about Ag Ed is that every program is different, so there is always something new to learn when visiting a program! I don't care if you drive to Wisconsin like we did last year for our Domestic Study Away or just down the road to the neighboring Ag Ed program, I guarantee it's unique in its own way and there's something new for you to learn.

2. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Rapport with students is vital. I loved seeing Macy interact with her students. She interacted with each student during class, made jokes, laughed, and asked them about things going on in their lives.

3. Be adaptable and go with the flow. When I arrived, Macy informed me that her lesson for her first class wasn't going work out the way she had planned. Instead of stressing about what she was going to do, she just adapted and went with it! 

Thank you Ms. Fisher, Mrs. Fry, and Mr. Swineford for a wonderful day!

My Science Classroom Visit!

On Wednesday (1/24), I had the opportunity to visit and observe Ms. Beaver's College Prep Biology class, which is comprised of mostly 10th graders. The students were conducting an Organism Response to Stimulus lab that day, where they determined how worms responded to various stimuli (drops of water, sugar water, salt water, and diluted vinegar) and then analyzed why. It was neat to see how nicely ag classes and science classes complement each other!

Students conducting their stimulus lab!

At the beginning of class, Ms. Beaver used a fun way to split the students up into lab groups. She made up a sentence and gave each student a word, and then they had to find their partner who had the same word. Ms. Beaver provides her students with Unit packets that include all lab/task sheets. Students had just learned about the scientific methods, so for this lab they wrote their own hypothesis. Ms. Beaver made sure everyone's hypothesis was an "If... then..." statement, which made me think back to some of our IBI workshops! The students were very focused on their lab, and I really enjoyed seeing everyone's reactions to handling worms. It took some students a lot of courage to touch their worm! I noticed that Ms. Beaver was engaged throughout class by checking in with groups and making sure everyone was staying on task. She gave clear directions and when students asked her questions, she would redirect them with a question or tell them to check their lab packet again. Ms. Beaver says she tries to include at least 3 different learning activities during class on non-lab days, so it sounds like she incorporates variability into her classes. I definitely think Ms. Beaver facilitates learning instead of just giving away info.

Students always had something to do - when they were done with their lab they went back and worked on their review sheet that was already in their unit packet. I liked the idea of unit packets, it basically serves the same purpose as Google Classroom but on paper. That way students are responsible for keeping their packet materials and if they're absent, they already have their make-up work.

During my visit Ms. Beaver and I talked about some of the classes I'll be teaching as well as what she teaches. It was fun to talk about how much the biology classes and ag classes overlap. Right now, the science classrooms and ag classrooms are far apart (and believe me when I say that, Penn Manor is a HUGE school). But starting in 2019, a new school is being built and they are putting the science and ag classrooms right near each other, which will hopefully open up all sorts of opportunities for collaboration!

I really enjoyed meeting Ms. Beaver and visiting her Biology class. I'd love to hear ways that you and the science department collaborate together at your school!