You teach, Who Learns? or Learns how to learn

Learning to Learn or How do you teach?  October Auto Teacher News

Many years ago in a 9th grade algebra classroom I sat bewildered by all the new concepts and theories being presented. I did not get it! The teacher was unconcerned by my lack of understanding. All she did was read romance novels and keep the class quite. Large stacks of “Ditto” sheets and a textbook were the mainstream of her teaching. When I said I did not understand the problems I was told to read the book. When another student tried to help me I was disciplined for talking in class. After almost all “A” report cards my grades started to slip. Behavior issues began, rather than be considered dumb I would be known for my misbehavior. Soon the math class for me was to sit in the back of the room with my desk facing the wall, bored and forgotten. No one ever impressed upon me the need for my knowing the subject.

Who knows the difference a concerned math teacher could have made in the course of my life. I know the lack of an understanding of math has held me back in some cases. My love of the science of electricity has been limited by my ignorance of the higher math required for a degree in Electrical Engineering. I am sure if I had dedicated math teachers like Ms. Jones or Ms. Sirmans who teach with me at Hutchings my life would have been different and possibly easier.  As it was I have had to adapt and work harder to overcome my shortcomings in math. I can see myself in many of my students. They are bored, discipline problems abound, and because only few teachers are dedicated enough to get through to them they will drop out or otherwise not reach their full potential.

How do you teach? Do you expound on the facts of our high tech world and seek to teach every new thing under the Sun/Hood of our high tech world and the new cars? Or do you seek to instill what Jorge Menchu calls “Learning to Learn” and prepare your students to think, learn and create their own high tech world of “Knowing” instead of just memorizing the fact so as to repeat it for a test.  I know that you want the best for your students and you truly want to be the best teacher you can be. Here are some observations for you. When I was around eight years old I was a very good whistler, in fact I was the best there was among my eight year old peers. I had the summer off and my dog and I set out to do what all boys and their dog will do during a summer of fun. I wanted to do something for my dog. Now all boys love their dog when they are eight. I wanted the best for my dog. I wanted to teach my dog to whistle! I proceeded to teach and my dog listened with a wagging tail and open expression on his doggy face. I taught my heart out to an attentive pupil. At the end of the summer my dog could whistle no better than he could at the beginning. In fact he never could or would. No one impressed the dog with the reason he needed to whistle. There was no relevance or rigor in my teaching all we had was a relationship.

I now know better than to try and teach at my level to a student’s level with out an adjustment for learning styles and prior knowledge that the student has. A grave disservice is that many students I have today have not had physical science since sixth grade.  In order to teach electrical or hydraulics I have to back up and teach basics of science and physics. Now in my class the student finally has a relevant course that gives a tangible reason of how electricity is used to operate a relay that causes a fuel pump to pump fuel to run the engine. When I explain a modern automobile I teach, that the vehicle we use and service today, is basically the same as the 1960’s model our fathers and grandfathers knew except the manufactures have added an average of $27000.00 worth of safety, emissions controls and accessories we must have. The Chevy I bought new in 1969 was $2895.00 today the same basic car is $30,000.00. Now this essay is not to argue the merits, prices or attributes a of a car line. I would like to propose that the car of today is still operating off the same basic physics, science and math principles of the first car ever built. The Wow! and Whiz Bang of the High Tech vehicles we are seeing pop up like mushrooms after a summer rain are nothing more than $27000.00 worth of safety, emissions and accessories added to our 1969 car’s basic fundamental principals of physics, science and math.

Here are my hard questions. Why are our programs looked upon as a savior for students that did not do well in middle grades science and math classes?  Why are we expected to teach our physics, science and math to students that either failed or made Cs and Ds in those subjects?  Why are our hands on classes looked upon as inferior to academic classes by state school boards when good techs in all trades are making economic progress in these hard times and college grads can’t find jobs?

What’s up with this? Do you teach to the test or for life long learning? Do you teach the basics? Do you create a hunger for learning in your student?

Hope this Helps,

Sonnyjreeves@hotmail.com

E learning the next step in Developing the 21st Century Class

Failed to evolve

Online E Learning, more on developing the 21^st Century Classroom.

