Final Summary Reflection

"The world is your school." ~Martin H. Fischer                                                                              7/19/2012

            My tasks at Accumold were incredibly varied.  I worked with almost everyone in the company in one way or another—all shifts in small-mold and micro-mold production, quality, sales, management, inspection, tool room, and human resources.  It was amazing to be able to see the company from a variety of angles, and it helped to be able to see some tasks played out full-circle.  Some of my tasks included:

·         Created a sample set of parts, varying in size and type of measurement tool/unit required to measure it.

·         Individually tested the production employees on their measurement abilities with a caliper, a micrometer, and a tool scope (varying in inches and millimeters).

·         Put together a training booklet for a production employee’s first day at Accumold.

·         Assisted with online registration for their health insurance’s website to the employees who have chosen to use Accumold’s insurance provider.

·         Put together a series of one-point lessons about health topics and suggestions.

·         Created a one-point lesson on the value of deleting a negative amount in inventory.

·         Recreated an MRB instruction sheet for electronically moving non-conforming parts.

·         Recreated a sign-out log with instructions for MRB parts moving to/from the MRB table.

·         Analyzed the ergonomics of a variety of positions and tasks.

·         Developed a one-point lesson and follow-up questions for training employees on the medical standard ISO 13485:2003.

·         Assisted employees, as needed, with their email, online pay stub, and online health insurance information.

Almost all of my tasks involved at least some technology and math.  I was constantly crunching numbers, or talking to an employee about how their job involves a lot of numbers.  It was interesting to me (but not surprising) how the need for computational math has substantially gone down.  During a discussion with a man in the tool room, he brought up how there used to be so much trigonometry used to calculate the tiniest angles and measurements.  Apparently there used to be a thick stack of papers filled with number crunching for each mold; now it’s all done fairly automatically with a computer program.  For better or worse, times are changing, and that intense trig work just isn’t as necessary anymore.  I found myself recognizing (again) the more important need for problem solving and critical thinking skills more than explicit math-specific skills.  If I can get my kids to think, I’m doing my job.  Now I’m not trying to down play the need for number sense and mathematical reasoning.  I know they are important skills for life, but these general ways of thinking come along with the right approach to teaching more specific math skills.

Generally speaking, that’s my mentality for my classroom.  When I get tossed the question, “When am I ever going to use this?” I can’t wait to be able to explain their need for thinking; they’re going to use problem solving all the time throughout life! J  It’s not all about the math—and frankly, I believe that caring for family needs at night is more important than math homework (within reason)—however, I do hope to get the students thinking outside of their comfort zone.  If I don’t stretch their thinking or get them excited to be learners….well, let’s just not think about that.

I’ve mentioned plenty of times how my curriculum can’t be directly changed because of this experience, and I know that we’re always in a time crunch to get in the information mandated by the district and core.  That being said, I know I’m going to find many circumstances where I can include a tid-bit of information about a real-life math application.  In the past, I have been told that I do a great job incorporating problem solving into my teaching strategies.  With this experience behind me, the level of thinking I require will increase, thus having a nice impact on the kids.  Problem solving strategies mixed in with a few actual real-world applications (aside from the standard stories involving a lemonade stand, trains traveling towards/away from each other, or a group of people painting a house).

One thing I wasn’t expecting to get from this externship was the overwhelming feeling of community.  I never imagined a few short weeks would be enough time for the company to embrace my abilities and make me feel like a million bucks.  I could always count on a familiar smiling face in the halls, offices, production floor, tool room, and break room.  The friendly atmosphere and constant affirmations remind me how important that is for my students.  I’ve always thought that I’ve done a decent job at praising my students’ accomplishments and successes, but oh boy they better watch out this next year—I’m fully loaded with a whole new tool box of ideas and a great motivation to use them! J 

Here are a few other random things I’ve learned, witnessed, and will be taking away from this summer externship experience:

--“Selective Attention Test”.  YouTube it, it’s worth it. (To make sure you have the right one, it has a couple kids tossing around a basketball)

--Slow down to go faster.  Taking a step back to think, ask, and collaborate can save a lot of time in the long run.

--Teamwork and cooperation can make everyone’s job easier.  Why not invest the time?

--Asking the question, “What sets you apart from your competition?” It provides an opportunity to show character (nice or cruel) while trying to prove a point.

