Teaching Agricultural Mechanics

When my search for a cooperating center began in January of 2023, I knew I was looking for several things. One of the most important considerations on my list was a school that had a strong agricultural mechanics program as part of their agricultural education program. My home high school did not offer courses of agricultural mechanics, and I knew this was likely the area where I had the most room for growth before feeling comfortable managing mechanics-related curriculum and facilities in a program of my own. 

Throughout my time at Athens, Dave has been an incredible mentor and example in how to manage agricultural mechanics courses/facilities to provide the highest quality experience to students. Agricultural mechanics course are different in many ways from the rest of a scope/sequence provided by an agricultural educator. The courses generally attract a different demographic of students and can prove difficult to manage. I've learned a great deal about how to make these courses fun and engaging experiences for students while maintaining order and respect.

During my student teaching internship, I've had the chance to experience three primary units of instruction in our Ag Mechanics 1 course: Welding, Electrical Wiring, and Plumbing. One of my main goals by the end of student teaching was to build my understanding of how to teach these topics and how to lead projects for students to apply their learning. While I still have a lot to learn on my journey ahead, I feel confident in saying that I have taken my first steps towards being an effective shop teacher! If you know me well, you know that is not a very small feat :), so I give major thanks to Dave for his help in getting me comfortable and prepared for success in this area. As I near graduation, here are some thoughts on how I would approach teaching each of these units in a program of my own.

Welding

For most all new agricultural mechanics students, welding is a new - and often intimidating - topic! Welding is a skill that takes LOTS of practice and muscle memory that does not come easily without a lot of hard work. Here at Athens, students learn how to Arc/Stick Weld and MIG Weld. To get students started, Dave assigns a "5 Best Beads" assignment where students practice, practice, and practice some more until they feel confident to submit their 5 best welding beads. After their beads have been submitted and graded, students are allowed to identify a DIY welding project that they would like to do to practice their skills. In the sequence of instruction, this feel in November/December which allowed students to make some pretty awesome Christmas gifts if they so choose, increasing student investment in the project.

After returning from break, students began working on two more challenging welding assignments: the Butt Weld and the T-Weld. The Butt Weld requires students to put two pieces of metal side-by-side, parallel to one another. Students run a bead down the center of the two pieces where the gap was, working to weld them together. The true test of the Butt Weld was completed using a hydraulic press that bent the metal pieces on each side of the weld. If the weld was strong enough to make the metal bend rather than breaking, the students were successful!

After completing their Butt Weld, students move onto the T-Weld. For the T-Weld, students place two pieces of metal perpendicular to one another and to run a bead where they met. The test for this weld was to bend the vertical piece of metal with a wrench while holding the horizontal piece in a vice grip. If the metal bends, the student wins! If not, its back to the drawing board to try it again.

By observing each of these projects, I learned a great deal about how to teach welding effectively. I even got the chance to hone my own skills - but no judging, I still have a long way to go. The biggest things to constantly remind students are to SLOW DOWN and to keep their electrode close to the metal.  

Electrical Wiring

Out of the agricultural mechanics topics, electrical wiring is the one that requires the most careful attention to detail. I plan to start my unit focused on basic electrical theory and the parts/tools we will use in the unit. I will also have students make an Electrical Wiring Diagram Book. It is most helpful to draw out diagrams of the electrical wiring projects, and this is something I had students do before each of the different electrical wiring tasks we completed in the shop.

Following along with a task sheet originally created by Penn State instructors, students set up junction boxes on a 2' x 2' board to simulate a wall. The first step for students is to wire up a 3-prong plug, demonstrating the theory of connecting the proper wires to the proper screws. Afterwards, students begin working through a series of required tasks: 

Task 1: Duplex to Single Pole Switch to Light

Task 2: Duplex to Light to Single Pole Switch

Task 3: Three-Way Switch to Three-Way Switch to Light

Task 4 (Optional): Three-Way Switch to Light to Three-Way Switch

At each of these tasks, students build in new skills, such as figuring out how to keep a switch working properly when it comes after a light or how to use Common/Traveler terminals in Three-Way Switches that turn lights on/off from multiple locations in a house. Out of all the units, electrical wiring is probably my favorite to teach! 

Plumbing

Plumbing is another unit where students need to pay attention to details and troubleshoot problems if the desired outcome does not happen at first. The plumbing unit is guided by a plumbing square project, which allows students to work with multiple types of pipe (Copper, PVC, Galvanized Iron, and Polyethylene). The unit begins with a review of the types of pipe and their purposes, where students are divided into groups and become experts in a specific type before teaching/presenting to the rest of the group. Students even get to lead demonstrations of how to clean/prime/cement PVC, how to solder Copper, and how to properly apply Teflon tape as part of their presentations.

Tools/parts identification is a big part of the plumbing unit. I work with students over the course of two-three weeks to consistently review terminology and ensure that students are prepared to talk about plumbing-related items correctly. After thorough review and practice, students take a test to identify 28 tools/parts related to their plumbing square. 

As students work on their plumbing squares, the processes of properly cutting, cleaning, and soldering the copper pipe generally prove to be the most difficult. It can also be challenging as students work to tighten iron/PVC pipe properly, ensuring leak-free connections. After students complete their square, we take it out to the greenhouse and hook it up to the hose! If the square can successfully hold water without leaking, the students have done it successfully! However, most everyone has at least a few leaks they need to address before trying again. For my overly confident students, I often encourage them to hold the plumbing square over their head as they test it, and it is funny how quickly the confidence vanishes :).

Overall, I've found that I quite enjoy teaching agricultural mechanics. It is a different ballgame in many ways, but I truly do enjoy the feel of the classes and believe these skills to be some of the most valuable ones I could teach to my students entering a world where very few people have them! It is important to me that my future shop would be a place where all students can learn these skills, including students (like myself!) who do not naturally possess a lot of skill or confidence in these areas. With some hard work and practice, I believe anyone can find some enjoyment and satisfaction in these areas! I am most grateful to have been able to learn a lot about these important topics during my time at Athens.