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high school tech teacher needs imput!

silver | Posted in General Discussion on September 27, 2005 06:35am

YO.

Just landed a job as a high school tech teacher after 35 years in the field and am experiencing culture shock…I’m teaching grade 10 and 12 construction technology.

Grade 10 is situation under control but I need some real punchy stuff to get through  to what I call the barbarians. I tried straw bale sustainable construction to little interest…any thoughts would be greatly appreciated…their attention span is about 5 minutes on a good day. It seems that any spark of interest has been bored out of them…

I am doing personal projects with them on the machines which is a challenge but is going pretty darn good. I do need some construction theory and I’d like to see some lightbulbs go on…

thanks!

silver      for the record-tradesman who teaches  


Edited 9/26/2005 11:39 pm ET by silver

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  1. RalphWicklund | Sep 27, 2005 07:32am | #1

    What kind of machines are you using and what are you doing with them that holds their interest? Is this typical woodshop or are you getting down and dirty in the field.

    I think a very graphic session on safety ought to hold their attention. After the talk and the ER pics of errant nails fired from framing guns choose the baddest boy for a hands on demo. Nail his, er, Nikes to the floor. After the talk and ER pics of the dangers of spinning or endless blades toss a chunk of fresh cow onto the table saw. Make sure they're all dressed in their colors and bling and have them stand where the sawdust should fly.

    Katrina and Rita are at the top of the news. Construction theory should include methods to keep your house/crib from imploding on you. Should also include site selection and some news footage driving home why you don't build on the wrong side of the levee.

    Do their rides bounce up and down or their tunes rattle your bones? Relate that to overspanned floors and sound proofing or deadening techniques. What's a Mooney wall?

    Career field trips. First stop- the local day labor yard and the corner near Lowe's and HD. Second stop- a real ball-busting construction site. Third stop- The air conditioned, well appointed office of a successful architectural firm or a large GC.

    Question: Where do YOU barbarians want to be five to ten years from now?

  2. bosn | Sep 27, 2005 07:48am | #2

    A wise teacher once told me, "Tell me and I will forget, show me and I will remember, involve me and I will understand."

    Also, you have high school boys (mostly, I would imagine) who are probably antsy because boys need to burn off energy.  Try doing something active first in your class, then going into the sit down stuff.

    Try brainstorming with the class for a project that will meet your criteria, that they are interested in doing.  Then guide them through self teaching as they pursue a goal that they set for themselves.  A reward other than a grade at the end wouldn't hurt.  Perhaps some competition that they can compete in as a class.

    Good luck. 

    If you haven't drawn blood today, you haven't done anything.

  3. DanT | Sep 27, 2005 01:03pm | #3

    I instructed at a local vocational school for 4 years.  The most success I had was using project based learning.  I started each year with the basic of reading a tape measure.  Usually did a scavenger hunt of this is the measurment, find it and tell me what it is.  First one done wins whatever.   Make sure you make up 4 or 5 different sheets or they will all copy from each other during the hunt.

    I then would have them build some basic items they would use during the year.  Saw horses, step stools etc. with nothing but basic hand tools.  Then they had to pass a safety test on each power tool just to learn to use them.  Next we learn how to use them and practice.

    We would then move into planning a project and actually building them.  Lawn sheds were a good item.  Big enough to be a challenge and small enough no one died if they fell off.  I would break them into teams of 4 or 5, give them plans and have them order the material they needed one section at a time.  They were billed for the material they used.  One with the lowest material used at the end was considered the most profitable.  Not the lowest in use but the fewest mistakes.

    We then sold the sheds to people in the community at cost + 10%.  We then would build a second set of sheds.  Amazing the difference in their competency on the next round.  On this round we would hang drywall and finish it, then tear it out.  We would wire the shed for a basic light and receptacle and if time allowed we plumbed the and tore it out afterwards. 

