My Classes

          The classroom (often referred to as just MakerSpace) that I taught in was not like traditional classrooms. Even just taking a look at any part of the classroom proved to be a learning experience. You never knew what you would find. You might find a previous student's deconstructed Nintendo DS or a current student's ping pong ball launcher. You might question the giant wind tunnel sitting in the corner or how on earth the 3D printers worked. For me and my students, MakerSpace was a magical place. There were 3 sections to MakerSpace:

• Main Classroom - big art tables for students to work on, cubicles with desktop computers and drawers for students to store their work, 3D printers, CAD tools, teacher office, supply closet

• Clean Shop - big tables, electronics area, more computers, tools

• Dirty/Wood Shop - heavy-duty machinery and tools, students could cut, weld, and engineer all sorts of material here

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          Engineering Principles was the first class I took over.  It was a small class of 10 students, ranging from second-year students to seniors. This meant that the students were coming in with different exposure to engineering and different projects. I had students who were doing engineering projects (i.e. ring making, construction work) outside of school and those whose first exposure to engineering was this class. It was especially important for me to take my time with the engineering concepts and make sure all my students understood the material before moving on. During my time with Engineering Principles, I covered the Engineering Design Process, 3D Printing Technologies, Material Science, an extensive Electronics Unit (circuits, breadboard, electronic components, TinkerCAD), and Arduino (breadboarding and coding). However, one of my favorite topics to integrate into my lessons was Diversity in STEM. Seeing as Wachusett is a predominantly white school, it was important to me to be able to expose the students to underrepresented groups and persons in STEM (i.e. women in STEM, BIPOC scientists, and engineers, etc) they would not have learned about otherwise. 

          One of my biggest challenges with this class was teaching myself the material. This class and my other classes featured material that was outside of my content area (Computer/Data Science). Although I did robotics and other engineering extracurriculars in high schools, I found myself having to self-teach and rope my engineering major friends into teaching me the material. Some days I was only an hour ahead of the students. This experience really taught me to think on my feet, and also be authentic with my students. I found that students were understanding and accepting of the fact that I didn't know everything, that I was also learning alongside them. I believe this helped me to connect with the students and to get them to be more willing to make mistakes.

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          I co-taught MakerSpace with Greg Chandonnet (my mentor teacher) and his co-teacher, Dan Paradise. MakerSpace is a class unique to Wachusett. The class is open to second-year students and up, pending a successful application. A feature in Make Magazine describes the MakerSpace class as "a nontraditional class that focuses on self-directed learning and projects. It's a community where students feel safe to be themselves, not be judged, and to escape from the pressures of high school" (Make Magazine). The class provides students with an opportunity to understand real-world applications of STEAM academics by doing independent projects. The best part? The projects change every year. Projects in MakerSpace are directed by student and teacher interest. Past projects have ranged from a working cob oven (which we used to make actual pizza in, see above for pictures!) to mystery launchers to carnival games. A big goal of this class is to show students that they can start with an idea, design it, and then actually make it into something tangible. 

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One of my challenges with this class was interacting with each of the students. In a classroom of 28 (especially one where students are always up and doing something), it was difficult to check in with every student in each class. Once students were doing group projects, it made it more manageable. If I wasn't able to check in with a student on one day, I'd make a note and make sure to check in the next time we had class.

 

 

 

 

         I taught three sections of CADD I. Each class had a mixture of first-year students to seniors. This course introduces students to the principles of the drafting trade using Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD) techniques and processes. The students are introduced to freehand sketching, hand drafting, multi-view orthographic projection, and isometric shape modeling through 2D CAD software to produce detailed drawings and plans. 

          We started the year out with hand-drawn technical drawings, which require a lot of concentration and precision. This was a necessary skill to have before we could go draft and design on a computer. We have a motto in CADD, "Embrace the silence." For some, the quiet and do-it-at-your-own-pace classroom culture is very relaxing and is an escape from the rushedness of everyday life as a high schooler. Others have a hard time adjusting to this unique classroom experience and get chatty. To combat restlessness, I would have students take frequent gallery walks to see other students' work as well as just to get them up on their feet. Once we moved to the computers, we did stretch breaks instead. 

          Classroom management was my biggest challenge in these classes. Through my three CADD classes, I learned how to be assertive but still kind when giving instructions or getting students to pay attention. Phone usage was also an issue. I allowed students to listen to music as they worked, but some would get distracted by their phones. I found that being in general proximity to a student had them magically putting away their phones. For those who still were on their phones during class, my mentor teacher and I would have them put their phones in the drawer or on a shelf out of reach. If the situation escalated, we would take their phone for the rest of the period. 

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          About halfway through my practicium, I had the opportunity to sit in on Parent-Teacher Conferences. At WRHS, there are two sessions - one in the afternoon (12-2 PM) and one in the evening (6-8:30 PM). Parents and guardians are able to drop in to chat with their student's teachers. 

          There were fewer questions about grades than I thought there would be. This is probably because the classes I teach are all project-based, meaning as long as a student in putting in their best effort, they are doing well in the class. Students would need to make an effort to not do work in order to fail. Instead, I noticed a lot of parents talking about how MakerSpace, Engineering Principles, and CADD were all classes that their students talk on and on about at home. It was during Parent-Teacher Conferences that I began to realize the impact teachers had on students. Students that were often quiet in my classes were raving about the class and what they learned at home. It made me feel assured that what I was teaching was having some impact on my students. 

          Some parents also asked more general questions about how their child was doing and if some work could be made up outside of class. For CADD, since you need the drafting tools, students were able to make up any work they may not have finished in class during their study, lunch, or before and after school. 

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          I sat in on a department meeting during my first day at Wachusett. My mentor teacher is part of the Wachusett Partnership Program department, which includes teachers that teach classes like automotive shop, engineering, criminal justice, and engineering. "The Wachusett Partnership Program is designed to give students a significant experience in an area of study that interests them" (Wachusett Regional High School). It was very interesting to see how the department head ran these meetings and what information was important for the upcoming school year. In addition, it was eye-opening seeing how teachers were dealing with the new normal within the classroom. Throughout my time at Wachusett, I would continue to reach out to other faculty within my wing of the school to get advice and mentorship. 

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