Be a Problem solver

Have you ever known someone that excels in finding the cloud behind the silver lining? Some people have a knack for finding the negative to any set of circumstances. Sometimes students can get the impression that a service technician’s job is to find problems. But in truth, the technician’s job is to solve problems. Yes, you have to identify a problem to solve it, but solving the problem is the goal. Customers and employers are more impressed by people that find solutions than people that find problems. Most people already have more than enough problems, so the last person they want around is someone who generates more problems than solutions. On the other hand, people that excel in finding solutions are a joy to have around. Encourage your students to offer solutions to the problems they find. They need to become practiced in providing solutions, not just identifying problems. This can sometimes be a matter of attitude. Rather than finding reasons why something cannot be accomplished, look for ways to overcome the barriers to get the job done. This attitude should start with the way you interact with your students. Make sure to recognize what they do correctly, and not simply point out their errors. Of course you need to correct their errors, but it should be done constructively, not destructively. Always offer a better way when correcting students who are struggling. The student who is trying to glob on solder that is balling up and falling off really does not have to be told that what he is doing is not working; he can see it for himself. What he needs is someone to offer a better way. Students who gain skills after struggling at first appreciate the accomplishment more. You can teach more than any particular skill when you help a student overcome a learning barrier, you teach them how to be a problem solver.

Problem Solving

HVAC/R Service is about practical problem solving. All the tools, technology, training, and literature are just there to help us identify and solve problems. The primary skill that any service tech needs is problem solving. The most important tool at your disposal is your mind. I am frequently asked why we make students do BTU calculations of ice turning to steam, series parallel ohms law problems, gas law calculations, or any host of other primarily mental exercises that nearly all HVAC/R students must suffer through. Usually, the students asking are doing the most suffering. Although I can justify all of the above as an endeavor to garner a deeper understanding of the principles which make HVAC/R systems work, I usually tell them that you can’t become a champion weight lifter by lifting marshmallows. Service techs are not paid to connect gauges or take voltage readings, they are paid to solve problems. Obviously techs need to be familiar with all the tools at their disposal, but we should never overlook the fact that their primary tool sits on their shoulders. I am afraid the current focus on standardized testing throughout our educational system has not prepared our students for practical problem solving. Rather, they are used to selecting the best solution from a very limited set of answers. My prescription? Lots of work that requires students to recognize and define the problem, systematically find the cause, and offer a solution. Assign work that requires students to provide written answers. Ask questions whose answers have not been explicitly stated, but require students to put two pieces of information together. If you get an answer that is way off base, try and ask leading questions to help the student work their way through a solution to the problem. The exact answer is not as important as the process. Encouraging students to use their minds to solve problems is crucial. The shop is a great place to work on problem solving because real life problems are never as simple as a, b, c or d. But don’t accept “the part is bad” as an answer. The student should be able to explain what the unit is doing wrong, what is the cause, how they determined the cause of the problem, and what their proposed solution is. Truth be told, I believe this approach could work in a lot of fields besides HVAC/R. The leaders in any field are always people who have recognized and defined problems and then devised solutions.

Are Your Students Thirsty?

We are all familiar with the saying “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink!” Well maybe not, but you can make him thirsty and he will search out the water. The same can be said for students and knowledge. Some just have more thirst for learning than others. It can be frustrating to spend time constructing lessons and then have people not pay attention. Those same folks will be lost souls in the lab because they did not prepare. They don’t exhibit a thirst for knowledge. It would be easy to just write these students off and deal with the people who want to learn. The trouble is, they are not always the same students. Because students are people, they come to class with distractions that can get in the way of learning. You cannot cure their sick child, balance their bank statement, or get them a date with the cute girl across the hall, but you can create a thirst for air conditioning knowledge that can replace these worries for an hour or so.

There are many methods employed to get students focused on the material. They are as individual as instructors. One overlooked technique for teaching is testing. There is nothing like an impending test to create a thirst for knowledge. They want to know what is on the test. So right before a test, give a quick review of things you really want them to know. Keep the number of items covered to a minimum so they can remember them. Of course the time is limited as well because you still have a test to give. What you cover should be helpful to the students when they take the test, otherwise they will not listen the next time. Try not to just give away questions, but cover the material in a more general fashion. For example you can briefly discuss the relationship of voltage, resistance, and current by offering a few shout outs like “when resistance increases the current” … class responds “decreases.” Then the test can have some word problems that call for understanding the relationship of voltage, resistance, and current.

