Week 1 Reflections

Monday was an in-service day with the students honoring Martin Luther King. This was a great chance for me to visit with Mark, giving us both a lot of time to share a range of topics with each other. I was surprised at how fast the day went and how much we had to talk about. In the morning we spent a good deal of time going over the schedule for the semester and the assignments that are expected as part of AEE 495. We were both a little daunted at the tasks laid out in the handbook with the high expectations that we both have for my development in the craft of instruction under his tuteledge. Upon completing the assignment review we both felt comfortable with a strategy that emphasizes getting many of the assignments that will take away from my actual instructional time done in this initial two weeks where I am fully responsible for one course each day. I really appreciate the time Mark and I have alone because he has such a deep perspective from his 22 years of experience in agriculture education.


Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled due to inclement weather.

Thursday was the first day of a new semester for the students at Etown and I have the Greenhouse Management and Landscape Design class of 17 from the beginning, until April 22. I am excited about this because it gives me a chance to demonstrate my instructional capabilities to Mark with enough time to adjust my craft as I take on two sections of Agriculture Mechanics I in the coming month. I spent the first session presenting my classroom expectations and consequences as adapted from Marks' with my edits in line with Etown policy and procedures. I came up with an icebreaker activity that I feel the students really enjoyed that tied seed identification to information about themselves which got them to share while shifting their focus to a new semester in a totally different discipline.

Friday was what I consider my first instructional day with actual material to start out with after sounding the depths of their knowledge on Thursday. I found out real quick I need to start with the basics and take a scaffolding or step up approach to Greenhouse Management in general and plant science specifically. I felt really good about a mind mapping exercise we did focusing on the different uses of plants in general. It was the first time I every used the technique since I was introduced to it in the Fall of 2012 and I was surprised that I had to cut the time short on it and they asked if we could continue with it Monday! I enjoy the subject matter so I am looking forward to enhancing it with activities, lab time, and later this semester actual greenhouse experience. I felt good about today and got some great feedback from Mark with suggestions for improvement and compliments on components that contributed to the learning experience. I also felt like my question and inquiry based approach to the entire session was effective when on of the students commented with "Geez Mr. Scanlon you're really making us think!". You gotta love that! Given this was a punt after all the unit and lesson prep I have done I think I have a good starting point and we will arrive at the material I have prepared in due time.