I have a simple vision for online courses. Model the Honda/Toyota training center procedures that have been used for several years to train the dealership technicians. This is a successful industry model of proven performance. I am sure many of you have attended the factory training centers of your choice. All the major players are using the online delivery of theory and cognitive instruction. I know from first hand experience that Ford and GM do. I have attended their training several years ago. I assume they have continued as one of my former students who is now at a Ford Dealership said he is taking the course work online and he likes it. I enrolled in the Honda University Online training in 2004. I complete course work online in the subject areas I need training in and then attend the American Honda Training Center near Atlanta for a week each June to complete the hands on portion of the course work I learned online. Honda has been very generous to allow AYES and NATEF Instructors to attend free of charge. The instructors at the training center can check our online transcripts and advise us which hands on modules we can test out on. We select the module and are assigned a vehicle as needed and follow the instructions much as if we are at the dealership and complete the task. The instructor checks our documentation and asks pertinent questions about the procedure to verify our understanding. The instructor may require us to demonstrate the procedure or task to prove mastery. The instructor is always available to help with our understanding or demonstrate the correct procedure. They may ask that we review the online lesson or redirect us to another course to learn before we attempt the module so that we build on learning.

I have used this facilitating of the learning environment in my class/lab for years with great effect. See my post for

https://autoteachersonny.wordpress.com/

Now if you understand the Honda model for E learning we can move on to the next step on how we can use it in our classroom/lab. Many of you are already using the SP/2 for safety training. Are you backing it up with hands on performance test to prove mastery? See

https://autoteacher.net/Electrical_PerformanceTests for examples of hands on test rubrics

Take the next step and assign a hands on course to students and allow 24/7 access. Set a date/time for hands on labs and practice of tasks. Set a date/time for hands on testing for mastery of the tasks in your lab. Now repeat until you and the students are comfortable with this type learning and assessment.

Now take the next step. Assign a task(s) to a student in Work Based Learning, YAP, DCT or AYES. (By the way, AYES is the model for this next step.) Of course the student must work at a shop that has an ASE technician who is certified in the course area you are enrolling the student. The workplace and the technician must agree to be the mentor for the student. Training for the mentor and the workplace is done by you or the school’s representative. Hopefully the AYES model of mentor/intern training is used and the mentor is now qualified to sign off for the student’s mastery of the tasks. Again the use of the AYES model of documentation and tracking is already proven so why reinvent the wheel. The next step is to use the online curriculum you develop and enroll students that can not normally attend your class/lab. Maybe even students in another school, county, state, or nation? Maybe by using the synergy of ASE, NATEF, NACAT, AYES and IATN we could develop a learning environment that is global. Maybe we can create an automotive learning virus that will infect future technicians everywhere. I know there are details and problems we need to solve. Any one that says “No” just needs to “Know” more about e learning which is evolving as we speak. I am doing it now and have been since 2005 school year when I combined my experience with Honda training with AYES mentor/intern experience and training and added in the resources of my web site. See

https://autoteacher.net/E_Learning.html

See August post if you missed it

https://autoteachersonny.wordpress.com/2009/08/

Enjoy,

Sonny Reeves

Developing a 21st Century Shop Class

Pictures from class/lab using Performance based online learning in an automotive program

Students work in teamsFigure from Chassis Class. Students work together in teams of two to four to accomplish tasks in the lab. Practice of tasks and instructor feed back results in ability to master the tasks.

to practice the tasks. The teacher facilitates the learning process.

Teams work with multimedia to create and explore.

Levon went from success at SkillsUSA to a rewarding Career with BMW

Peer Teachers are encouraged

Students use LCD to challange the team to diagnose the vehicle in the classroom

Levon is now at BMW of Macon living his dream of being a certified BMW Technician and not yet 21yrs old.

Students have 24/7 access to Elearning

Students practice the tasks on live vehicles

Figure from Electrical Class. Students use LCD to diagnose the problem of the virtual vehicle simulation online.

These students have ten minutes to fix the problem. Another team can challenge them with the same or similar problem winning the right to be excused from clean up or other spiff. They have already worked this problem on their own as individuals.

Shop/lab time is used to practice, practice and more practice.

The online Argo is true interactive e learning. Not just watching a video or reading a text on a PC.

