I have enjoyed my internship experience. I came into the experience being completely new to the assembly process and the logistics behind it. I have learned a great deal and look forward to transferring what I’ve learned into lessons for the students. However, I found out, when creating my product, that there are challenges and successes involved in the process.
Challenges:
1. Just being new to the assembly process myself has proved challenging. I am having to learn as I go and take notes to be sure that I do not miss anything. Sometimes the technical information can be difficult to understand. However, with what I’ve learned and researched I know this experience will prove to be a valuable resource.
2. Toning down what I’ve learned to a second grade level has also proved challenging. I want students to be challenged, but not too much that they cannot understand the assembly process. However, I do not want the information to be too easy for the students as well. It can be challenging to find that middle where the students gain an understanding, but are also challenged.
Successes:
- Focusing on the assembly process instead of all the mechanics has proven helpful. The mechanics can prove to be more technical in vocabulary and math. Therefore, I have been focusing more on the steps of the assembly process. I think this will help to give students more of a basic understanding.
- Collaboration! In my classroom I try to have students collaborate as much as possible. I want students to learn how to efficiently and effectively communicate and work with their peers. The assembly process is full of collaboration, since each “department” has to work together to create one machine. This is great, because students will be able to see how collaborating with others can be beneficial especially within the work place.