A cylinder in a car is where the fuel burns and creates energy, and a crankshaft is the rotating axle in the engine that carries power from the pistons to the gearbox.
If you feel like you’re studying, you are—just like the students in the Auto Tech Job Training/Certificate Program at San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) who are learning about cylinders, crankshafts and other components that make up engine systems. Like most specialized industries, the training revolves around unique vocabulary, calculations and rhetoric.
The student population in the auto classes is made up of adults with diverse languages and different skill levels. Yet, one thing they have in common is the goal to be employable in the auto industry, and two instructors have teamed up to build an on-ramp that helps students master the rigors of SDCE’s automotive program.
A new pilot class combines basic skills (think English, math and reading) with Automotive Technician curriculum (think engines, electricity and vehicle inspections). Carolyn McGavock, an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor who’s been teaching at SDCE for more than 20 years, was attracted to the class because of the instructional model, which emphasizes contextual learning. “Our students don’t have time to be enrolled in three different departments to obtain well-rounded training.”
“We’re here to ease the transition for students,” said Frank Vasquez, an instructor in the auto program since the 80s who has taught the mainstream training classes long enough to know that students with a handle on basic skills are generally more successful in the program.
McGavock and Vasquez are teaching together, and learning from each other.
“If a student doesn’t get it, I’ll go home at night and think about a better way to teach it,” said Vasquez. “Then I’ll come in the next day and try it a new way. I work without too much structure, but with Carolyn here, I’m learning structure that’s helping me, and it’s helping the class too.”
“Frank has been very patient with me as I learn auto curriculum,” said McGavock. “He’s very knowledgeable and spontaneous as he responds to students,” she said. “Frank follows the students’ line of questions, and then I apply the traditional basics needed to be successful like using text books and taking tests.”
Seeing the students succeed is the greatest measure of success. After just 11 weeks, pre- and post-test scores confirm 80% of students made gains in math and 60% in reading, but nearly 100% enrolled in the mainstream series of classes to work toward an Auto Technician certificate of completion. Additionally, for those who are interested in pursuing education beyond the short-term training, students who successfully complete SDCE’s Auto Tech Job Training/Certificate Program can earn 16 college credits that can be used toward an AA degree in Automotive Technology at Miramar College.
“Just this morning, many students [in the mainstream class] told me how glad they were to have taken the intro class because they can see how it prepared them for what they’re doing now,” said McGavock. “It was very gratifying and I’m grateful to the students from the pilot group. Their feedback is guiding the development of the new course.”