The virtual car is interactive and can be diagnosed, repaired just like a real vehicle

Figure from Argo Screen shot of virtual DMM used to test the vehicle’s electrical measurements. This virtual meter saves wear and destruction of the real meters and vehicles student will use later in lab

The use of the EDT allows student mistakes without damage to valuable test equipment and vehicles. Students move to live work after practice on the trainer online

This is the goal of the program. To develop life long learners that can have rewarding careers.
.

Micheal Alford became a Honda Certified Technician during his Junior-Senior Summer AYES Internship. He is now a Honda Technician at Walsh Honda Macon Georgia

Developing a Shop Class for the 21st Century

“You can do the work of the mind without the hand, but not that of the hand without the mind.” Danish Proverb

This is the way I teach automotive service technology in a Georgia High School secondary program. The program is NATEF Certified and AYES affiliated with good industry support. Currently Georgia requires four areas of NATEF task list to be presented to the student. Most secondary programs do not have the contact hours for more course work. I have four 135 hour semesters and one150 hour summer internship to do this in. If you are post secondary the method will work for you as well. I have taught at the post secondary also using these same methods. This is not the only way or may not be the best way, or it may not meet your teaching style but it works for me. The freedom I have as an instructor, this way of delivering instruction, gives me time to meet more of each student’s learning style is awesome. I like for the students to work and I have fun. If this is practiced in your class/lab and adjusted for your student’s needs then you will become the facilitator instead of the sole fount of all knowledge. Your students will become learners of their own right and you will have fun teaching.

After years of being a shop owner and not knowing a better way, I developed my Automotive class as I would a shop or service center with lots of employees. My class/lab reflects the world of work more than the average academic classroom. As in the workplace assessment is in the finished product. I use a hands-on performance test to prove mastery of the individual student of the task. I feel that the use of this style of rubric empowers the student to become a self learner with critical thinking skills instead of a recorder of facts for memorization and preparing for a pen and paper test.

I begin the class with a demonstration from the class site provided by the online course Argo in the course area of my lesson plan for the week. See https://autoteacher.net/E_Learning.html for examples. All of my lesson plans are on the Georgia Dept of Education Peach State Pathways here: http://www.gactaern.org/curriculum_transsup.html

For example, I may use a web site as a “Spark Plug” for the student to visit while I get the day going. I use a lot of the web sites on the links at:  www.autoteacher.net

I think I could teach for years and not exhaust all the resources in these sites. Our main resource is an online interactive learning management system with courses and modules based on learning by doing instead of reading, watching and listening. The students are assigned interactive modules using virtual vehicle components and engaging course work that requires active movement to progress through the course from beginner level to master level.  Each student has access to our web site and a 24/7 sign in to our custom set up Argo learning management system. Each student can have a separate learning plan or be in a class of students online. The course modules are easy to assign and they will not run out of modules to do online.  Students have access to all classroom resources and all the routine paperwork on the web site or I can download and print out for them the required paperwork for class; examples, Class Handbook, Home work assignments, Shop Rules, etc. See https://autoteacher.net/Class_Papers.html . Even if they don’t have a computer at home they have access to one in the Media Center and of course each student has a computer in the automotive classroom. I burn the syllabus, course description, handbook, homework assignments, and all required papers for the class onto a CD or flash drive for them if they want. Each student has a notebook to keep all class work, research paper work, documentation of lab work and performance tests.

After about 20 minutes of learning using a “Smart Board Sympodium”, LCD projector,  with an online Argo module of my choice (I require notes each day for daily grade) I see eyes are getting sleepy, then I shift gears for the day’s assignment. A set of tasks for each week are assigned to the class which was divided into teams during the first week of school. Tasks are “Performance Tests” and these are NATEF tasks required for the course.  This is “Beginning with the end in mind” by assigning the task to be mastered at the start of the lesson. Students have access to all their Performance Tests online for instruction on their computer. They will be challenged to compete as teams to solve the failure in the virtual vehicle in the online module using the classroom’s LCD and Smart Board. See video at https://autoteacher.net/E_Learning.html

After preparation and practice with the virtual modules online, I will have students in the lab on actual vehicles with failures and problems to solve in their teams. Peer teaching and student sign off of each other’s performance test keeps all active and engaged.  The real world training modules and technical explanations can be absorbed by each learner at their pace. The tests are used as guides for learning, and an Assessment much like a job sheets.  The students print off the Performance Tests/Tasks sheets as needed and keep them in their notebook which remains in the classroom/lab. I have a HP 9015 B&W printer that is cheaper to run than a copier. All class papers and performance tests are on the class server with hard copy files for back up in file cabinet. A quick look at the Argo LMS and I know who needs instructor attention. I can see where all students are at any time during the course on their online course work. I can even see which module is being used and how the student is doing in all of Bloom’s taxonomy. Online assignments can be quickly shifted as some students race ahead while others lag behind.

