Destination: Planning for Success

Stop 1: Money Monday

Writing Clear Learning Objectives (Boston University)

Writing Measurable Learning Objectives (Arizona State University)

Stop 2: Work-it Wednesday 

Interest Approaches (Illinois Ag in the Classroom)
Interest Approaches (NAAE CoP)

Stop 3: Flashback Friday 

Large and Small Group Teaching (UCD-Dublin)

Interactive Group Teaching Techniques (University of South Florida)

Casting the Hook

While anglers cast their hooks to catch fish, teachers cast "hooks" to catch the interest of their students. In AEE 412, we will be exploring the different ways to use interest approaches with our future students. A properly utilized interest approach can help to decide if a class will be a series of casting and coming up empty each time, or if there will be a successful catch of engaged students.

Just like certain species of fish are attracted to certain types of lures and bait, students respond differently to certain types of interest connections. Fish respond well to things that catch their eye and satisfy their needs, and the same can be said for students. As educators, we classify the different ways to effectively "hook" our students as interest approaches. Lancelot outlines the principles of interest approaches here: Interest Approaches-University of Florida. More information on interest approaches can also be found here: Interest Approaches University of Arizona and in this video from Dr. Rice.

Once a teacher understands the type of interest approaches and how to use them, they need to determine which will be most appropriate for the students in each class. While it might be easy for an angler/teacher to tailor their fishing/teaching in a way that may only attract one specific type of fish/student, in doing so they would lose the opportunity to connect with many other types of fish/students who may also have value. It takes many species of fish to create a healthy aquatic ecosystem, and it takes many types of students to create a successful learning community within an ag program.

Luckily, there are lots of fun and creative ways to "hook" students and get them interested in what they will be studying. Here is a great resource with lots of ideas: Interest Approaches from Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom. NAAE also has a thread dedicated to interest approaches: NAAE Ag Interest Approaches. Most of these tools utilize common classroom resources and materials, can be applied to a multitude of ag subject areas, and are applicable to different ages and types of students.

An important thing to remember with interest approaches is that in order for them to work properly, they must be used in different combinations and settings. Fish can become immune to bait and lures if they are used repeatedly and in the same predictable patterns, and the same can be said for ag students. Each class provides an opportunity to use the different interest approaches in your tackle box, and over time you will learn which work best and when to use them.

Throughout the semester, we will work together to become the best learning engagement anglers that we can be. While our first few casts might not "hook" all of our students, in time, we will fill our teacher tackle boxes with all the tools and materials that we need to have a successful catch of ag students!

Lab 3 Foster Feedback - Interest Approaches

Session 6 - How do we motivate students to learn? September 11th

Learning Objectives Addressed

1. Present 17 “E-Moments”
2. Ask a Expert – Multiple Intelligences
3. Define Interest Approaches
4. Review Session 7 Expectations

Course Materials:          http://communities.naae.org/docs/DOC-11451 {resources not shared in class included}

Responses to Ticket Out Cards 

What are you curious about?

• Making my students interested in class like the interest approach today
• Look closely at the sources of interest identified by Lancelot and than you can be creative to meet those.
• How to keep interest approaches different?
• Variety is key (keep them off guard!) Think about variety from the viewpoint of the Multiple intelligences. Also remember, an interest approach for a lesson might only be a GREAT question and take 1 or 2 minutes...or to introduce a unit, it might be 15 minutes.
• Would you allow intrapersonal learners to complete a group project on their on?
• That depends, but probably not. Remember, Three goals to teaching with Multiple Intelligence (Match, Stretch, Celebrate)...Students need to be stretched to develop skills that they will need in everyday life like working in effective groups.
• But, How do you balance their development of people skills and communication, while making them feel engaged? (students who want to work alone might not participate with the group)
• Perhaps one component of the group project requires individual work which this student can focus on (like research for a presentation?)
• There was a bit of debate over the way spatial should be used on a worksheet, either words and ask for a graphic to represent/help remember or graphics and ask for the words?
• Either way would work!
• Can handouts be hole punched please?
• Sorry, we dont have that capacity, but we can see if we can get a hole punch put in Ferguson 007! Ask Renee!
• How do we motivate learners more?
• Watch the video - Drive by Daniel Pink
• Here is a neat 7 page article with specific suggestions: https://uteach.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/2011-02-18%20Motivating%20Reluctant%20Learners%20Handout.pdf
• Assign #9 - Draft - Can that be on a 8x10?
• Yes, you do not need to do special printing/laminating for the rough draft.
• Why was Jeff Bliss in the video an 18 year old sophomore?
• Watch his explanation on the Interview Link!

What did you learn?

1. 7 different e-moments! E-moments are awesome!
2. A Great Interest Approach for Electricity - Hot Dogs
3. A key to E-Moments is setting up strong context so that students can connect new information to something students already know.
4. Deeper understanding of the Multiple Intelligences
5. When using e-moments, it is important to celebrate/praise when students use/do something great!
6. E-Moments help us achieve variability of shifting instruction every 15 minutes.

What do you want to learn more about?

• Interest Approaches
• Hopefully the online session will help! I would love to see a blog post of what you find online!
• Where can I find great interest approaches (particularly Ag Applied)?
• Well, I believe the best ones are the ones we create to fit our students and communities, but we can be inspired by looking at other lessons. I really recommend looking at the Life Knowledge lessons as all of them (253) have a different interest approach built in. Other lessons developed by FFA outreach do as well. Check those out at: https://www.ffa.org/ffaresources/ffalearn/Pages/default.aspx
• Also, don't forget to search NAAE CoP!!
• Unit & Lesson Development
• What do you want to know? Specific questions get specific answers :)
• More Rice's Riches!!!
• We will see if we can arrange that!
• Can we get the written directions for the hot dog interest approach? It was really cool!
• Ms. Sankey Rice will make a blog post about it on this course blog!

Note:

Interested in learning more about Jeff Bliss, the student from Duncanville HS

·         Administration Response/School Response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zoN-gI87vk (10:09)

·         Jeff’s Interview with Say Cheese TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBpDswLlW9U (13.15)

·         Original Footage of the Incident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3h5jcI-MFI (1:27)

For Next Time:

1.       No Class on Friday

2.       Complete Discipline Derby Online: http://communities.naae.org/thread/7020

3.       Complete Session 7 Online: http://communities.naae.org/docs/DOC-11433

Other Announcements:

1)      Please make sure your PAAE, NAAE, ACTE Membership Forms are in to Renee (She has them) ASAP. This is required (and free) to ensure you have liability insurance.

2)      Get your applications in ASAP for the NAAE Preservice program at National Convention! http://www.naae.org/prodev/nataa.html (DUE SOON)