Fourth Lab: Problem Solving Approach

My initial thought process in regards to this lab was "problem solving? can't be that hard". After Foster's class I was a bit more confident, but after I started thinking I was having trouble coming up with a way to connect these approaches to lessons. Obviously you guys know food drives me in all my endeavors (lol), so I came up with a effect-cause lesson for microbiology of meat (bacteria cause salmonella, virus cause hepatitis, etc).

I can say with one hundred percent sincerity that I prepared the most for this lab than any other. I worked for 3+ hours compiling this lesson plan and power point, even referenced a home video of a fungus emitting spores that my dad sent me over a year ago. I knew the material. I know meat science. I was confident.

I want to watch my video, but I want to say I started out strong and enthusiastically. Aside from the important parts that I forgot (ONCE AGAIN), I was happy with how it was going. There were two things that I forgot to mention that I wrote in my lesson plan, which sucks.

By the middle of my lesson, I kind of lost my momentum. I noticed people were texting, or didn't care about what I was saying. By the end of my lesson, some students were completely uninterested and I don't think it was even part of the classroom role playing. It honestly frustrated me quite a bit to notice that, but I figured at the end that it was my fault and I need to improve.

I never get the students up and moving. I am so set on showing them videos and pictures that I forget that having them do the things that I am doing (writing mostly) will help them retain the information.

I also didn't print enough hand outs out for myself to have one so I had to look at Jeanne's to remember what I wrote. This slowed down the flow of the activity. Each time I am done teaching I immediately wish I could hit the reset button and go back and try again.

All in all, disappointed in how the lesson went. Had a golden opportunity to teach something that I love, and didn't do it as well as I could. I am just glad that this is practice. We move on.