Week 4: Changes to the Classroom

           This experience is just packed with new applications and ideas to bring to the classroom. Easy enough, I can list off some these applications: graphing trends and finding best fit lines for sales data, finding rates of change with waterflow, finding averages to create target goals for the manufacturing department, etc.

Not as easily, however, is an explanation of a realization with how I have been a step-by-step instructor.

As I try to envision some of the changes that will result due to my realization, I cannot tell you at the moment what it exactly looks like because I am still trying to come to terms with it and how I need to change my activities.

I have always taken care in my step-by-step explanation of solving problems, completing activities, and doing projects. I feel I even had a driving mentality for some of the activities I designed, that as long as students could follow directions, they would be able to complete the activity/task. I had on the side, and perhaps too far on the side, the hopes that in the process of following the steps I laid out, they would make connections and build concepts.

This should not be. Students need to know that for unfamiliar problems out there, they will more times than not be on their own to make their own steps to finding solution. Just because there are not steps, does not mean they stop. They need to have the skill to TRY to apply ideas and ANALYZE/tweak their processes to arrive at a best solution. In other words, as a howled out about in my last blog, they need to be able to problem solve. And, they need to have CONFIDENCE in the process of finding things that do not work and then keep trying.

My current project is an example of this demand. I started with trying to set certain manufacturing target goals. What I found is the monthly manufacturing outputs fluxuated too much to set a fixed rate/target. My project has turned into trying to set up a model that will give a projection on sales. If sales can be harnessed, then production needs can be predicted and thus more regulated.

I still am struggling with my project, but I have a goal, and I look forward to the moment I arrive at a solution and I SEE THE SOLUTION WORK AND FIT THE GOAL.

 Steps and useful ways to remember things have a place. But, I need to begin introducing to my students that lesson of no right or wrong approach.

I  really do believe hands-on projects at the end of units that encompass the objectives/standards of the unit are what will get students engaged. I truly need to strive this school year to create projects where the students use their skills and see and feel victory in pulling the skills learned together to complete their project.

One of the projects I am working on creating for my students is a project where the students are to create an irrigation system. This is just an idea at this point, but at the end of this experience I will post the project materials on this blog. Below is a list of requirements (a list, not steps) of what I need for this project as I go about designing it. Forgive me because it is early in its design.

1.)    I need to present the problem and be clear with my expectations for the end project results:

a.       Problem: They are to design a pump and irrigation system that waters a row of tomatoes that is 10  feet long

b.      Demands: They need to present research of waterflow, pressure,

2.)    I will need to factor in cost and let them know what I have available, so they can work around it whether they design specifically on what I have, or they find some of their own material.

3.)    Rubric for a analysis paper which includes the rates of changes that are at work in this scenario.

4.)    Background information on water some physics fluid dynamics.