SLO Action Reserach Weld & Electricity

Many public Pennsylvania schools use what is called a student learning objective otherwise known as an SLO to measure understanding of important information gained throughout their courses.  As part of our student teaching experience we h

ad to create and conduct our own SLO and Action Research project. 

I created an SLO to measure retention of electrical wiring skills gained in a general agricultural mechanics class.  My problem statement read… Retention of information and skills previously taught is very important especially in the agricultural mechanics shop when each class is a building block to the last.  Mr. Smith & Mrs. Oberholtzer have noticed in their welding and electricity class many students do not retain information related to proper wiring.  Each student in this class has already taken introductory Ag. Mechanics and covered in depth general electrical principles to pave the way for their learning specifically in welding and electricity.

Below you can see the infographic I created for measuring growth of my 7 students in my welding and electricity class. 

Hay Rack Construction (Community Based Unit)

Community support and interaction with community members is vital to any successful agriculture program.  At about the halfway point in my student teaching experience I was approached by a local farmer to construct a hay rack for his dairy cattle.  I jumped on the opportunity and began discussing his vision for this final project.  It was something that would fit in very nicely in my welding and electrical class.  My students by now were also proficient in both arc and MIG welding and had the choice to use either or during the construction of this project. 

To make the most of this community based unit of instruction I also incorporated other members of the community.  On April 18^th I took my seven students on a tour of a local Amish metal fabrication shop.  This proved to be very beneficial.  My students got to ask an array of questions and see how a metal fabrication shop functions.  There they got to see them build a large two compartment mulch dump box.  It was interesting because they were building it for an uncle of one of the students in my class.  They also got to see a CNC cutter in action as well as three other large metal shears.  This Amish metal fabrication shop does many small customer projects as well as builds two products of their own.  These products include a hay conditioner for the small hobby farmer and driveway graders.  It amazed my students and me that while this small shop located in Lancaster County actually markets their products to multiple dealers up and down the east coast. 

On Wednesday April 20^th we had a conference phone call with Jason Scales who is the manager of educational development with Lincoln Electric.  During this conference call the students got to listen to best tips and tricks when constructing a hay rack and other relatable products.  This conference call proved to be very successful and the students as well as I learned something new.  The students also learned about career opportunities in welding and with Lincoln Electric.

Then on Thursday April 21^st a college representative from Thaddaeus Stevens College of Technology came and spoke about their welding program and metal fabrication program.  This meeting proved to be a valuable tool as well.  While only one of my students was a senior who was graduating it got the rest of my students’ minds thinking about maybe pursuing a technical career at Thaddaeus Stevens.  She brought a plethora of information that she shared with the students and also offered to partner with Lampeter Strasburg in the future to set up any industrial tours or college visits.  Holly and I thought this was a great door which we opened with a local upper level institution of education.

All week long we continued as well working on the hay rack.  The students impressed me greatly with their go get it attitude on this project and taking ownership of it.  I am very proud of the progress all seven of my students have made in my welding class.  They should be completing this project this coming Monday just in time for the cows to be eating hay out of it.

And So It Comes To an End

Fifteen weeks.  The past fifteen weeks I have spent my final semester as an undergrad student teaching at Lampeter Strasburg High School.  With two of the coolest, wisest, talented, caring, comical, down to earth mentors a person could ask for.  Who would have ever thought I would have enjoyed Lancaster County as much as I have.  I really feel like I have become a part of the community than just a squatter here for the past fifteen weeks.

At the beginning of my journey I had no clue what was in store for me.  Sure we had been given all the hype by last year’s student teachers.  Prepared all fall semester for this experience, but until I truly got to Lampeter Strasburg it was a complete toss-up.  As the internship began the nerves ran high.  Every day though I became more and more a part of the school community though.  Every day I got to know more and more of my students on a personal level.  Every day I encountered challenges, but overcame them with guidance and continuing to go through this experience with an open mind.  Every day I felt fortunate to be in such a great cooperating center.

When I began to take on a full course load that is when I realized what it was like to be an educator.  The preparing was endless, but so was the learning that was occurring in my classroom.  I stepped out far beyond my comfort zone in veterinary science 2 and felt at home in my welding and electrical class.  Many a times I wished I would have done this or done that differently in my lesson plan, but the past is the past and the meaningful discussions I would have with my cooperating teacher made me want to strive even harder for excellence.