Teams of students practice the tasks online after a thorough study of theory; then they can practice the tasks in the lab or challenge the other teams in performance of the tasks. Students use video to film their practice and videos are created to demonstrate mastery of the tasks. Creating a video of their work or developing a training module in the lab is very uplifting for students and is the highest learning order for Bloom’s Taxonomy.

I use a simple Performance Evaluation rubric to evaluate the task or set of tasks. I give these Performance Tests to each student during the first week of the semester so they know what they are expected to do. This is the “Beginning with the End in Mind’ way of teaching. The desired outcome is the mastery of the tasks on the Performance Test.  It is important to walk them through the NATEF task list, how to print and use the Job sheets to practice.  The simple assessment form is an adaptable word document, and covers the Job/Tasks similar to how you would actually do the service in a real shop. Example: To service a disc brake I combine the tasks for: Writing a brake repair order, service of the caliper, rotor, wheel bearings and checking pedal height. You need to combine the related tasks into a sequential order to suit your lab and resources. Ask your self how you would do the service on a customer vehicle. Make it real! I like for each student to practice the tasks three times if possible. Each must have a team member sign off that they practiced the task properly with the other student. Then if that student can not meet the performance objective for the teacher’s observation of the task both students are redirected and must practice the tasks until they are successful. The use of a hands-on Performance test meets the requirements of Standard 6 of NATEF Industry Certification. Some students do the tasks very well after much practice. Attitude defines the outcome and student progress is monitored in the lab by teacher observation. Being a facilitator of the learning environment provides you more one-on-one time some of our students need. You have the time to “Differentiate Instruction” and meet all those different learning styles of your students. I feel more learn this way than not. Furthermore, I can prove they know what they are doing when they are done because of the hands on mastery recorded on the Rubric.

Each student keeps up with their tests, supporting documents and records the completion in their notebooks. You sign off after the observation of the student’s final practice. Security is maintained by knowing your students, and having the notebooks to back up what they say they did with Job Sheets signed by you. You will know who is working because now you have time to observe.  I give very few written tests other than practice for the NATEF end of course test and then only to evaluate what I teach in theory.

Do all students complete? Do all learn? Are all engaged? Yes!

You and your administration have to decide. Do you really want it to work or do you just want to pass the time?

Positive comments welcome. E mail or call for more information.

HTH,
Sonny Reeves
sonnyjreeves@hotmail.com
Sonny is an Automotive Educator, Consultant to DOE, Schools, Colleges and Teachers
Sonny has co-owned and managed a Nissan Dealership; owned a NAPA Auto Care Service Center, and has been teaching Automotive Service Technology for fifteen years at the secondary level and two years post secondary. Sonny is currently an AYES instructor at his second Career Center in a NATEF certified program. He is ASE Master Certified (1975) and a NATEF ETL since 2000. In 2001 Sonny became an AYES instructor and was selected school system Teacher of the Year in 2003 and 2008 by two different school systems. His program was recognized by AIPC and ASE in 2003.

