Skill One |
Skill Two |
Skill Three |
Imagine IT – Phase 3
DESIRED RESULTS
As I began to reflect more on my Imagine IT, I realized that assessing my scholars and what they have learned seems to come to the forefront. I have to admit, the Deep Play group had a hand in it as well. The two projects cross over in a way. The questions I began to ask are things like how can I emphasize more depth instead of breadth with regards to my curriculum? How can I integrate more technology in my classroom? How can I ensure that what is learned will remain when it comes time for recall?
My position this coming year will be the same it has for the past 11 years, 8th grade physical science teacher. My school, Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy, uses the curriculum SEPUP IAPS. For the purpose of this paper, I will be thinking about the unit titled, Energy.
Energy has a couple of major concepts embedded within the unit. The concepts that come to mind are the forms and types of energy, dissipation, conservation of energy, the efficiency of energy and the fact that we cannot create or destroy energy. By the end of this unit, I want my scholars to understand that there is a lot that goes into turning on the lights in their home. It’s not as simple as flipping on the switch.
As I think about how I can answer each of the questions stated above, I keep thinking about a Next Generation Science Standard that my class rarely ever hits and that is modeling. Without the students having some form of model or diagram to struggle with, science is just ideas and words that most scholars claim scares them. When I think back to what really got me hooked into science, it was my junior year Physics teacher. Before her, science was read the paragraph, define the vocabulary, and answer the questions. All of a sudden, Ms. Schleck has us dropping eggs out of windows and building mousetrap cars. I never forgot the point she was trying to make because I had a hand in developing a model.
PERFORMANCES OF UNDERSTANDING
Aside from the weekly, content based quizzes that my scholars are thrilled to have, I will need to develop specific and acceptable ways of assessing them. Three ideas comes to mind:
LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND INSTRUCTION PLAN
Context
Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy has a high rate of low income (95%) and the vast majority is Hispanic students. Approximately 37% of the students at the school are English language learners and 19% are diverse learners. The average class that I will see will have 28-30 students in it.
As you enter my lab, you will notice that scholars are grouped in tables of four. There will be approximately eight tables in the lab. Each scholar has a particular job for the lab. Those jobs are facilitator, spokesperson, materials getter, and procedure captain. Each of the jobs will rotate from one lab to the next.
The 6th and 7th grade science teachers at my school have done an awesome job preparing the scholars for middle school science. One of the major themes in my classroom is lab safety. I want my scholars to always know what they are doing before they do it.
Content
For this year, I want my scholars to focus on using models to explain their understanding of scientific concepts and or ideas. I feel there will be somewhat of a problem initially because they are so dependent on the teacher for answers. It is going to take an effort on both of our ends to ensure that they are free to interpret what was learned in class using a model without influence. As for challenges within my content area, it is always difficult trying to get scholars to trace energy sources backward. It takes a lot of time a practice to have them realize without the Sun, there is no energy. Debunking misconceptions is also a problem. It never ceases to amaze me what talking points Youtube or Wikipedia provide for my classroom.
Pedagogy
Most schools that have adopted SEPUP as their science curriculum sent their teachers to a summer institute to learn how the curriculum should be taught as was intended by the authors. The 5E model for science instruction is what I have used for the majority of my career after attending the summer institute. The 5E is:
Engage: This is typically my challenge question to the class. If we are studying thermal energy, I might use the question, “Which has more thermal energy – a bathtub at 26 degrees Celsius or Lake Michigan at 20 degrees Celsius?
Explore: This would be the lab portion of my class.
Explain: This is where the scholars would share their data with the rest of the class. We would typically discuss what factors caused any variations in data throughout the room at this point.
Extend: Ideally, this is where the scholars take what they learn and apply it to the real world. This is where I want to target my Imagine IT. Their models, Stopmotion video, and any instructional software would fit perfectly in this spot.
Evaluate: This is where assessment would take place.
Technology
This coming year, I will have access to approximately 32 iPads that my scholars will share with the 7th grade science class. It is pretty straightforward signout system because we have a Google calendar that we use. Additionally, I have a Promethean Board in the front of the class. I plan on using the iPads a lot more this year for the Stopmotion videos. It may be hard getting permission to use cell phones in the classroom.
DESIRED RESULTS
As I began to reflect more on my Imagine IT, I realized that assessing my scholars and what they have learned seems to come to the forefront. I have to admit, the Deep Play group had a hand in it as well. The two projects cross over in a way. The questions I began to ask are things like how can I emphasize more depth instead of breadth with regards to my curriculum? How can I integrate more technology in my classroom? How can I ensure that what is learned will remain when it comes time for recall?
My position this coming year will be the same it has for the past 11 years, 8th grade physical science teacher. My school, Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy, uses the curriculum SEPUP IAPS. For the purpose of this paper, I will be thinking about the unit titled, Energy.