For most students, the test just makes them thirstier. They want to know how they did right after they complete the test. If time permits, grade the test immediately upon completion. My favorite technique for this is to have the students grade their own tests. I have them put away their pens and pencils and I hand out markers. Then I go through the test, answer each question, and discuss any issues. Students will ask questions at this point that they leave unasked in class. The discussion becomes a powerful lesson. Of course you still have to grade them. Students occasionally neglect to mark a few wrong answers when grading their own papers. The point is really not to have them do the grading, but to see how they did and learn from the experience. A word of caution: do not have them grade each other’s test. I know teachers may have used that technique on you in the past, but it is a violation of FERPA. FERPA is a relatively new federal law that guarantees students the right to privacy regarding their educational records. Since the point is for the students to learn how they did, it would not make sense for them to be grading someone else’s test.

What about cheating? Certainly some students will view this as an opportunity to “answer” the questions while they are being discussed. That is why they must put away their pens and pencils – to avoid temptation. But in the end, who are they cheating – themselves! Cheating in a class you are not compelled to take where you are preparing for your future just really does not make sense. When a student turns in a test with a low grade they gave themselves I have learned two valuable things: I did a poor job teaching that particular student and that student is honest.

I have a one question test for all of you: Are you making your students thirsty?

Teaching Green Technology

I am sure by now everyone has heard about the green revolution. Chances are, you have been asked what you are doing to teach Green Technology? You might feel that you are not doing anything about teaching Green Technology, but I bet you are teaching Green Technology without realizing it. First, your students are already ahead because they are in school. They will be more likely to read and follow instructions than someone who is just “doing it the way we have been doing it for 20 years.” New installation and service techniques develop along with new equipment and technology. Installing a 20 SEER air conditioner incorrectly effectively erases its efficiency advantage. Therefore, the first and foremast Green Technology we should be teaching is correct system installation. Chances are the text you are already using discusses Green Technology. Fundamentals of HVAC/R includes 13 Units that include information relevant to Green Technology. Unit 54 Basic Building Construction , has a section on Green construction.The idea is the Green Technology is more than a separate device or product, but is a new way of thinking and doing things. These 13 Green Technology units are identified in the table of contents with a green asterisk after the unit title. If you are looking for a text that is specifically Green, take a look at Pearson’s Your Role in the Green Environment, or Green Building Fundamentals, or Sustainable Construction and Design. To read more about these texts visit pearsonhighered.com

http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Your-Role-in-the-Green-Environment/9780136065968.page

http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Green-Building-Fundamentals/9780135028391.page

http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Sustainable-Construction-and-Design/9780135027288.page

I hear you saying “but they want me to buy a GREEN trainer!” No problem. I have two suggestions. One, get an ECM blower demo from thedealertoolbox.xom. It allows you to play with an ECM blower and measure the results. Not only will this help teach your students about Green Technology. it will help teach them about airflow. You can read more about it at http://secure.thedealertoolbox.com/p-20-ecm-blower-demo.aspx

Another obviously Green HVAC/R product is the new Lennox Solar Assisted Heat Pump. They are selling a heat pump with a solar panel that produces part of the electricity the heat pump uses. You can see more about it at http://www.lennox.com/pdfs/brochures/Lennox%20XPG20%20Heat%20Pump.pdf

If you are exploring Green Educational programs there are several alternatives ranging from a simple Green Awareness program to offering instruction in fields like Testing and Balancing or building Commissioning. If you would like to offer a Green Awareness program and certification you might check out ESCO’s Green Awareness program http://escoinst.com/GreenawerenessCertification.htm

Testing and Balancing and Building Commissioning are professional fields requiring specific training and credentialing, but if your school is serious about being Green, they are areas to look into. Without testing and balancing and commissioning, you really don’t know if the building and systems are performing as designed. You can get more information on Testing and Balancing at http://www.nebb.org or http://www.tabbcertified.org/ For building commissioning check out the Building Commissioning Association http://www.bcxa.org/ or the “Whole Building Design Guide” by the National Institute of Building Sciences http://www.wbdg.org/project/buildingcomm.php

The big mac daddy of Green right now would have to be the LEED program designed by the US Green Building Council. Buildings are certified as meeting the LEED standards by earning points in a variety of areas from energy efficiency, materials used, recycled content, and waste disposal to name a few. LEED buildings must be inspected by a LEED certified inspector. This offers another training opportunity. To read more about USGBC and LEED go to http://www.usgbc.org/

Again, I firmly believe that the HVAC/R field can be considered a Green Field when done correctly. After all, the Greenest design on paper turns brown if it is not properly installed.