August Auto Teacher News

I hope you were fortunate enough to attend the NACAT conference in Charlotte this past July. The very best in training, teachers and fun for all was there. The staff at CCPC was awesome. The fellow teachers were wonderful and almost all my heroes were there. The presentations were as they should be; on the cutting edge of technology, informative with all the latest and greatest explained in detail by the authors and creators. Very much an enjoyable and restoring week. As one of the seven principles of Covey “Sharpening the Saw” is important if we are to do a good job of serving our customers. See the NACAT.org web site for more on the great workshops we enjoyed! Many times during the week I was reminded about how important it is for us to rely on each other. No one else knows the difficulty of the duties of an auto teacher. The vendor that has never been in a classroom of teenagers does not have a clue as to why his great product won’t meet our needs until classroom control can be achieved. The engineer that can expound for hours on the inner workings of the automobile and can’t build working professional relationships with students is at a loss to explain why he/she can’t seem to hold a student’s attention. The academic teacher that has never had to deal with the retail customer driven world can’t understand our passion for excellance in our teaching. We know that the automobile owner will hold their auto techncian and service center to a higher standard than their Doctor. We know that our students don’t care what we know until they know we care.
If you were able to attend Jeff Curtis’ presentation you now know how not to do a power point. If you attended the NATEF training for ETL’s you now know how important the integrity of the evaluator is for the validation of all our programs. Many of the teachers I spoke with are sincerely concerned with the state of our industry. Many new teachers were there and that is good, but it only means we have more to do in the nurturing and support of these new teachers. There is a lot we need to know to do this teaching, way more than new ways to do a volt drop test that I learned or to safely train our students to service Hybrids in an excellent fast paced class by Craig. There is a lot to know and a lot to learn. I am thankful for NACAT and all they do for us.
We all mourn the passing of one of my heroes, Fred Hines and we see the retirement of many good teachers each year. Where will the new champions come from? We must nurture and protect our new teachers.

Share! Enjoy! Create! Celebrate!

Best wishes for the school year………….

Sonny Reeves http://www.autoteacher.net/ http://www.nacat.com/

New Blog

I am trying to keep up with technology by adding this blog. I have been doing a news letter for all my friends just by email each month. I will now try the use of this blog and continue the news letter by email to those that request it. My web site will remain the same and grow.

Hope this works and we can all share

Seeya,
Sonny http://www.autoteacher.net/

December 2008 Auto teacher News

Auto teachers news letter Dec 12, 2008

One of the things I do is visit all of my business advisers each month. I would like to visit some of them more often but I don’t always have time. Some of them save up electrical parts for me and I carry a plastic parts storage box around as I visit to leave and pick up the full one. You can never have enough electrical parts to show and tell your students.

Monday I visited the *** dealer that employs several of my students. The service manager greeted me with this line. “We had to let a technician go this week because we are low on work”.

My face fell because I knew what was coming. Then he said “ We would not let one your students go they are to valuable!” I was relived to see that all three of my students have secure positions with the dealership.

What makes the difference in my students vs a technician that graduated from one of the highly advertised national private technical schools?

I teach work ethics from the first day. I use the model after the seven habits of highly successful people.
I teach attitude is everything and use the “Evaluation“ form for 30% of the students grade.

Each week of the course I teach a ten minutes on the ten qualities of work ethics employers value most.

I use a handout to give each student a opportunity to evaluate their own attitude each day. The handout gives the student a visual reminder of the seven habits. The students attitude and their ability to improve on their attitude is affected by what they know of my expectations. Most improve, some don’t but remember we can’t save them all.

More next news letter.

Feb-March Auto Teacher News

Got any spare change? How do you raise funds for your lab if the budget is zero$$?

My supervisor recently for the third year in arrow informed me my budget was zero. I said at least that is a number. I openly solicit donations of any kind form the public, parents, dealerships and club/civic groups. I ask for time to present about my program at Rotary, Lions and Exchange club meetings. Take a few students and BEG! Sometimes I don’t get anything, sometimes I do. We get the cars and what ever, fix it up learn from it, change the title to the school and sell it. All the money goes into my automotive/SkillsUSA fund. We charge for oil changes and other service work we do for teachers and staff.

This year we need to do a recruitment drive for our program. We want to do a summer camp for non traditional student to explore our career fields. We needed lots of money to do this. You know it is a part of Perkins? Yet it is not funded?????
I went online to www.grants.gov and saw a grant for the exact thing we wanted to do.

Garrett A. Morgan Technology and Transportation Education Program (GAMTTEP) Grant.

Well after we wrote it and submitted we are looking at getting $100K to fund our recruitment effort with our summer camp. We will meet Perkins and STEM objectives of NCLB.

We are now looking at another grant that is part of the presidents stimulus package.
Here is the location http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/index.html

If you have a local Clean Cities Coalition then I would encourage you to go for it!
Here a copy of part of my proposal. Be sure to see the links.

