Day One - The Project Begins

For my one day teaching experience, I choose Day One of the Car Buying Project.  At our school we have block lessons so I had 106 minutes, I was happy not to feel rushed.  As the students were trickling into the computer lab, I had the warm up on the screen.  Speed write the names of as many car as you can.  Most of them willingly took on the challenge.  It was a lot of fun to find who had the most names and to listen to the wide range of cars.  From Tesla & Buggati to the Fiat 500 Pop.

        Next we moved into a lively discussion of driver’s licenses and new cars.  I asked the students to pretend they were able to get a brand new car upon passing the driving test.  After that we moved into car vocabulary.  Discussing important terms and gave details on the different pieces of a MSRP sticker found on car at dealerships. 

I put the matrix the students needed to complete up on the screen and explained that we would be looking at three different price ranges.  I also emphasized that for today’s lesson we would be looking only at new car websites, saving used cars and specialty sites for another day.  Using a manufacturer’s websites I demonstrated the process of researching new cars.  After my demonstration the students were asked to choose their own cars and fill in the matrix.  The rest of the period was spent walking around checking on students to ensure they were progressing smoothly. 

I really enjoyed the opening part of the lesson.  The class had a lot of fun with car names and driver’s licenses and dream cars.  It was nice to get them thinking a little about their future and leave some hints about goal setting and making plans.  Unfortunately it kind of went downhill from there.  Several students felt the need to disagree about the vocabulary and it therefore took a long time and the students were losing the moment.  Looking at the website together did get them re-energized and most of them easily found a website of their own to visit.  However, I did not anticipate how different some of the sites would be.  The very high end sites did not have pricing or other information.  Some sites posted information such as MPG in a prominent spot while others made you hunt for it.  The BMW & Mercedes sites had some much content that they took several minutes to load on our outdated computers.

But more importantly the students had a difficult time with the matrix.  I realized that I did not spend nearly enough time going through it.  There was a lot of confusion as to what to put where.  There was also some conflicting advice from aides.  Next time I will find a better way to present the vocabulary and I will spend more time detailing the matrix.  And lastly I will keep notes of the tricky parts of each website so that we can more easily navigate them. 

Warm-up Results

Hello Fellow Classmates,

For my warm-up, I choose a speed write with the prompt:  List everything you know or have heard about buying a car.  I was able to do this live as I will be teaching the car buying project lesson beginning next week.  The students became excited as they realized the car project is coming up.  A few have just gotten their licenses and many more will have them by the end of the school year.  Because of the enthusiasm it is a wonderful opportunity to stretch their dreams a bit.  

This was a great way for me to get some feedback in advance.  Upon review of the responses I was able to find patterns and observe some pervasive myths of car buying such as “My uncle says to always buy on a rainy day.” Or “Every car salesman is out to get you.”  I plan to have a warm-up similar to this a few days before I start a new subject or project as it allows me to tailor content and teaching strategies more effectively.  

All in all I consider it a success.

P.S.  If you are looking for a good read I highly recommend Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. Malcolm is a fantastic writer and the book has some interesting info on buying a car.

 

How do I add a picture to my sidebar?

So far all my attempts.... 

 

Who am I.....

The answer is of course too complicated for one post.

My name is Cerstin and I am California Girl through and through.  My perfect day includes sitting on a chair in the sand, with a book, looking out at the blue ocean and the even bluer skies.  In July, I was able to get a little closer to the water because I started a new position as Librarian at a high school in Salinas.  We have been to Santa Cruz at least ten times since moving here in July.

I am taking this class to complete my single subject credential in business. I have an MBA from Pepperdine and an Masters in Library and Information Science from San Jose State.  I have a multiple subjects credential and library credential.  I have a strong belief that the more bases I cover, the more marketable I will be.  I also have a strong need to keep my student loans in deferment.  :) Which means that once I finish the business credential I will pursue a full math credential.  I am also seriously considering a Masters in Educational Technology.

Personality Tests

First let me say, I love taking these types of tests.  The results are always enlightening and usually make complete sense.  However when I took the team technology test I did not agree with the findings or to be more precise I did not agree with the description.

• Your personality type at present is probably ENFP.  If your closest personality type is ENFP then you are someone who senses the hidden potential in people. You enjoy starting discussion or activities that challenge and stimulate others into having new insights about themselves, which they can then take and apply to their own personal growth. You are enthusiastic about new projects or causes that offer the potential for a beneficial impact on people, especially when it involves breaking new ground.

I think I can say safely say that none of the above characteristics apply to me.  So I moved onto the KISA personality test where I was labeled ESTJ.  This result also did not seem to fit so I went for the third opinion.  I took the Kiersey KTS-II test where I again was found to be ESTJ.  Kiersey labels ESTJ as guardian supervisor.  Interestingly the Kiersey test page also had results from when I took the test in 2009.  At that time I was found to be ENFJ which is labeled Idealist Teacher.  

So in a way I think the real learning from this test was that I would have loved to keep taking every version of the test available.  Then I would most likely have chosen the one with which I most agreed. Or maybe the takeaway is the I am middle of the road (51/49 showed up a lot) on most of the categories and that allows me to be flexible in any situation.  You need order, I will bring it.  You thrive on chaos, I am good with that also.  Want to try the latest gadget, I'm right there with you.  Hate change, lets move slowly.