Reflecting on Teaching the Interest Approach

Every Wednesday, through my AEE 412 course at Penn State, we have teaching lab.  This week, our lab was on interest approaches.  For my interest approach I utilized a parody video from Cledus T. Judd which humorously answered the question "How do you milk a cow?" and a demonstration on how to do so with latex gloves filled with water.  For context, the interest approach was in preparation for the first day of dairy milking parlor management.  

When I got to lab, I had all of my materials prepared and was ready to begin teaching.  I was prepared and had spent the time to create a PPT as well.  I began the interest approach and felt very on top of the activity and excited about it.  This may have been why I forgot to make the interest approach relevant to the students.  Although I knew the connection to hand-milking a cow and operating the milking parlor, I did not convey that connection to my students very well.  Additionally, I did not involve the students very much in the lesson and asked very few questions.

In the classroom, it is very important to not only provide clarity and a clear direction on the lesson for students but to also connect what you are teaching to the outside world in order for them to understand the meaning of the content and the importance of it.  As a teacher, it is our job to provide the motivation and purpose of the content.  Having failed to do so in my teaching lab, I will have to improve upon that area of my teaching.  

Additionally, interaction with the students and including them in the lesson is something I need to work on as well. In order for them to feel as though they have control in the classroom and have a say in what they learn and how they learn, students will retain the information more.  

All this being said, I learned the real importance of a good interest approach to a class session and the importance of asking questions of the students and connecting the activity and content to the relevant area outside of schooling.  An example of this could be connecting to a career in agriculture.  I also learned more of what it looks like to grab a students attention and the principles behind their interest.  Through AEE 412 I was able to answer the question "What garners student interest?"

In my student teaching internship next semester and on into my career after college as an Agriscience teacher, I can apply interest approaches, asking questions of students, and providing relevant connections to the learning in my teaching.  All these things are methods and actions that are very important in teaching and ones which I should implement and put into practice as an Agriscience teacher.  An example of a good interest approach might be welding ice cubes together to introduce a welding unit or lesson.  (interest approach curtesy of Michaela Gerhart)