--Spark by John Ratey.  Book about the impact of exercise and how it can pretty much make everything in life better.  The basis of his story begins with an explanation about a school in Naperville, Illinois that has implemented a new PE program for life fitness education.

--Eat That Frog by Brain Tracy.  I haven’t read this one yet, but it claims to provide ideas on how and why not to procrastinate.  Stems from idea that if you start everyday by eating a frog, you know that you’ve already done the worst (grossest) thing you’ll have to do that day. Get it done first, and it’s all better from there.

--5s strategy for organization, cleanliness, and standardization in a work space. “A place for everything, and everything in its place.”

--Process Mapping—an activity that explicitly describes every step in a process, including problems and decision points (sticky notes can be useful to move/brainstorm).

--The Invisible Gorilla by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons. This is another book I haven’t read yet, but it goes along with another part of this list. J  “We think we see ourselves and the world as they really are, but we’re actually missing a whole lot.”

"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way."  ~Mark Twain. 

There's no way I could have learned about my experience this summer without simply experiencing it.  I'm very thankful for my time here at Accumold, along with everything I'll be taking away.  Now, that quote might imply a negative connotation, and that is not my intention as I have thoroughly enjoyed this externship! Also, it makes me think of my roommate's cat, and how that would be QUITE the experience.  :) 

Week 6 Reflection

I’m a doer, not a desk-sitter.                                                                                      7/13/2012

What an eye-opening experience into a world I previously knew absolutely nothing about!  The people here at Accumold are great, the working atmosphere is wonderful, and I have a corner desk with a window overlooking a pond filled with multiple geese families!  Honestly, could it have been any better?! J  However, I am confident when I say that I enjoyed my time the most when I was outside the office working with employees in one way or another.  Lucky for me, I had a lot of these opportunities! I have known that I’m more of an active type of worker, and that hasn’t changed here.  It was SO great working with the variety of employees and positions here at Accumold.  This experience has me all sorts of excited to get back into my classroom this fall and meet my new bunch of students (but not too excited, as I do have a few weeks of summer left after all).

A few direct links from this experience that relates into my classroom are a word wall, technology inclusion, and collaboration.  First of all, my word wall.  I’ve mentioned it before, and I keep getting more excited about it.  Having fast access for students to recall key phrases will be priceless.  As the year progresses, having students help create the masterpieces will provide some ownership for them.  Secondly, technology inclusion.  North High is a 1:1 school, meaning all students are provided a laptop for use in school and at home.  Although challenging, I MUST find more applications for proper technology use.  Not scanned worksheets and recorded lessons, I’m talking about interactive websites with projects and hands-on activities that relate to the content.  My content isn’t changing.  I will still cover the same material and give the same common assessments, but I know there are better ways of getting the material across.  I guess I have about a month to get some ideas ironed out!  Finally, collaboration.  I have an amazing opportunity to work with the other Algebra 1 teachers at my school every other day.  Most schools don’t offer that time to their staff, and I’m ridiculously thankful North High has made collaboration a priority.  Last year we analyzed a lot of data and discussed generally what we were going to teach.  Moving forward this next year, I’m excited to see what the group of us will be able to accomplish, working together even more as a team.  We can share ideas, lessons, projects, and workloads. Three heads are better than one, and it’ll be great to fully dive in to a collaborative atmosphere.

One final concept that has been resonating with me for years is providing general life skills and encouraging math competency for my students. Number sense seems like a lost art, and it’s becoming apparent with the coming generation.  I’ve had a few lengthy conversations over lunch with some employees about this very issue.  It is as basic as understanding that 15 centimeters isn’t close to the same as 2 inches, or that a 50% increase actually creates a larger end result because it’s really 150% of the original, or even the notion that deleting a negative inventory does make a difference in the overall count.  What?! Negative numbers matter??  I don’t like negatives, so I just delete them and they go away.  Nnooooo!!!  I understand reading is important, but it almost feels as though math has taken a back seat because of it.  In my classroom, it’s sad to see a disengaged student who is mathematically brilliant that struggles with reading.  It’s like they have a label that they know about and choose not to perform well because of it.  My task: To disguise that alleged superiority, and give mathematically gifted students who struggle with reading the extra oomph they might need to continue their track to success.

