Whew! What a busy and productive week! My week was filled with classes, officer meetings, the Teach Ag Genius Hour, the Northern Region PAAE meeting, and an IEP observation. Staying busy sure does make the week go by fast. In AEE 412 this week, we started off class on Monday by learning about effective directions and instructions. Four important elements that should be included in classroom directions include an action verb, an attentional signal, a time limit, and a beginning signal. While discussing these in class, I noted that I had already included several of these elements in my lesson plans without even realizing it!
The discussion then transitioned to how to effectively break students into groups and maintaining a good pace for the classroom. For the remainder of class, we talked about individual teaching techniques. These five techniques include experiments, supervised study, independent study, student notebooks, and worksheets. Reading about these in Newcomb’s and then reiterating the techniques in class really got me thinking about how I can use these in my future classroom.
On Wednesday in lab, I took part in the first ever Teach Ag Genius Hour. Each student teacher in the cohort was responsible for creating a two to three minute presentation about an idea or topic they are passionate about and how it can be used in an educational setting. My topic involved giving students a sense of ownership about what they’re learning through selection and presentation of a current agriculture issue they were passionate about. My fellow classmates had some great ideas as well. A live Twitter feed was set up and I must say we had conversations going with individuals all throughout the country.
On Friday, Dr. Ewing taught class and introduced us to problem solving and problem based approaches to learning. I felt that it was a good introduction but I am anxious to learn more about these ideas next week. From the lecture and this week’s reading assignments, I learned that problem based learning includes problem solving, inquiry learning, project-based teaching, and case studies. To my knowledge, learning begins with a problem or question; students work to find a solution/solve the problem while the teacher facilitates learning and allows the students to have ownership of the problem.
I also read about the need to teach problem solving in classrooms and I agree that this is a necessity. I feel that it requires deeper thinking on the student’s part. I also think that problem solving lessons can be more engaging and interesting than traditional lecture. In agriculture education, there are so many opportunities to turn traditional lessons into problem solving approaches. Sitting here typing this, I can think of several examples off the top of my head for different content areas of agriculture education!
One website that I found while I was researching problem based learning, Learning Theories, provided information about what problem based learning is, where it originated, defining characteristics, and history. The website also provided criticisms of problem based learning that I found interested. The website pointed out that students may not know what is important for them to learn and that teachers may not be able to cover as much material as a more lecture based classroom. While I do see and understand where these points are coming from, I believe that with trial and error, teachers will be able to figure out how to use problem based learning in their classroom effectively. I know that after gaining more insight into problem based learning and finding lessons with good examples, I will use this during student teaching and as a full time teacher. I’m not afraid to branch out and try new things, which is what student teaching will allow me to do!
References:
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) | Learning Theories. (n.d.). Learning Theories. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.learning-theories.com/problem-based-learning-pbl.html
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