Timeline
My timeline is cyclical and does not contain any time markers because this cycle can be used repeatedly for each chemistry concept. I will specifically focus on revising my current lessons on Gas Laws and Chemical Reactions to improve students' conceptual understanding. The cycle will start with planning and conferring with colleagues to determine what I want students to know and do. Students will construct an understanding of the concept though inquiry activities, addressing misconceptions, and collaborating with their peers. Lastly, I will design various assessments to test what they have learned, like traditional (quizzes and exams) and performance tasks. I will use self-evaluations to have students think about HOW they have learned the concept.
In the fall, my goal for the ImagineIT project was to improve student conceptual understanding, especially for chemistry concepts that have math equations. For the spring, my goal will still be to improve student conceptual understanding, but focus on improving scientific literacy, specifically in writing. I have decided to focus on how students communicate their understanding through writing after implementing the ImagineIT project in the fall and noticing that students were not using the scientific terminology properly or at all.
In order to built strong conceptual understanding, I will continue to have students explore a concept through experiments and data analysis. I will include more opportunities for students to explore and revisit common misconceptions. This will allow them to continue to shape and build their conceptual understanding, and to practice how to communicate their understanding through writing. To help with improving their writing, some of the broad benchmarks I can implement will include providing sentence starters, banning the use of the word “it”, and having students collaborate to help each other.
Another area I will focus on to improve conceptual understanding will be assessments. I will assess students with traditional quizzes and exams, but also use hands-on performance tasks so students can apply what they have learned throughout the unit.
My wildest hope for this phase of the ImagineIT project is for my students to master the concept and be able to communicate this mastery through writing and application. I will continue to confer with my colleagues and hope that they will ask me to help improve their students’ conceptual understanding. In a large picture sense, I would hope this work in improving student understanding and writing will also spur my colleagues to do the same in their classrooms and to building a learning community where we will collaborate more and challenge each other and the students.
In the fall, my goal for the ImagineIT project was to improve student conceptual understanding, especially for chemistry concepts that have math equations. For the spring, my goal will still be to improve student conceptual understanding, but focus on improving scientific literacy, specifically in writing. I have decided to focus on how students communicate their understanding through writing after implementing the ImagineIT project in the fall and noticing that students were not using the scientific terminology properly or at all.
In order to built strong conceptual understanding, I will continue to have students explore a concept through experiments and data analysis. I will include more opportunities for students to explore and revisit common misconceptions. This will allow them to continue to shape and build their conceptual understanding, and to practice how to communicate their understanding through writing. To help with improving their writing, some of the broad benchmarks I can implement will include providing sentence starters, banning the use of the word “it”, and having students collaborate to help each other.
Another area I will focus on to improve conceptual understanding will be assessments. I will assess students with traditional quizzes and exams, but also use hands-on performance tasks so students can apply what they have learned throughout the unit.
My wildest hope for this phase of the ImagineIT project is for my students to master the concept and be able to communicate this mastery through writing and application. I will continue to confer with my colleagues and hope that they will ask me to help improve their students’ conceptual understanding. In a large picture sense, I would hope this work in improving student understanding and writing will also spur my colleagues to do the same in their classrooms and to building a learning community where we will collaborate more and challenge each other and the students.
Update #1
My focus for the ImagineIT project in the Spring is to improve conceptual understanding through collaboration and engaging students’ higher order thinking skills. This spring, I have been working closely with my department team to create more opportunities for students to connect what they are learning in the class with what is happening in the world today. With the recent news about the increase in lead poisoning over the country, I thought it would be applicable after students learned about ions. I used the “close read” strategy that our school has been championing for “complex” texts. in science we have defined complex texts as those which include data and conclusions based on data. A close read is a questioning strategy that starts with basic recall questions and progress in difficulty to include application questions. I researched multiple articles for students to read as a group and answer questions about the lead poisoning from old pipes and paint.