One class that touches my heart on a closer level is my ELL Math class (ELL: English Language Learner).  I had one semester of it last year, and I’ve agreed to have a larger class for this next full year of school.  Throughout my time at Accumold, I’ve worked with a few employees who are in the process of learning English.  It has been amazing to witness a possible outcome of the education I provide my students. They can be such hard workers with unmet diligence.  I have oftentimes found myself giving students the benefit of the doubt, thinking I’m helping them along towards a diploma.  I need to raise the bar for my students!  It’s not about the math, I’ve known that.  However, I think I could do a better job of helping my students become more socially competent with life lessons to be successful in their lives beyond North High.  Math can be my means to that end!  I will get them to be thinkers, problem solvers, and to be more engaged with their own learning.  These thoughts get me crazy excited—like the giddy feel-good with goose bumps kind of excited!  Now to find implementation strategies for all these ideas…

Everyone around here keeps asking me what I’m going to do with the rest of my summer.  I think  my hands are comfortably full.

Week 5 Reflection

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!  J                                                                                                                          7/6/2012

            I have been working on getting Accumold employees to understand their health care information available to them online.  This includes registering for the insurance company’s website and browsing through many of the features.  The process took about 12 minutes for an average employee, but it was interesting to analyze the differences between skills of an employee who got it done in 5 minutes and an employee who took more than 20.  The skill sets among the employees are so different that it was impossible to keep them all together through the process.  Because of that, I found myself explaining what needs to be done to every person individually.  Wow was that a flashback to a classroom of teenagers!  This experience has reconfirmed the need to have multiple tasks ready, more importantly with varying ability levels.  With a “classroom” of 5-6 adults here, it was easily manageable for me to work one-on-one.  With a classroom of 20-30 teenagers, it’s a whole different story.  Allowing a child to sit there with nothing to do while I help another student is asking for trouble.  A goal I have set for myself this year is to keep even the most successful students challenged every day.  Challenged doesn’t necessarily mean busy.  I don’t think the kids need more work; they just need more applicable work that fits their level of thinking.

            One way for businesses to get involved in classrooms could be becoming a business sponsor (whether for the whole school, or a few particular classrooms).  Rather than seeking assistance from big-name national companies, why not look for support from local companies who would be interested in hiring our graduates?  Accumold has an amazing program (Accumold Scholars) to sponsor students through their education at DMACC with the intentions of hiring the students as full-time employees upon successful completion of the collegiate program.  Students are much more likely to join such a program if they’re aware of the company and the program they have to offer.  Especially since many students don’t have a clue what their options are out there—other than being a teacher, vet, doctor, lawyer, or social worker, they think their options are limited.  They need to be sparked with information to get them thinking outside of the box.

            Content-specific career fairs could be a fun way for students to explore professions specific to their favorite field of study.  At such a career fair, emphasizing which subject areas are most frequently used on the job and categorizing booths according to these subgroups could help students navigate throughout areas in which their most interested.  Accumold, for example, could fit under a few different categories—math for the measurement and numbers, art for the drawings and details, engineering for the composition of mold/part dimensions, business for the behind-the-scenes work, as well as trade work with the steel mold/tool constructing.  Recognizing that there isn’t much of any outdoor work or history/government involved, it would help students sift through many options as well as enlighten them to prospective employers related to their favorite field of study.  The more students are exposed to these types of opportunities, the more their creative hats will get thinking for possible career options.

Week 4 Reflection

Week 4: Ah ha!                                                                                                                                                                 6/29/12

As I prepare to start my masters this fall (in Educational Leadership), I notice my mindset shifting to the leadership side of tasks.  I’m recognizing what people say, how they approach others, and I’m focusing on the qualities that are promoting success.  As I reflect on how I think this externship will change my classroom, I keep looking at the bigger picture.  I know I’m going to have stories, and I know my students will be fully aware of my summer job (and how incredibly fascinating it was).  However, my curriculum and pacing are not going to change.  Since that’s set by the Common Core and our school district, I don’t have much flexibility there.  However, I do anticipate a change in my demeanor and motivation to incorporate real-world stories into the math.  I feel like I’ve taught my classrooms to be driven by problem-solving, but instead of getting stories out a book or online, I will have my own toolbox of options.