    Mistake were allowed.  I mean just because I saw a wall going together incorrectly didn't mean I would stop it.  Let them finish the wall, find out the problem and tear it apart and correct it.  It really minimized future errors but also taught that it was going to happen and the real issue is how you deal with it.  DanT

  4. calvin | Sep 27, 2005 01:56pm | #4

    Through an organization I joined with the senior remodel class at the local Vo-ed school to build a fundraising playhouse.  Being that I wasn't the teacher, the students showed me a bit of respect and alot of excitement with the project.  While juniors they had put together garden sheds  and playhouses, but no anything as ornate as this "Victorian".  See if you can find an organization that they could do the work for, a bit more pride knowing they are helping others.

    These classes had regularly worked with Habitat, some area school projects (football snack shacks, press box, dugouts) and even hired themselves out on remodel jobs (as a class).

    Here's the playhouse we raffled off.

    Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

    Quittin' Time

    1. DanT | Sep 28, 2005 02:50am | #8

      That nice Cal but frankly none of my students look remotely like the ones (far left) in your photo.  You must have really felt challenged there lol.  DanT

      1. calvin | Sep 28, 2005 04:37am | #9

        Somebody had to do it dan. 

         Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

        Quittin' Time

    2. blue_eyed_devil | Sep 28, 2005 05:04am | #11

      That's awesome Cal!

      Now that's real!

      blue 

      1. calvin | Sep 28, 2005 12:55pm | #13

        It was a nice switch from the day to day grind. 

        What was interesting was the whole operation.  You could live there at the school.  Well, not live per se, but you could exist with all the services offered.  Besides the building trades, there's food service, hair stuff, auto body and repair, computer programing, accounting, metal work, landscaping and horticulture, marketing, a whole bunch of stuff.  A nice operation.  Very worthwhile. 

        I'm sure many of the students are there because they can't or won't cut it in the usual education offered in the schools.  But for those that embrace this line of study, a good series of programs.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

        Quittin' Time

        1. blue_eyed_devil | Sep 28, 2005 02:51pm | #15

          Cal, that sounds like a school I could have dealt with.

          blue 

          1. mrfixitusa | Sep 28, 2005 04:46pm | #16

            One option is to require each student to make a project of his choice. 

            Another option is to make something via "mass production". 

            Some teachers have the students make things for the school or the school district (cabinets, items for physical educ dept, etc)

            Some teachers make woodworking projects for the general public.

            Some teachers make small sheds and sell them

            Some teachers take the kids out into the community to do a remodeling job.

            Why not give them real world experience?  Let me guess.....there's an administrator involved here somewhere offering their "worldly advice"

             

             

  5. User avater
    Matt | Sep 27, 2005 02:47pm | #5

    I took a construction Technology Course when I was in high school... Look where it landed me ;-)  Seriously though, I enjoyed the class even though I was probably what would have been considered a punk...

    There was a guy here maybe 3 or 4 years back with your exact questions.  Might be hard to find on a search, but worth a try.

    Here is an idea:  Your local Habitat for Humanity would likely welcome a field trip for kids to learn framing or something similar.  There may have an age limit for students allowed to work on site though.   

    Or perhaps a monthly field trip to a house under construction - so that they could see the process, first hand, as it develops - starting with the piece of bare ground and a set of plans ending with the house just prior to move in.  Maybe even a semi-monthly trip for the first 3, since things develop fast at first. - once you get past the permitting stage...

  6. oldfred | Sep 27, 2005 04:47pm | #6

    Give us a little more information;

    Where are you?  What is your vocational background?  What do you have for a budget?  How many students?  What do you have for a facility and tools? What is the history of the program you inherited - new?, well established? voc school with other construction related programs?  Does your program have a board of local advisors/trades people?  

    oldfred

  7. User avater
    draftguy | Sep 27, 2005 05:20pm | #7

    Remember some shop and drafting classes in HS a million years ago (know what you mean).

