Problem-Solving Approach: Cheese and Crackers

 What Happened Last Week?

Last week the #psuaged23 cohort each created a problem-solving lesson plan and taught a 20 minute snippet to each other. This was really cool for us to do because it was the first lab that we addressed a problem to be solved in our lesson.

How does it relate to what I know about teaching and learning?

I really liked this lab because we all face problems daily. Simple ones could include what to wear or what to eat in the morning, or something a little tougher, like what to do if our car breaks down before school. Others can occur in class during the school day like what to do if we're struggling to lay down a clean bead in welding, or our bead looks a little off despite a flawless technique. These problems require problem-solving techniques that are often applicable throughout the school day.

What did I learn from the experience?

One thing I learned from lab with was that it I had a more difficult time than I expected allotting time for the problem. For my lesson, I taught about a few common welding issues like spatter and incorrect wire delivery. I then provided students with two different scenarios. They worked with a partner to troubleshoot the scenarios and come up with potential solutions. Then we moved onto an activity where we used spray cheese to weld crackers together. This activity was a lot of fun, but it was not as closely related to the problem to be solved as I had hoped. Next time, the activity will be related to the problem to be solved much more closely.

How can I apply this as an Agriscience teacher?

There are always problems to be solved as an educator and as a student. Allowing students to solve fictional/low-stake problems in the classroom allows them to be able to solve larger scale problems outside of the classroom as a human being. I will be using these problems and lesson when I teach my welding unit this spring at Pequea Valley High School. After completing this experience, I feel more confident in my ability to create problems to be solved for my students.


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