Problem Solving Lab - What to give and what not to give.

This past week I was able to complete a lesson plan for and teach my first problem solving lab. As I work through my "Basic Principles of Soil and It's Land Uses" Unit for spring, I chose to do my problem solving lesson on finding soil horizons. My essential question was "How do I use soil texture, soil color, and soil formations to find soil horizons?" At this point in the unit, students will have been taught and have practiced soil texturing and soil coloring. They will have also learned about soil horizons. Therefore, I thought it would be best to have them do an activity where they used all of those skills to help them find soil horizons based on characteristics.

In the beginning of the lesson I set up the problem and gave them some information they would need. In the future teaching this lesson, I would start out by asking them questions and letting them give me the information that they needed to complete the assignment. I feel like this would further the problem solving and push them more into the application and analysis sections of Bloom's taxonomy.

I also think I will forgo the power point so that it is more of a discussion. I or a student can write their answers on the board and leave them there to help them during their lab. I think this would be good to give them a break from the power point and also increase the classroom discussion. Furthermore, instead of having the directions on a power point, I may have a printout of the directions to give them, as well as verbally stating them. Also, I think that I need to at least put the soils in order that they were taken out of the pit. Since it will be January/February when I will be teaching this they will more than likely not be able to go to a soil pit. It would not be fair to not put them in order, because if they were able to be in the pit they would be able to see what order the samples were in and just need to distinguish the soil horizons. There would be too many variations of "right" answers if I do not. I think that I will need many stations set up so that students can work through them easily and more efficiently.

I found this lab challenging because I have not taught my peers information that I will be teaching my students, so it was a little confusing for them. I also do not think I could have set my lab up the same way I plan on changing my lesson plan for my classroom - because my peers needed that information. Whereas hopefully if I do my job, my students will be able to give me the information when prompted. Otherwise, this lab gave me insight that I need to not give so much information and let the students give me the information.