/////////////////////////////////Copy of Email//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Greetings,
Does any one have course on electric vehicles? I know Georgia does not. I have permission from Georgia DOE to develop a course. I now need a team to work with me on this. I am asking for support and donations. If you have advice, contacts I need to connect with, or anything I will appreciate all you can do for our students. My vision is that each school that has a transportation program will add this course to their catalog.I have some contacts but would appreciate what you have. I want to develop a course and curriculum for this new technology. If you are interested in collaborating contact me direct. Note that while Hybrids will be a major part and of course fuel cells the main part of the course is electric vehicles. There seems to be a lot going on with this but nothing all in one place.Look at this list of ten new cars. Some were not even in the mind of the designer two years ago. http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/11/12/top-10-new-ca… [egmcartech.com] The Aptera appeared in Wired Mag a while back and now is in production. http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/magazine… [wired.com]
Share, create and share! Thank you,
////////////////////////////////////////end of copy///////////////////////////////////////////////////

If you are interested in this or have resources we can use then I ask you to share.

I was so busy with writing the grants and the meeting involved I did not get this out on time. If you have stories or best practices please share.

Seeya,
Sonny Reeves http://www.autoteacher.net

April Auto teacher News

April 6, 2009 Teacher News

A vocational supervisor asked me about online curriculum last week during an Industry Certification site visit. We were in a new auto lab with nothing as of yet purchased in the way of curriculum. Now just so we are all on the same page what do you call curriculum? If all it is for the teacher and student to have a textbook then I feel pain for your students in this fast paced, ever changing technology world we train for the future in. Curriculum to me is everything from all your resources; textbooks, lesson plans for the course and each day, web based resources, online modules, transitional trainers, assessments and rubrics you use to judge your delivery and student mastery. I also include the LCD, digital cameras and video equipment, smart boards and student computers.
In the conversation we had he also asked how I taught automotive. I replied that lecturing more than 20 minutes is a waste of time; few people can hold or give attention longer than 20 minutes. I described how I teach. Each day of course varies along with each class is different. Sometimes I demonstrate with real car parts how the system works beginning with the simple science or physics first. I then describe how the system relates to something they know, like how vacuum is used to fill their lungs in the same way a combustion cylinder is filled with fuel/air mix. I may have already assigned an online resource for the students to watch online, or I may project it on the smart board and use the video or graphics to demo the system. The online resources I use are from the very latest virtual reality programs using the latest technology. See
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b2b198b5bb5ba7961a95

The student may have homework to learn or introduce the system before the class. We then go with our teams to the lab for a practical demonstration of the system either on a real vehicle or a transitional trainer. What is a transitional trainer? A Transitional Trainer is one that uses real parts and/or cutaways to give the student something they can see in operation, touch, and demo just like the component or system was in a live vehicle. It may be a set of lights or cooling fans on a board that allows students to hook up and operate just as it would on a vehicle. The trainers can be made to order by a company or created by students in your lab. See
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=82054fbac07cd4a8ba2b

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=061806a5f4b358e1d5fc

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=16d496f4d48b6d5e513b

I tell all my students that this is a fun, working class; they work and I have fun.
Seriously I become the facilitator of learning instead of the fount of all knowledge and professor in charge of a lock step lesson. Automotive technology is dynamic and evolving as we speak. The methods of the 60s will not meet the needs of today’s digital native “Why” generation student. If you were to check most of your students have learned to memorize for the test. They are masters of using short term memory to meet the academic requirements of NCLB testing. We have to challenge them to stop using short term memory to meet long term goals. Learning to learn is our biggest challenge. Next month “Performance Testing!