                One strategy I would love to incorporate next year is definitely a word wall.  Having the vocabulary and catch-phrases defined and available to my students can be priceless.  Last week I read a great line from a fellow extern, “It’s stressful when you try to manipulate something that you don’t understand.”  I have found myself in this same situation on more than one occasion the past few weeks.  “Who?  Where?  Sorry, could you explain that again?”  It gets frustrating when you’re trying so hard to learn new things, but everyone else around you is already so fluent that you don’t want to be the one to ask the question.     ---Oh. So that’s what it’s like for so many of my students!---     I feel like I’ve done a decent job of asking questions and seeking answers (and everyone around here has been super patient), but I’m sure it’s much more difficult for a teenager who’s lacking confidence and/or motivation. 

Another idea I’ve been thinking about is creating a bank of jobs in the mathematical field.  I know there are some fantastic posters/books that have already compiled this, and it would be fun to have some of those, but I’m talking specific jobs and companies around here.  When I ask students what they want to be when they grow up, most frequently I hear, “I don’t know yet.”  Not really wanting to push those buttons, and understanding they’re freshman, I regrettably have accepted that answer.  No more of that!  I will cheerfully offer some math career ideas.  I know many of them won’t stick, but I would love for a student to chase a dream with the motivation of something like, “My freshman algebra teacher said she thought I’d be great at it.  I looked into it and loved it, so here I am!”

Week 3 Reflection

3 weeks deep, and the projects keep coming!                                                                                        6/21/2012 

                I’m getting much more involved with the different areas of Accumold, and as I put things together, I can really see the connections that make things work so smoothly.

                I see many connections between jobs here at Accumold and the essential skills and concepts in math.  First of all, numbers are everywhere—product numbers, mold numbers, amount of products, types of raw material, sizes, pressures, temperatures, and I could go on and on.  Having the ability to differentiate between numbers is a very baseline skill around here.  One of the most important jobs at Accumold is measuring parts to make sure they’re within the specifications provided by a customer.  Not only is measurement involved, but they take that essential skill to the next level and incorporate number reasoning.  An employee must read a control plan and reason to determine if a measurement fits within the specification.  A part we used the other day, for example, measured .0391”, the employee had to determine whether that satisfied the required specification of .04” ± .002”.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with the guy who runs the wire tool room.  He uses some incredible technology that has the ability to use an electric charge along a wire to cut steel with precision for the plastic molds.  His software involves a large amount of geometry—odd shapes, slopes, and angles all over the place. Another essential skill very present at Accumold is data analysis by recognizing ideal injection parameters (pressure, speed, temperature, timing, etc.), recognizing errors, and trends with non-conforming parts.  As for functions, functions are all over the place.  In school, I’ve spent many hours drawing up function machines with my students, and it’s quite humorous for me to envision an injection molding machine as just a fancy function.  Each input produces one output.  If you put in the same material into the same machine, but something different comes out (a different part), that would be bad as it wouldn’t be a function! I’m super excited to use this as a new function example for next year!  J

                Along with the essential skills in math, there are also numerous 21^st century skills necessary.  The biggest one that comes to mind is problem solving.  It’s imperative at Accumold, and I think it’s a life lesson that never quite goes away.  Being able to recognize a problem and execute a plan in order to achieve success is such a huge task.  Whether employees are trying to fix a machine, the leader teams are discussing part problems, or techs are attempting to fix an ongoing measurement issue—problem solving is everywhere! Along with problem solving oftentimes come social interactions.  I’ve heard that businesses of today are noticing that younger employees are lacking collaborative skills.  I don’t think solitary work would be acceptable around here.  Having the ability to talk to a coworker, share ideas, and collaborate is one reason why I think Accumold is having such great success.  The employees work together, cross-departmentally, to make sure things run smoothly.  Then there’s also the use of technology, another 21^st century skill. Since everything is run by machines, with computers and software, technological literacy is a must.  I’m fairly confident that every position at Accumold requires some use of technology---computer, email, processing software, microscope, tool scope, and I think I could go on for days.  Technology is only getting more intense, and it’s important that an employee be comfortable with his/her surroundings.

