This week I completed my micro-teaching unit at Juniata Valley High School. We completed three days of consecutive teaching of one class, on a specific content or subject area. My class was first hour, and they were in their engines unit. I am teaching an entire course called Power Technology at Pequea Valley, so this was a great introduction and practice to go into a full semester with small gas engines. This class at Juniata Valley is putting together a 1948 Farmall Cub Tractor, that is in quite a few pieces, but the main engine block is together, which we referenced a lot. Teaching this small group of students (6 high school gentlemen) for three days allowed me to reflect on a few things...Plan so you can deviate from the plan.
The second day I taught the basics of each stroke of the 4-stroke engine. In the class there was one gentleman that knew every stroke and has taken apart a number of 2 and 4 strokes, then there was one that this was his first time around it. This dynamic is real and happens often. When one of the students was struggling with the concept of the piston moving up and down the cylinder we stopped class went out to the shop and looked at the tractor engine and talked about the strokes, then we use a piston and plastic cylinder to demonstrate it it again int the classroom. My original plan was that we were going to create a makeshift cylinder/piston/connecting rod to demonstrate the strokes, instead I adapted- we did something that worked better, and the repetition and practice helped.Structure, tradition and classroom practices take time.
These three days were just a glimpse at what an entire semester might look like, but also the amount of work it will require. Begining of class procedure such as bellwork, end of class traditions and other classroom management and practices are strucutres I want to create. These take time, and are dependent on the teacher and truly conditioning students to think and behave in these ways.Content knowledge is sometimes the biggest hurdle.
The first time I touched a small gas engine was a year ago and then again in a course this year, but I am still pretty rusty, I just don't know all the ins and outs of parts and functions. This is frustrating and sometimes creates lack of clarity and makes answering and asking questions more difficult. This is an area I know I need to continue to grow in and develop, but I am starting to feel a little more confident.Technical vocabulary and content is challenging for many students.
I had one foreign exchange student in my class, where english was his second language. Being a student that has learned a foreign language and have learned the theory on it all, but in practice it is more challenging, and I struggle with that. It frustrates me that I didn't create more ways to assist him. I felt like I did what I could for the amount of time I was here, but it is a part of my teaching that I will continue to grow in and it will be completely dependent on every student. It wasn't only him, there were other students that strokes were new for, and adaptability was key here.General Gems:
- Adaptability
- Hands-on Examples
- Energy Conversion Demonstration
- Formative Assessment Reviews
- Enthusiasm
General Opportunities:
- Content confidence
- Asking and answering quesitons
- Clarity in explanations
- Structure in the lab
Learner Satisfaction:
The forms below provide a little more insight on learner satisfaction. I am a little concerned seeing the confidence in material one. They were split, which is how they were in the class too. I wish more of them were there day three to really go through things in more depth. Differentiation is hard, and an area I want to continue to grow in. Continuing to grow in formative assessment, unique repetition and engaging in material in different ways is key to this.
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