By this point in my student teaching experience I was also gaining familiarity with other teachers, faculty and staff, and community members.  Going at this alone is not the way to succeed in this internship or the profession.  Make connections.  Meet new people learn all that you can from them. 

And so it comes to an end.  My final day of student teaching occurred yesterday April 22^nd 2016.  I cannot say enough how much of an enjoyable an experience it has been.  While there were times that I did not think I could do it.  Through friends and family I made it to where I am now with graduation just two short weeks away.  The thanks that the students gave me yesterday was unimaginable in just the short time that I was there.  Who would have ever thought that I would make such an impact on so many young lives?  It was a blast teaching all of my students even sometimes when the road became rough or it did not seem to exist there at all.

To my cooperating teachers words cannot express how grateful I am to have gotten to spend the last fifteen weeks with the both of you.  You put in so much time to prepare me to be the best agricultural educator I can be.  Your patience and guidance was second to none.  Your assistance in all the assignments I had to complete would have made some people walk away and make me fend for myself.  Both of you chose to go at them with me with an open mind providing thoughtful discussion.  I looked forward to every morning opening that greenhouse door and saying good morning as I was nervous and excited for a day of teaching.  I cannot say thank you enough that every night and morning you asked if there was any assistance you could provide for me.

On that note I will leave you with this.  True experiences can only be made if you go at them whole heartedly.  Make the most of your time in whatever it is that you do.

Be That Someone

There is just one more week left in my student teaching experience at Lampeter Strasburg High School.  It is now mid-April and I think it is safe to say spring is here to stay.  After our surprise snow squall we had last weekend!

Reflecting on my past week I was unsure of what to share with you.  So many awesome experiences have occurred during my student teaching internship.  I have only gotten to share snippets with you. 

This past week some of my students were in some not so great moods.  However, some came to school saying to me “I’m glad that I have first period with you Mr. Tate, it makes starting my day that much better.”  This shocked me.  I have only been here for 13 weeks and making that big of an impact on a student’s day means a lot to me. 

As I said some of my students were in some foul moods.  I could tell this first thing in the morning greeting my students at the door.  This simple task of greeting your students at the door can give you a breadth of information of what is going on in your students’ lives.  While some of my students might have been in a foul mood.  I realized every day I must put my best foot forward to be a positive impact of change.  Keeping that positive energy flow in your classroom can make all the difference in how well your lesson could go. 

I was also reminded that you don’t know the struggles someone is going through until you have gone through them yourself or you are alerted or informed of the situation.  A few students of mine have gone through some not so great circumstances lately. 

While I realize I cannot fix everything I do hope every day I can make someone’s day just a little bit better.  Because after all it’s the little things that mean the most.   

Eastern PAAE

The Eastern Region PAAE meeting was held this past April 6^th at Garden Spot High School.  If you’re keeping up on things and are observant.  I am teaching at Lampeter Strasburg High School home of the Garden Spot FFA Chapter however, Garden Spot High School is known as the Grassland FFA Chapter confusing, right?  This high school is just up the road from us so Mrs. O, Mr. Smith, and I didn’t have a long drive at all.  

In my travels to Garden Spot High School Mrs. O pointed out the New Holland sale barn to me.  It is the largest sale barn on the East Coast.  FYI it really isn’t much to look at.  But, it is an integral part of livestock production on the East Coast.  Many farmers in my area use this sale barn. 

When I arrived at Garden Spot High School I got to observe their facilities and their greenhouse was blossoming with vegetables and flowers!  During the meeting we had guest presenters from the Center for Dairy and PDA.  The Center for Dairy Excellence was promoting their Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow Curriculum and if you haven’t checked it out yet you should!  Mr. Sheely, from PDA gave use some food for thought.  There are 163 schools that offer agricultural education courses in Pennsylvania.  Seventy percent of those programs are comprehensive high schools within the commonwealth.  On a side note twenty four percent of these programs are not approved programs.  Meaning they do not meet PA Department of Education requirements for the Career and Technical Education Standards.  Another interesting fact is that Pennsylvania employs 238 agricultural educators!

