Let's Talk About Life (Knowledge)

On Tuesday I got to visit my Cooperating Center, Cumberland Valley High School, to teach my Life Knowledge lesson. After communicating with Ms. Darla Romberger, we decided that I would be teaching her Food Science and Plant Science classes. So, I came prepared to teach these two classes my Life Knowledge lesson on Human Potential.

To begin the lesson, I started off my Interest Approach with a can of soda. After shaking the soda, I asked the students a series of questions about the potential inside of the can and whether humans also have potential. From there, we went on a scavenger hunt for the definition of human potential, identified the personal assets each of the students possessed, and hypothesized how those personal assets can make a positive difference in the world. To wrap up the lesson, I opened an unshaken can of soda and explained that we each need to make choices about how we use our potential. If we end up not using it, we never do anything that makes a splash in our communities. 

Overall, I really enjoyed getting to know the students that I will be working with come January. Teaching these two classes allowed me to work with two different groups of students not only in size, but also in levels of motivation. After spending so much time this semester focusing on planning for Student Teaching, it was great to be back in a classroom and connecting with students. It was also beneficial to see which of the activities students were most engaged in. When planning, it is hard to tell if your lessons are variable, so I enjoyed getting instant feedback while teaching and watching how the students responded to each part of the lesson. One area where I hope to grow going into Student Teaching is thinking about how to engage larger groups of students to make sure everyone has a chance to be involved in the activities.

Next week, #psuaged22 will be traveling to New Orleans for the 2021 National Association of Agricultural Educators Convention. This will be a trip for many firsts (first time on a plane and first time in Louisiana) and I am excited to learn with agricultural educators from across the United States. Be sure to continue to check in for more updates as the semester comes to a close!

'Taylor'ed with love,