                As I put together an orientation plan (first day of training) for a new employee, I’m trying to incorporate one of the characteristics of effective teaching—teaching for understanding.  Under the current training program, a new employee jumps right out onto the floor and follows around an experienced employee as he/she explains what takes place on the job.  Although jumping right into it may sometimes seem like the most beneficial, to actually teach for understanding, there’s more that comes into play.  For the first day, I’ve incorporated some videos, handouts, writing opportunities, and time to go out and watch what’s taking place on the floor.  The new employee will hopefully not feel totally overwhelmed by just following around the experienced, but will rather receive information about a wide variety of topics, along with some time spent in his/her element on the floor.  Another characteristic of effective teaching is formative assessment.  I’ve been doing this through my measurement testing.  I did a little check with everyone individually to see who could properly use the measurement tools.  It wasn’t used as a pass-or-fire test, but rather as an opportunity for growth and improvement.

                A few of the standards for mathematical practice that stand out are using appropriate tools strategically and attending to precision.  Knowing which tool to use when measuring a part can save a lot of time and hassle.  A caliper, micrometer, tool scope (sometimes a fixture can help), Go/NoGo, and drop indicator all serve their own purpose. Some are more effective than others for particular parts.  Along those same lines, attending to precision is a non-negotiable.  When talking about differences between thousandths or even ten-thousandths of an inch, there’s not much room for approximating and guessing. 

                I’m recognizing that throughout my writing, there are quite a few parts that I claim to be “very important” or a “key to success”.  I think this is largely because the entire process of manufacturing these tiny parts still blows my mind.  As I get deeper into the process, getting more familiar with the injection molding machine and steel mold/tool creation, my mind isn’t getting put to ease.  The intricate detail of each and every step is just phenomenal.

Week 2 Reflections

2^nd week in, and things keep getting better!                                                                        6/15/2012

                My initial concerns have now been swept away, and I’m becoming more and more comfortable with my time here at Accumold.  I was initially concerned with the lack of clarity on potential projects and tasks, but things have been working out quite well.  As days progress, more and more opportunities for involvement arise, and I find myself diving into things I never imagined.  I love it!  Another concern I had towards the beginning involved a little bit of nervousness for not knowing anyone around campus, but my task of measurement testing has provided a wonderful opportunity to put names with faces.  It’s great to be able to greet one another, and it definitely makes me feel more at home here.  Even further, in case I struggle with remembering who’s who, I’ve been granted access to Accumold’s SharePoint which has a file of everyone’s name and picture.  It’s another fantastic tool that has helped to make me feel welcome.  As a whole, Accumold has done a phenomenal job of welcoming me on board, and the transition here has been outstanding.

                While inquiring about Accumold’s concerns at the beginning, my supervisor mentioned that she wasn’t very worried, but rather excited and ready to get started. She said she saw the program as a win-win situation and could see the connections with how the program would help with what they’re trying to accomplish.  She had an expectation that, as an educator, I had excelled in the classroom and would bring skills capable of being successful at Accumold.  From my understanding, I have shown that to be the case.  Also, some words in my application offered some ease and confidence for the program.  I mentioned that some of the most important things I try to teach my students is problem solving strategies and instilling in them a desire to keep learning and challenging themselves.  My supervisor mentioned that her long term goal is “to help the staff see that their value to Accumold is not as an operator, process tech, or tool maker, but as a problem solver who can make a difference.”  With these common goals in mind, we’ve been working together quite well!

                I have two current projects involving more of my expertise of teaching, and I’m very excited to see how it’s going to play out.  The first is to help revamp the training process of an employee.  It’s been agreed upon that a day in a classroom-like setting prior to following around a trained employee on the floor might be most beneficial. I have been assigned the task of putting together said classroom instruction.  With the help of a very wise employee who currently heads the training process most frequently, I am integrating modality changes and interactive writing opportunities throughout the day.  Hopefully this will help the new employee to better retain the information provided throughout the training process.  The other project is to help employees become more informed about their health and health care options.  I have yet to dive completely in to this one, but my brainstorming gears are turning, and I’m excited for the many directions it might possibly take. 

Picture Overview

This is an example of how small some of the parts are.  In comparison to a finger print---you can see they're definitely "micro"!

 It takes some very high-tech equipment to be able to create and inspect quality parts.

Just another example of the itty bitty details on already tiny parts.  I'm totally fascinated with how this all works!

This is the building front, off Oralabor Road in Ankeny, Iowa.