Energy has a couple of major concepts embedded within the unit. The concepts that come to mind are the forms and types of energy, dissipation, conservation of energy, the efficiency of energy and the fact that we cannot create or destroy energy. By the end of this unit, I want my scholars to understand that there is a lot that goes into turning on the lights in their home. It’s not as simple as flipping on the switch.
As I think about how I can answer each of the questions stated above, I keep thinking about a Next Generation Science Standard that my class rarely ever hits and that is modeling. Without the students having some form of model or diagram to struggle with, science is just ideas and words that most scholars claim scares them. When I think back to what really got me hooked into science, it was my junior year Physics teacher. Before her, science was read the paragraph, define the vocabulary, and answer the questions. All of a sudden, Ms. Schleck has us dropping eggs out of windows and building mousetrap cars. I never forgot the point she was trying to make because I had a hand in developing a model.
PERFORMANCES OF UNDERSTANDING
Aside from the weekly, content based quizzes that my scholars are thrilled to have, I will need to develop specific and acceptable ways of assessing them. Three ideas comes to mind:
- Stopmotion video – most of my scholars have cell phones available during the school day and therefore, this is a definite possibility. After we complete a lab or activity, I generally have the scholars record in their journal the main idea or main concept of what we just did and then we move on. Using a Stopmotion video, the scholars can act out this idea or concept and showcase in front of the class on my Promethean Board. For an extra spicy challenge, I can have them do the exact opposite of the idea if it is applicable. They are always dying to show off in front of one another and much like Ms. Schleck’s class for me, they will not forget it because it is now more that words on paper.
- Physical Models – when given enough time, students love to draw or create. I am thinking that going along with how I have them write down the main idea or concept in their journal, I can also start a side journal, more of an artistic representation of what we do in class. It would follow them for the year and instead of writing, they will draw or model what we did in class. If I can assemble furniture from IKEA without words, their drawings have to be worth something to explain what is occurring in class. Hopefully, they will begin to see common, overlapping themes as their drawings develop.
- Software – this will be the most challenging of the three. Scholars are so much more technologically advanced than my generation. When studying Potential and Kinetic Energy, I found a website through National Geographic called the JASON Project. This project has a roller coaster simulator where the scholars can manipulate the different variables and actually build their own roller coaster. It helps with retention and the ability to model but a major drawback and/or wondering is how many topics have something like that available.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND INSTRUCTION PLAN
Context
Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy has a high rate of low income (95%) and the vast majority is Hispanic students. Approximately 37% of the students at the school are English language learners and 19% are diverse learners. The average class that I will see will have 28-30 students in it.
As you enter my lab, you will notice that scholars are grouped in tables of four. There will be approximately eight tables in the lab. Each scholar has a particular job for the lab. Those jobs are facilitator, spokesperson, materials getter, and procedure captain. Each of the jobs will rotate from one lab to the next.
The 6th and 7th grade science teachers at my school have done an awesome job preparing the scholars for middle school science. One of the major themes in my classroom is lab safety. I want my scholars to always know what they are doing before they do it.
Content
For this year, I want my scholars to focus on using models to explain their understanding of scientific concepts and or ideas. I feel there will be somewhat of a problem initially because they are so dependent on the teacher for answers. It is going to take an effort on both of our ends to ensure that they are free to interpret what was learned in class using a model without influence. As for challenges within my content area, it is always difficult trying to get scholars to trace energy sources backward. It takes a lot of time a practice to have them realize without the Sun, there is no energy. Debunking misconceptions is also a problem. It never ceases to amaze me what talking points Youtube or Wikipedia provide for my classroom.
Pedagogy
Most schools that have adopted SEPUP as their science curriculum sent their teachers to a summer institute to learn how the curriculum should be taught as was intended by the authors. The 5E model for science instruction is what I have used for the majority of my career after attending the summer institute. The 5E is:
Engage: This is typically my challenge question to the class. If we are studying thermal energy, I might use the question, “Which has more thermal energy – a bathtub at 26 degrees Celsius or Lake Michigan at 20 degrees Celsius?
Explore: This would be the lab portion of my class.
Explain: This is where the scholars would share their data with the rest of the class. We would typically discuss what factors caused any variations in data throughout the room at this point.
Extend: Ideally, this is where the scholars take what they learn and apply it to the real world. This is where I want to target my Imagine IT. Their models, Stopmotion video, and any instructional software would fit perfectly in this spot.
Evaluate: This is where assessment would take place.
Technology
This coming year, I will have access to approximately 32 iPads that my scholars will share with the 7th grade science class. It is pretty straightforward signout system because we have a Google calendar that we use. Additionally, I have a Promethean Board in the front of the class. I plan on using the iPads a lot more this year for the Stopmotion videos. It may be hard getting permission to use cell phones in the classroom.