In a unique Learn by Doing experience, agricultural education teacher candidates are gaining confidence in the classroom before their official student teaching begins. Through a partnership with the San Luis Obispo High School, candidates received Cal Poly credit for helping to teach the high school's agricultural mechanics class in the fall.
The teacher candidates worked on unit plans, lesson plans and instruction, laboratory time and organization, and classroom management — all the aspects necessary to provide effective instruction. They also did the teaching, instructing the high school students in plumbing, welding, woodwork, rope work, electricity and power machinery.
"One of the joys of hands-on learning is that you and your student can physically see the improvement that they are making,” said Morgan Perry, one of the teacher candidates.
The candidates also receive feedback and advice from experienced high school teachers.
The partnership will continue during spring quarter both in the classroom and beyond as the candidates help the high school students create projects for the agricultural mechanics' Barn Bash fundraiser in late April.
“This class literally takes the Learn by Doing philosophy and puts it into practical application,” said Luke Gocke, an agricultural education candidate. “What better way to learn how to be a teacher, than to be one?”
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