Block plane. Rasp. Bit and brace. Sandpaper. These are the items that I remember using when I began my Career Technical Education (CTE) in Mr. Galeazzi’s eighth-grade woodshop class. The CTE teachers within Ukiah Unified School District started this year with similar, class-specific materials with which they educate tomorrow’s construction workers, daycare providers, machinists, mechanics, and many other essential highly-skilled individuals.

With the occurrence of COVID-19, all instructors have had to change the way that they teach. You may wonder how does a student learns a hands-on skill through Remote Learning? The professionals at UHS have been working hard to answer that question every day for the last several weeks. Here are some of their answers and strategies.

Jay Montesonti’s welding students have put their design reading skills together as they have constructed cardboard models of a rocket stove. Students received the plans from Mr. Montesonti. They then collected cardboard at their home, drew and cut the parts out of the cardboard, and assembled them according to the plans. Each step was photographed and sent to the teacher as evidence the project was understood and completed. 

Katrena Dursteler’s Child Development class, through which students also receive college credit, have been practicing ways of calming young children using strategies recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Meditation and mindfulness are examples of some of the activities. Not only have the students learned how to calm children in their care, but the students are also learning techniques for calming themselves. We can all benefit from these practices in the current stressful times, as well as in the future.

Mrs. Dursteler’s advanced Careers with Children students have been setting ten goals for themselves to complete each week and journaling about their accomplishments. The same students have been practicing physical activities such as performing Animal Yoga, inventing new dances, and counting body movements (jumping, skipping, etc.) with young family members. These activities encourage all involved to be more physically active, which helps to reduce anxiety and practice academic skills by counting and being creative.

Sadie DeMarta and Kaitlyn McDonough teach Agriculture. A substantial component of the agriculture program is leadership development and team building. To maintain the cohesiveness of the agriculture students, and to assist the students with decreasing their anxiety, Ms. McDonough and Mrs. DeMarta have been hosting online “Lunch in the Ag Department.” During this time, students drop into a Zoom conference room and spend their lunchtime with their teachers and classmates. Reports are that the students have enjoyed seeing their friends and having some downtime to catch up with each other and their teachers.

My final example shows how students learn fundamental skills in their class and then expand their knowledge through their projects. Daniel Sullivan teaches Exploratory Computer Principles, AP Computer Science Skills, and Network Security. The overlapping skills which are taught in all of his classes are computer coding, advanced mathematics, artistic intuition, and physics principles. One of Mr. Sullivan’s students has used his skills to develop an algorithm that spontaneously creates a new labyrinth within each level of a game that he designed. Another team of students has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) by melding together several AI resources online. This AI creation follows players in a game and learns how to avoid obstacles placed in its way.