Sonny Reeves www.autoteacher.net

Teacher news letter for July

July 12, 2009 Auto teacher news Shop/Lab Considerations

When an automotive person designs and builds an automotive shop they will aim towards a profitable design. Things like customer service and work flow have to be considered. For the education of students a different perspective is required. One must of course consider safety and environmental issues. I know many of you have shops/labs that were built before you had input into the design. We all have to be flexible and adapt to what we have to deal with. Some are being blessed with funds and development of new labs or renovation of old labs is being considered. I have several calls and e mails recently about new construction of an auto lab for schools.
Mind you that I am not an architect or builder. I did build one dealership shop in the 70s that I owned and later built an independent auto service center I also owned. I am going to include pictures and video links in this newsletter. A visual is worth a lot of writing. This will not cover the classroom which must be separate!
Here are my concerns in this short news letter. A school lab needs to have good lighting and ventilation. Exhaust fans are required to move vehicle exhaust fumes out of the lab area. A shop may be profitable with X number of lifts per XX square feet of floor space, but to teach you know you need lots of room to place all those students where they can observe what you are demonstrating. Like wise heavy duty tables with vises in sufficient numbers to allow all students to practice tasks and layout modules during class. Lots of storage to allow student projects to be organized and controlled. I would recommend a lift and two tables for each four students. These four would work out of one tool set as a team. All special tools are kept in HD plastic parts boxes labeled and organized to the tasks that need to be done. All tools would be organized to the tasks required and in the respective boxes. Generic tools would be displayed on boards or walls. The goal here is for the newest student to be able to find the tool without hassle. Dark tool rooms full of clutter are not profitable in shops or efficient in school labs. Piles of stuff left over and disassembled parts that are no value to the training program should be recycled asap.
The lab should have walkways marked and open for traffic with signage visible to all of where the exits and what the area or room is named. Everything should have a place and everything should be well marked for all to see.
The facility on the DOE web site is efficient and will work better than the labs they built back in the 80s. I had one of those at the first school I taught at. We redesigned it fixing several safety issues.
Here is the plan http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocu20Layouts

The safety of the student is the most important factor in the design. There must be a safety shower and eyewash in the lab. Some schools have balked at this but now OSHA has ruled and how would you feel if one of your students was drenched with gasoline and you have no shower? Be sure to see the safety and clean up area of the Honda Training Center. I include this as the best example of a certified training program. Here it is
https://www.autoteacher.net/uploads/Visit_to_Honda_TC.ppt
I hope you have your own ideas of shop/lab designs to share. Please do!

Hope to see you at NACAT! Sonny

June post for Auto teacher news

Teacher News Transitions June 2009

I can not think of a better topic this month than transitions or change. No one likes change except wet babies. We are seeing more change than ever before in our lifetime of the US auto industry. Unless you are a hermit you are seeing the collapse of the major players in the US market. We are evolving in many ways, electric and hybrid innovations are everywhere. Budget cuts are hurting all levels of our work force. Even the best automotive business models are feeling the strain of change. Hindsight tells us they should have seen it coming, learned the lesson of the early 70s when the Oil barons raised the price by holding back production. I feel the traditional auto makers are now in the position of the buggy whip craftsmen of the early 1900s when the first cars drove by their shops. Many of those leather workers made the finest buggy whips in the world at the time. Those that were pro active and flexible survived and thrived making the oil seals, tops and seat covers for the new cars. Those that continued to make the buggy whips went the way of all things obsolete and unneeded.
If we as auto teachers take this summer to evaluate what we do, trim the things that we do that don’t work and be proactive about making the changes that benefit our students. Much like all companies and educational systems should during this time of economic recession and mental depression. We can come out of these troubled times with new ideas and strategies to benefit our students, our programs and our industry. If we continue to do the same old things we will have the same results, High drop out rates, teen apathy and little gain in the war on ignorance and dumbness.
I am encouraged by the recent news of the joining of forces of ASE, AYES and SkillsUSA. These three figure heavily into my program, my student’s futures and my own life as a teacher. I know that only good things for my students can come from the synergy of these powerful organizations.
I am looking forward to this summer as a time of learning as I attend the American Honda Training Center in Alpharetta Georgia for a week of what I consider the finest example of hands on performance based automotive training program I have ever experienced. I am looking forward to exploring and sharing as I visit the Netherlands to train with the folks at Electude and learn more about online delivery of instruction. www.electude.com
I am looking forward to sharing and networking in Charlotte North Carolina as the best auto educators meet at the NACAT conference July 19-24. Since my first conference till now I have gained more resources for my students and met life long friends at NACAT. I know that we will solve all the world’s problems and maybe a few that will impact your classroom/lab. If you have not signed up do so today and I will see you there. www.nacat.com

Here is a recent article that I feel is important for our student’s parents to read.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?pagewanted=4&_r=1

“You can do the work of the mind without the hand, but not that of the hand without the mind.” Danish Proverb

Sonny Reeves https://www.autoteacher.net/Auto_Teacher_News.php