Class Assignment Reflection

building a unit for a subject was extremely difficult to start. our group had to figure out where our starting point was. The starting point only emerged after we decided what it was that the students had to have previous knowledge of. Since we are talking about education this is a very important starting point but can be difficult to know.

I believe surveys or pretest are the best way to know of prior knowledge and build upon what is known by a student. We can usually assume that a student knows prior concepts to build upon, but assuming can be dangerous and there could be no further learning done.

I think this is why backwards design is an important tool so that the "big picture" is known prior to constructing a unit. However formative assessment is important to incorporate and could be explained to a colleague that real time feedback can be given in order to  adjust teaching strategy and deeper learning can take place.

Practice Interview

My interview went very well, I found I had an issue in the ordering of questions. After rearranging some questioning I found some good points for prompting further understanding, and some sub questions incase I felt the interviewee needed to elaborate further.

I thought that being interviewed for a subject I didn't know very much about (A&P) very difficult, but could see how it was helpful. My partner seemed to know much more about my subject then I did hers. overall a great exercise for practicing and getting a better feel for how the interview may go.

First Draft Interview Questions

The big question; what is known/understood about wildlife management?

1.     What does wildlife management mean to you?

2.     How do you think predatory species play a role in current wildlife populations?

3.     What ecological components do you think need to be addressed when constructing a wildlife management area?

4.     When managing an area inhabited by an endangered species what precautions should be addressed?

5.     Why is population control important?

6.     Do you understand the importance of carrying capacity?

7.     What constitutes a species to be known as endangered?

8.     What is the difference between a protected species and an endangered species?

9.     Can a species be managed improperly? If so what could be negative impacts on the population as a whole?

10. Scenario:  if breeding grounds for a population of migratory birds is over populated what would the consequences be if not managed properly? How would you manage this population in order to combat the over population?

11. Scenario: a breeding pair of bald eagles (protected species) has constructed a nest near a river that is in close proximity to a ranch that has chickens and small farm animals. The rancher is concerned about the eagles predating upon her animals and seeks your professional advice as a wildlife manager. What would you say or explain to the rancher?

12. When given a blank piece of paper the student will construct a small wildlife management area and should show components of basic needs for a species. The basic needs that could be shown would be food, shelter, sustainable habitat, landscape etc.