This was a particularly good assignment in my opinion because it is helping our students develop as educated, concerned citizens in their community. After having students read and analyze the articles, the main question of the assignment has them relate the situation to Chicago. Students concluded that it is possible to get lead poisoning in Chicago (yikes!), but I had students think up of ways to inform their family and friends about the possible hazard. “Think about your grandma, how would you explain the possibility of lead poisoning if she doesn’t remember science.” “Think about your little cousin, how will you explain to him/her how to prevent lead poisoning.” Although students may not understand the “chemistry" behind the lead poisoning in Flint, MI, they can apply what they have learned to help those around them.
This was a particularly good assignment in my opinion because it is helping our students develop as educated, concerned citizens in their community. After having students read and analyze the articles, the main question of the assignment has them relate the situation to Chicago. Students concluded that it is possible to get lead poisoning in Chicago (yikes!), but I had students think up of ways to inform their family and friends about the possible hazard. “Think about your grandma, how would you explain the possibility of lead poisoning if she doesn’t remember science.” “Think about your little cousin, how will you explain to him/her how to prevent lead poisoning.” Although students may not understand the “chemistry" behind the lead poisoning in Flint, MI, they can apply what they have learned to help those around them.
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Update #2
In the classroom, my goal will be to integrate the use of Google classroom to have students submit electronic lab reports, which is one of my Deep Play Group goals. A future lab that I have planned is the Pennies lab where students will be exploring the difference between a penny minted before and after 1982. This lab will give students a hands-on experience that connects to the concept of average atomic mass. Students will be expected to collaborate (work in groups and compile class data), analyze data, and connect the lab with the concept learned in class.
Outside of the classroom, I will continue my previous lesson about ions and the Flint water crisis with parent participants at a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting. I will have parents perform lead tests for samples of water from around the school and discuss how to keep their families safe from lead poisoning. Parents will learn about the causes and effects of lead in the Flint drinking water and will leave with lead testing kits to use at home.
Outside of the classroom, I will continue my previous lesson about ions and the Flint water crisis with parent participants at a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting. I will have parents perform lead tests for samples of water from around the school and discuss how to keep their families safe from lead poisoning. Parents will learn about the causes and effects of lead in the Flint drinking water and will leave with lead testing kits to use at home.
Final Report
During the ImagineIT planning phase, I realized I was holding back on what I wanted students to be able to do or deliver. What I wanted students to do fell within a “reasonable” range of what I experienced them doing, not what I imagined they could do. Conferring with colleagues helped me to see what could be possible if I planned appropriate scaffolding within the unit. For example, I knew I wanted students to deepen their conceptual understanding of chemistry concepts that are typically taught as math-based concepts, but I still planned the unit and “deliverables” like a typical unit (lectures, discussions, etc.). So when I conferred with other teachers, we started discussing creative assessments, like having students make videos. That is when I realized that the whole point was not to plan something students are guaranteed to be success at, but to plan something students could learn and grow from, whether they are successful or not.
When discussing the ImagineIT project with the chemistry department, we all agreed that this is what we should be doing for all of our classes. One teacher commented that the lessons created with the ImagineIT project are more creative and engage students more than a typical lesson. She especially liked that there was more opportunities for students to think and act like scientists through collaboration and collecting and analyzing data.
I have learned that teaching is experimental and the only way to grow as a learner and a teacher is to try something new. In collaborating with my colleagues at school and MSUrbanSTEM, I have learned about different technology tools and best practices I can use to enhance the student learning experience. ImagineIT has influenced my teaching by allowing me to see how learning can happen outside of the traditional sense of lectures and assessments.
When discussing the ImagineIT project with the chemistry department, we all agreed that this is what we should be doing for all of our classes. One teacher commented that the lessons created with the ImagineIT project are more creative and engage students more than a typical lesson. She especially liked that there was more opportunities for students to think and act like scientists through collaboration and collecting and analyzing data.
I have learned that teaching is experimental and the only way to grow as a learner and a teacher is to try something new. In collaborating with my colleagues at school and MSUrbanSTEM, I have learned about different technology tools and best practices I can use to enhance the student learning experience. ImagineIT has influenced my teaching by allowing me to see how learning can happen outside of the traditional sense of lectures and assessments.