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| Passing through the middle of nowhere |
As a
teacher, I love summer. Not for the reasons some people assume. During summer I still teach, learn and plan but the
pace is different and there is time to really think and explore. There is also
time for new experiences and adventures. An event occurred that caused the
thing I like about a teacher’s summer together in one place, the middle of
nowhere. In this unlikely place learning, planning, teaching and traveling
intersected.
I was invited to speak about
flipped learning at a conference in Ruidoso, New Mexico. I flew into
Albuquerque and drove over two hours to Ruidoso. I enjoy exploring on road
trips and this was my first trip to New Mexico. I had done a little research on
the Ruidoso, but I did not look up things to do on the route from Albuquerque
to Ruidoso. I drove by a number of interesting sites, but I did not feel I had time
to stop and enjoy the pueblo, the large array telescope, white sands missile
range, the rock shop, lava fields, Smokey Bear’s resting place, or Billy the
Kid Historical trail. I was curious about all of those places, but I headed straight
for the conference hotel and checked in.
It was
energizing to have the opportunity to share flipped learning at the conference.
The flipped learning model is a way to shift the class environment from teacher
centered to student centered, gain class time for more exploration of topics and
encourage deeper learning. A short forty five minute presentation packed with information
left some with the feeling they were “brain melted”. After time to process,
some of them wanted more information so we met and discussed ways to use this
method to improve the classroom learning experience for the students. As the
conference progressed two ideas kept flashing through my thoughts, Learning
Culture and Intentional Content. The learning culture is described:
“In the Flipped Learning model, there is a deliberate shift from a
teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered approach, where in-class time
is meant for exploring topics in greater depth and creating richer learning
opportunities through various student-centered pedagogies. As a result,
students are actively involved in knowledge formation through opportunities to participate
in and evaluate their learning in a manner that is personally meaningful.” (The
Flipped Learning Model, 2013. pg 2)
Providing intentional content requires teachers to
evaluate the lessons they are presenting to differentiate between what teachers
should present and what students should be allowed to explore on their own. The
goal of this process is to improve understanding. (The Flipped Learning Model,
2013. pg 2) These
form part of the foundation of flipped learning and both are also important in the
inquiry learning process. Filling class time with great
learning experiences is the real challenge presented in flipped learning and
inquiry meets this challenge.
The
next day it was time to take the long road home. I was still mulling over the
challenge of creating great in-class experiences. But the current challenge was
to make the most of this drive while arriving on time for my flight. I did some
research regarding the places to go and things to do in the area and along the
route. I created a plan. I limited my explorations to places that were in the
general direction of travel from Ruidoso to the airport. The route back was
slightly different than the arrival route, had one detour and some places to
visit along the way. Departing early enough to make the flight later that
afternoon the journey began. I allowed an hour to drive up a mountain at Ski
Apache, time for a lunch stop at a suggested local dive and then thirty minutes
for a stop at the rock shop.
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| Smokey Bear's resting place |
I
was looking forward to the views from the top of the mountain at Ski Apache. The
geology of the area is intriguing and a birds-eye overview would help my
understanding of the varied terrain. Making the turn for Ski Apache I was
greeted by a flashing sign warning of large, slow construction vehicles and
possible road closures at mile marker three. I was very disappointed that my original
plan would need to be re-worked. Fortunately the backup plan was to visit
Smokey Bear’s resting place. With the GPS reprogrammed, I headed off to Capitan
and Smokey Bear Historical Park. Those who are old enough may have fond childhood
memories of Smokey Bear and even remember when he died in 1976. After a visit and short stroll the road trip continues
to Albuquerque. I did not stop for lunch after seeing what others had
recommended I was not very hungry. The next planned stop was the Blanchard Rock
Shop, three miles from the middle of nowhere.
I arrived at the middle of
nowhere. Perhaps this isn’t a real place, but if it is, I found it. I was
thinking about my travels, wondering if the process I had taken to create my
route had elements of inquiry and the back to school writing assignment “What I
Did This Summer” popped into my brain. I then wondered if that old familiar writing
assignment could become an introductory lesson in the inquiry process to make
it more accessible for students. The analysis began.
I did start with a question. “What
must I do on the way back to the airport?” I did some investigating and created
a plan: Visit Ski Apache, eat lunch somewhere interesting and go to the rock
shop. I used the internet to check mileage and did some mental calculations regarding
timing. When I found the road closed I had to decide whether to continue my
original plan at some risk or change my route. Applying some critical thinking
to this problem I created a new plan that included a stop at Smokey Bear
Historical Park. I did stop at the rock shop, enjoyed the specimens scattered
about on large make-shift tables. I learned some about the local rocks from the
proprietor and bought a rock from a nearby mine. All of my plans were built on prior
knowledge and experiences, stemmed from the desire to learn more and gave me
the opportunity to do so. The route sent me along the Billy the Kid Historical
Route and through the lava flows in the Valley of Fires Recreation Area, both
of which piqued my curiosity and suggested some additional learning for my next
trip. Once I arrived home I planned to share how and what I learned on my trip
through nowhere.
I hope everyone has the opportunity
to find experience something a little surprising during the summer. When
students come back in the fall I would like to hear about their trips. Instead
of writing about what students did over summer, which does not fit well in the
science curriculum, they can look at their vacation or an outing as an exercise
in inquiry. This will use a personally interesting
event to introduce a scientific process. Analyzing their choice of personal experience with
the elements of inquiry could help students understand the process they will be
following in investigations during the year. The analysis helped my understanding
of inquiry. It will be interesting to design the assignment and try it.
The flipped learning model: executive summary. (2013).
Retrieved July 10, 2013 from http://www.flippedlearning.org/cms/lib07/VA01923112/Centricity/Domain/41/ExecSummary_FlippedLearnig.pdf
Students arrive in physics class
with a working, sometimes off base, knowledge of physics. The improvements to
class should help create meaning for the student, pique some curiosity and give
the student a reason to learn more about the topic. Ideally each unit will
start with some way to reach this knowledge, address misconceptions and further
understanding. This a tall order when combined with the practical requirements;
approval by the curriculum cadre, meet time limitations, be implementable with
three new teachers on a six teacher team and add some fun to physics class. Inquiry
lessons should meet these requirements. 
By helping students realize they
already know some physics and that it is part of their everyday world, the class will
become more interesting to those who only consider the subject something required
to graduate. Perhaps they will accidentally have fun in a science class and
learn to embrace their inner nerd. I know I will enjoy watching students
replacing completing assignments with learning some physics. 
