Today was a special day, it was a Wednesday, that meant it was a Flex day. This meant that classes were shorter to allow for an extra hour in the day for Flex. That is where students are able to sign up weekly for a session that they choose. It could be academic help, a study hall, or a fun interest like chess, board games, or music. From my understanding it was created to assist students who might be struggling with classes and allow for student interests where they can explore different things or just have that bit of brain break they need. It's still a new system, only in the second year of operation so there were some kinks I learned about like how to account for students. I wanted see how this affected the school day and flow and how Mr. B managed the time. This was also the day before Thanksgiving so daily tasks were light and it was a catch up and prep kind of day.
 |
| Smoothie Lab |
 |
| Students at work? |
A fun lab before break was this smoothie lab in our food science class. Students were able to create a smoothie of their choice, taste it (obviously, where would the fun be?) but then look up the nutrition of the ingredients and see how healthy and oxidants their creation is. I saw a range of characters come out today, a glimpse of the culture at the school, as pictured to the right. Since food science counts as a chemistry credit students who might not pass chemistry take this class, but also those who struggle or disengage. I saw students who were excited to create something and those who weren't, not event to try their groups mix. It's disheartening to see such a lab that we as educators think students will enjoy, and yet there are those who just don't want to put effort in or even try. It's food! How does food not even engage students?
 |
| Hydroponic Garden |
Same class is utilizing the greenhouse for their hydroponics. They are using this set up which is cost efficient. It is a pretty cool urban garden set up that is becoming popular, if you want to learn more about about how it works or even need a design check out this link.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi, Matt!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your experiences with us relating to instruction! These both sound like interesting and unique take-aways and it sounds like you are learning a lot with Mr. B out at Stillwater! Their agricultural education program is very strong and I always enjoyed working with their chapter at the Washington County Fair back in my "FFA days!"
You raise a really important point with engagement in this post. It is very interesting that even food does not always engage learners. Everyone has different values and interests, but it has always stumped and surprised me that food (one thing that unites and relates to all of us) still fails to engage people. It just goes to show the value of getting to know your students and then incorporating their interests and hobbies into the curriculum so that they feel welcomed, invited and included as often as possible. Unfortunately, not everything we do as teachers will resonate with everyone. But if we are intentional about making even just one impactful connection with a student (whether it be through a lab, activity or FFA opportunity), the effect can be life-changing.
I also found the hydroponics set-up you shared to be intriguing as well! Tom Michaels was actually my professor for my plant science class freshman year and I remember him sharing so much passion and enthusiasm for this particular set-up option you have included here. Are there any other unique opportunities or displays at Stillwater that are similar to the hydroponics set-up that could also be used as an appealing and fun educational tool for students?
Thanks for sharing!
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experiences at Stillwater with us. I have seen some similar experiences with labs or activities I thought students would love, but they are completely disengaged. As a teacher, how would you handle this? How could you get that student to be more involved with their group? Why were they disengaged?
It appears you had many different experiences during your one day and saw many different aspects of the classroom. Also, I think it is great you were able to see a "flex" day. We, as teachers, have to deal with interruptions all the time. How did it affect Mr. B's instruction and planning? Did you think he handled it positively or was it a wasted day?
Thank you for sharing and reflecting on your experiences, nice job!
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your blog! Sometimes schedules change in the school district, especially nowadays. I think that being flexible (get it? Flex?) is important when it comes to planning. Ensuring that we plan for a little bump in the road is important because those bumps happen!
When schedules get changed, students often have a harder time adjusting. In the agriculture classroom especially, we have different activities that require students to get up and move quite frequently. Sometimes this can cause distractions and loss of engagement. Can we as teachers figure out a way to help with this distraction/disengagement? Is there a specific way you've seen how this is handled? We have to plan for this lost time and how to come back from that.
This was a great blog!
Thanks!
Katie