Other topics of discussion during the meeting consisted of SAE integration throughout the state and incorporating AET into our programs.  NOCTI was also brought up and these are exams that students take if they are “completers” of your program.  Lampeter Strasburg conducted theirs April 6-7.  The PAAE conference being held at MiddWest High School was discussed.  What intrigued me about this conference were the vast opportunities agricultural educators could choose from to meet their individual needs.  Overall the meeting was very productive and informative.

The Hoorays and Oh man I wish I would have of Dairy Labs!

Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this past week I conducted three labs in my vet science class.  We wrapped up the dairy unit in my vet science 1 class and what better way to do it then incorporating some labs into the mix of things!  Monday we conducted a cheese evaluation lab.  Wednesday we did flavor defects in milk and Thursday we made butter.  The response from the students was phenomenal and I was proud of the work I had done to successfully complete three labs.  However, there were many takeaways, notes written down and oh man I wish I would have done this differently! 

I will begin with the HOORAYS!

Student engagement was at an all-time high.  Students dug right into the “milk” of the material.  The hands on kinesthetic activities really cranked student engagement up at 7:40am.  Having lab worksheets for the students to use as they went through each lab activity really cut down on questions and uncertainty of what to do next.  Students communicated with their peers around them deciding which cheese was which, the flavor defect in the milk after tasting it, or just exactly what is that sweet spot for making butter. 

Now onto the OH MAN I WISH I WOULD HAVE!

During the cheese lab I wish I would have had a small activity for the students to do after they had gotten their 9 types of cheeses.  Something as simple as list as many cheeses you know describe them and then compare with a partner sitting next to you.  During this time as I was dismissing tables and making sure students were getting the proper amount of cheeses those students who had already gotten theirs had down time when they were not on task.  I also briefly spoke to the class about cheese making.  I wish I would have had a few slides about the process of making cheese and describing what curds and whey are.  During my milk flavor defect lab I wish I would have broken my PowerPoint up into two chunks.  I felt like I was losing student focus about ¾ of the way through the PowerPoint.  During our butter making lab I wish I would have allowed for enough time at the end for the students’ to wash their milk jugs.  I was stuck cleaning a few jars at the end of the period and wiping up tables. 

In closing labs are a great integration into classroom instruction.  However, they require a lot of planning and preparation.  My cheese lab would not have been nearly as successful had I not gotten the cheeses the day before and been fortunate enough to enter the school on Sunday.  Had I not been able to enter the school on Sunday I really don’t think that lab would have happened Monday morning at 7:30am.  Having everything created ahead of time lessens the amount of confusion and stress and allows for you to run through the lab yourself.   

Interacting with Those in the Agriculture Education Profession

On Monday, March 28^th, the Eastern Region Dinner Meeting sponsored by the Center for Professional Personnel Development by Penn State was held at Shady Maple.  If you are unaware about what Shady Maple is, it is a smorgasbord nestled in the heart of Lancaster County.  Leaving hungry is your own fault. 

After devouring an array of food options we shared resources, reflected on our teaching methods, gave advice, and shared in laughter.  The event was extremely beneficial for me as a pre-service teacher and received so much good advice and resources from others in the profession.  Olivia and I got to interact with teachers who had strong food science, veterinary science, agricultural mechanics, and natural resources programs.  What was great about the evening was that everyone in the room is doing what they do because they love what they do.  The amount of laughter in the room and information gathered was second to none. 

We were informed prior if we brought a resource we would get our meal paid for by Mr. Frederick.  Of course I jumped on that plug!  I brought a rubric I had created for my electrical wiring unit.  I found out early in my student teaching experience it is very important to be as transparent as you can be when grading students.  That way if they disagree with their grade you can show them exactly where they fell short at receiving points.  Mrs. Oberholtzer brought an SLO she created for her class others could possibly use if they have some sort of animal science program.  Mr. Smith brought a form he uses when conducting his small gas engines class and students bring in their own engines to fix. 

The evening concluded with Mr. Frederick providing us with an abundance of resources!  These resources ranged from pamphlets on how to identify trees and anatomy sets of a cow, pig, and dog.

Another favorite moment of mine which I have gotten to experience numerous times now, is traveling with Mr. Smith to these agricultural education events.  The wisdom, advice and hysterical stories he has shared with me have also all been filed away like the resources given to me at all of these events to use at a later date.