This weeks lab for me was the problem solving lab and it went ok I guess although I didn't think I did well. I started out teaching my lesson on welding by asking the students a little bit about welding to see what they already knew. I had a situation to be improved as my problem solving approach so I read a prompt about a boy named Timmy and how he was trying to weld a new bumper that he got at a junk yard onto his truck. He was trying to get the welder to work but it just wouldn't strike an arc so he could well. He became frustrated and confused so as a class we helped him solve his problem. All of this was going ok so far. The class got into groups of two and brain stormed so ideas as to what may be Timmy's problem and jotted them down on a sheet of paper. I had one student come up and write down the possible problems that the rest of the class shared so we could all see and remember what they were. Then all of a sudden at this point, my mind went blank and I couldn't remember what to do! Oh no! We wrapped this up and then went over what we learned yesterday, today, and what we will tomorrow and then class was dismissed.
I think the problem solving approach is a great idea and very useful, it just requires that you be on top of your game as well as an expert in the field that you are teaching. I feel that by not being an expert with welding or the problem solving approach, that may be some of why I feel the lesson didnt go that great. I wish I would have better developed the ending piece so I wouldn't have forgotten when my mind went blank and I started freaking out inside my head so I could have wrapped class up much better. I guess that is just how it goes, just got to keep working at it to get better each time.
Billy your comment made me laugh "Oh no!"
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, we all blank out sometimes... that is what lesson plans are for!! :D Especially for this lab, to have all content/info on the LP so that, when we get stuck or if the discussion goes in a different direction, we can come back to the semi-structured plan we made.
I like this problem! Good use of your knowledge, but if you still don't feel comfortable, maybe get more welding background/experience? Or even try solving the problem yourself to see what you need to know?
Great reflection, keep improving!
Same thing as Allison, lesson plans will help you to remain on tract and remind you what you wanted to say. Your video looked good, so I am sure that the lesson went well!
ReplyDeleteBilly, Billy, Billy. I think you are finally realizing how important a good lesson plan is to have. You lucked out here because we are in lab, but you can't let students go early in a real class. Just remember, you now have those tools in your toolbox to pull out later. You can't master it until you fail a few times!
ReplyDeleteHi Billy,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you've faced a teacher's biggest fear! Lucky for you it was in lab and not in the classroom. Like others have said this is why having a good lesson plan is important! But you know that so i'm not going to elaborate.
I think your idea was really cute! The story about Timmy makes me think of a boy around their age that got his first ugly truck and he's pulling it together from a junk yard lol I think it could be a really good interest approach and/or developing a felt need. Your on the right track! Just improve your planning and you'll do great things as a teacher!
Hi Billy!
ReplyDeleteSo, from actually being in your lab, I am not sure I completely picked up on the brain fart you had! But having a well developed lesson plan will definitely help with that! I think that for this lesson to go over better, student engagement will really help! You had a great idea, you just are learning how to get great results! Keep it up!
Billy,
ReplyDeleteFrom reading your blog it sounds like it was a good thing that this was lab. I real liked your concept but I honestly thought it was more like an interest approach than a hole lesson but even for being under prepared it was well delivered and entreating, Keep up the great work !
Well, Billy, at least it was a learning experience. I think you need to really grasp the big tasks you want to do in the lesson and maybe place them on a little post-it note so you can always have it with you. I do this because it's very simple, and I can always look for more specific items in my lesson plan. You need to have the mindset of a teacher, which is something we all have to develop on our own. I hope I can make an analogy for you, so here goes nothing. When you go fishing, you don't just have one spot to fish. You always have the best spot (your lesson) first, but then you also have a second or third spot just in case. These alternative spots should be ones you don't have to think or go "oh no!" to figure out. They are prior knowledge items, which I will admit come with experience, that have relevance to your situation. Quickly jumping to one of these can help bridge the lesson and maybe even remind you of what you wanted to teach in the lesson. These small tips work together to help you avert the big mistakes, so just think of it in fishing terms hahaha!!
ReplyDelete