Inquiry Based Instruction- AEE 412 Lab

During the National FFA Convention this year, I had the opportunity to sit in on a teacher workshop called "The Livestock Dating Game." That workshop is where I was introduced the Inquiry Based Instruction (IBI), and once it was completed, I had many different ideas soaring through my mind as to how I can facilitate my own IBI lesson in a few of the units that need preparation.

What Did I Do?

Well, I took some time to brainstorm as to how I can incorporate IBI into the Ag Construction course where I was given two units from the Derry Ag Instructor, Mr. Campbell, to go all out an have fun with. The two units that I had the choices of were Electrical Wiring and Plumbing. Hmm... I needed to get my creative juices flowing.

I got it! I could do an activity based out of the Electrical Wiring Unit by using magnetism as the topic. Then it was time to come up with an activity. After using a few resources, I decided to have an activity where the students create a compass.

How Did it Work?

The students were given a scenario where they were lost in the woods with no cell phone and no map. They knew that their camp was in the southeastern corner of the woods and they needed to get back before sunset. Using the items in their travel pack, they needed to create something that would help them in finding their way back to camp.

Eventually, time ran out and the students had to clean up their desks as the bell was about to ring for the next period. They got super close in figuring out how to locate the poles on their magnetized paperclips, but they did not quite get there.

What are my Thoughts?

At the very end of the lesson, I had three main thoughts racing through my mind. They were as follows:

1. Come on, Samantha, you need to be more clear in your instruction. 
• Clarity is key! Yes, I know I have mentioned that before. Although I feel that this lesson was so much better than my other labs, I still need to be more clear. I had students as for the directions over again, and it was frustrating for myself to stop and slow down.
2. Seriously Samantha? How can you facilitate more effectively without pacing around in circles and it seem like you're hovering over the students?
• Even when I was rewatching my lab in the video, I got sick of watching myself pace back and forth and back and forth throughout the room. Surely, it was difficult to keep entertained as I had 1 group of students to facilitate (if I had 4-5 groups, I would not be pacing as much).
3. Know the material! 
• Now, Electrical Wiring is certainly not a critical part of my knowledge base. When it came to the students asking me questions about the material, I did not know how to answer them. They came up with some interesting questions, and I ended up researching the answers afterwards.

Overall

The most rewarding thing about this lesson was after it was concluded and the camera was shut off. One of the 'students' said, "I really enjoyed this, and would love for you to share this with me. I really want to do this when I student teach." Who knew? Maybe I can actually do something right every once in a while.