Like a Box of Chocolates - Surprise Lab

We all know the popular movie Forest Gump. In addition, we all know the famous, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.” This line came to mind this past Monday when the 2018 Student Teaching Cohort was presented a “surprise lab.” This lab pushed us all outside our comfort zones, but allowed us to gain or build upon our ability to create a quality lesson under pressure.  

On Monday we were given an AFNR standard and told to create our lesson based around that standard. The lesson was due by 5pm on Tuesday. The majority of the time, we are presented a lab scenario, and given a week to create a lesson, so to just have one day had a few of us biting our nails. However, many of us can say that the experience was more tolerable than presumed.

My AFNR standard was about the effectiveness of methods of reducing the effect of animal agriculture on the environment. Since I will be teaching an Animal Science unit and Animal Science course, I was excited to receive this taste. The topic was very tasteful, and made writing a lesson more enjoyable. Also, at this point in our teach ag journey, lesson plan writing has become a norm and is an easier task to complete than when we started.

Check out my thoughts on my execution of the lesson through gems and opps listed below:

Gems-

1. I was very impressed how composed I kept myself during this lab. The students were not cooperating, and I really wanted to yell.
2. I was very well prepared and organized for the lesson given the amount of time.
3. I was really strong in the content area so I was confident in what I was about to teach the students

Opps-

1. I still need to work on timing. I need to push students a bit and give them a time frame to complete a task right from the start and not wait until I see everyone is done. This allows free time for students, which can lead them off task.
2. I need to take control of my classroom management. I felt I let students get away with no participating, but in the moment I did not know what to do. In addition, I should have made them clear their desk to ensure there was no distraction.
3. I should have done the lab proportion of this lesson to create more student focus and engagement in the topic, but I was playing it safe by utilizing a reading passage and discussion. Basically, I need to challenge myself a more.

Overall, this lab was like a box of chocolates. We did not know what we were going to get, but the topics were tasteful, and the experience was enjoyable.