    If you're looking for alternative construction, you might check out the architectural program website for the Rural Studio at Auburn University (http://www.ruralstudio.com). Begun by Samuel Mockbee, it has architectural students actually construct their designs for the rural poor. The budgets are small but design is heavily pushed, with interesting results. They build houses, churches, rec centers, etc. with straw bale construction, compacted earth/tires, glass walls made from salvaged automobile windshields, walls constructed from stacked carpet remnants. And the results . . . way cool. If you can combine your students' designs with what you're teaching, and add conventional with unconventional construction types that actually benefit somebody in need, maybe that will spark some interest. A big order to fill, but maybe it'll generate some ideas.



    Edited 9/27/2005 10:21 am ET by draftguy

  8. blue_eyed_devil | Sep 28, 2005 05:02am | #10

    straw bale sustainable construction

    You're kidding right!?!

    Of course you're losing them. You aren't real.

    blue

     

    1. silver | Sep 28, 2005 07:22am | #12

      Thanks for all the input. It's late tonight and I'm thinking about what was said...

      real-they've had real theory for 2-3 years...bored sillly with it...I was just trying the straw bale thing to see if it interested them at all...which it didn't. Took about 10 minutes max to present...and that's what inspired me to post here.

      My background includes several years of renovations,framing, finish carpentry and also several years of cabinet making.  Plus several years of teaching adults woodworking and cabinet making at the local community college.

      We have all the basic woodworking machines-table saw, jointer, planer,drillpress,bandsaw, router table.Several of them are working on their own projects and that is going fairly well. 

      Get real...eh? Barbarians beware

      I appreciate all of your advice...

      silver

       

       

      1. blue_eyed_devil | Sep 28, 2005 02:50pm | #14

        Several of them are working on their own projects and that is going fairly well

        That's not surprising....becuase it's real! It's something that they can relate to. It's probably what they wanted when the chose the class.

        It's okay to teach them what they want to learn.

        blue 

  9. FineWoodman | Sep 29, 2005 04:25am | #17

    There's a high school near by that actually builds a house in one school year.  I think they use some sort of HUD program but they totally build a house on school property then its hauled to somewhere in the community and "tied down" at the end of the year.  The class meets on the "job site" and the project is a pretty basic frame house probably about 1000^2'.  I don't know any more of the details but I know I would have loved to have that class!  Also if you get interested I'm sure I could find a way to put you in touch with the teacher. 

    Best regards

    1. silver | Sep 29, 2005 06:32am | #18

      Sure appreciate all the suggestions...

      I need to think about this a bit and see what will work in real ity

      Thanks to everyone who posted!

      silver

       

  10. Ducky | Sep 29, 2005 06:37am | #19

    The Barbarians are seniors? And you are teaching in a regular HS, not a Vo-Tech..? If I've got the background right, then it seems likely that you have a bunch of kids with one foot out the school door, taking an 'easy' course, not the hard stuff like Physics III or Sanskrit. Just filling out a few credits.

    My recommendation is this: consider yourself a combo of Drill Sargeant and Entertainer. If you *don't* entertain them, they will flay you, one way or another. Boredom is roughly the same thing as hostility. They'll try to piss you off, frustrate you, and will reject every earnestly presented opportunity for enlightenment just because they can.

    The way to save yourself from these savages is to be aggressive with assignments, challenges, and small ambushes. Like, for example, if some big lug is sitting with his lower lip hanging, picking his nose, say to him "Freddie! You wanna pick your nose, do it where I can't see you. Now - I want you to look at this instruction book for a Stanley Framing Square. It's *your* personal homework. Tomorrow you will make a presentation to the class about all the weird stuff you can do with this deceptively simple-looking tool!...anyone else having problems with their sinuses? Lots of fun stuff here!"

    If *you* think of the world of construction as fascinating, full of interesting conflict, contradictions, and sociological as well as mathematical conundrums, the kids will want to explore it with you. And - they can beat on things (hammer, nail, those things) and not get even a detention.

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