This leap year, Amarillo College is celebrating its purposeful values: Family, Fun, Innovation, Wow and Yes through a special series we're calling by Leaps and Bounds.

These diesel mechanics students (front row) are Blake Wills, Omar Chacon, Francisco, Valarde (first place), Donald Ryder and Ethan Stephens. In back are, from left, Warren Caterpillar representatives Scott Potter, service manager, and Todd Mosa, shop supervisor, and Cummins Diesel service manager Matthew Kunkel.

In an effort to encourage critical thinking among his students, Derek Lyon, instructor of diesel mechanics technology at Amarillo College, borrowed a slick idea from an old mentor.

Lyon gave those of his students seeking a basic mechanics certificate a competitive test on April 20th that he dubbed the ‘Thinking Skills Challenge.’ They were allotted up to four hours to list 100 ways an engine can use oil.

The students who fared best not only received A’s, they also won fine prizes from some industry partners – Warren Caterpillar and Cummins Diesel – members of the program’s advisory board whose representatives turned out in support of the effort.

“It’s quite a challenge,” said Lyon, who was similarly challenged 33 years ago by the late Command Sergeant Major Scott Rodke, under whom Lyon took automotive-machinist classes at Temple College. “CSM Rodke was always pushing us to hone our thinking skills, and his fill-in-the-blank test was just like this: one question with 100 blanks.

“I decided to give his skill-set thinking test a try with my students because our industry partners have expressed an interest in filling their workforces with people who possess solid critical-thinking and diagnostic skills.”

First place went to AC’s Francisco Velarde, 18, of Dalhart, who went the extra mile on the exam.

“I made it to 100, then I gave a couple more answers just in case,” said Velarde, who was awarded a spiffy new company jacket from Scott Potter, service manager for Warren Caterpillar. “To me it was not really about the prizes,” he said. “It was about being recognized by these companies, about the potential for a future job.

“Of course I wanted to make my mom proud, too.”

Others claiming prizes for superlative answer sheets were Blake Wills, second place; Ethan Stephens, third; Donald Ryder, fourth; and Omar Chacon, fifth.”

Instructor Lyon deemed the grueling effort a success for all concerned.

“Whether they filled in every blank or got only 60 or 70, and not all the answers that were given were correct, they nevertheless seemed to get my point – that thinking through a challenge like this is the sort of thing they will be up against in the real world,” he said.

“Of course I owe this idea to CSM Scott Rodke, who I was honored to study under,” Lyon said. “I like to think he would be proud to know that I can still personally do the test after all these years in 45 minutes.”

April 20, 2016