More Standards: An Easy Fit or So Many, So Little Time?

Rubik's Cube Alarm Clock

As a Texas teacher my curriculum is defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge  and Skills (TEKS). There is a set for physics and a set for scientific research and design (SRD). Every lesson is driven by these standards. The National Association of Science Teachers has another set of standards for physics and SRD as part of their Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Even though science is not currently part of the Common Core Standards (CSS) and Texas will probably not adopt the standards, they cannot be dismissed as students may plan to leave Texas for universities and employment. Through my course work, I have recently been introduced to yet another set of learning standards, The National Educational Standards for Students (NETS-S) developed by the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE). I appreciate all of these groups helping me know what students should be accomplishing during class time. Their guidance is welcome but overwhelming when the volume of standards is compared to the available class time. Focusing on the NETS-S, when examining the class activities that already exist and meet the TEKS, I find that in many lessons the NETS-S are already being met, or can be met by including  web 2.0 tools to the lesson.

One standard addresses student creativity, critical thinking and problem solving (NETS-S, 2007).  The creativity of thought includes the use of models and simulations to solve problems. For physics students the free Phet site gives students the opportunity to perform virtual inquiry labs that would not be possible in the classroom due to size, cost or danger. The Physics Classroom also offers a wide range of simulations that students can explore to gain understanding regarding difficult concepts. A web search for simulations will produce a long list of site to explore. 

3D Map of the World Wide Web

The requirement for students to communicate, collaborate, conduct research and use creativity can be addressed with a number of web tools (NETS-S, 2007).  Web 2.0 tools such as showme.com (for Apple products) or the many options available through Google documents can be used to communicate results from an experiment. Currently in SRD, some students have chosen to track and share their learning for a year-long project in blogs. Additionally, Google documents offers easy collaboration tools by allowing document sharing, comments, voice comments and chats. Students should be encouraged to go beyond Wikipedia  and use sites such as Encyclopedia Britannica and other encyclopedias which are also available online for research. Additional sources are available through schools and local libraries. Collaborative research can be collected in sites such as diigo.com. Students share results and show their creativity with larger projects using tools such as prezi.com or voicethread.com. It takes some creativity on the part of the teacher to move the products of science lessons beyond data tables, graphs and conclusions written on paper, but the tools are available for those who are willing.

The standards of good digital citizenship and correct technology can be taught and modeled in any lesson that includes technology (NETS-S, 2007). Expectations for the use of technology in the classroom must be clear to the students. The difference between their informal use and the formal use should be explained as the same tool may be used by the student in a different setting. Modeling these standards in the lessons they create will help student understand digital citizenship and how to correctly use the technology tools they are learning. 

There are plenty of web tools available for students to create, problem solve, collaborate and learn. Teacher creativity and knowledge as well as the availability of reliable, connected computers in the classroom make the difference in the ability to incorporate the NETS-S on a daily basis. Blocked sites and internet safety are an additional concern when introducing students to the learning opportunities available on the World Wide Web. All things considered, I am happy to discover that overall the standards in NETS-S can be met in my classroom along with the course TEKS for physics and SRD.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (2013). Retrieved October 6, 2103 from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148

 

High School Physical. Science Next Generation Science Standards (April 2013). Retrieved October 6, 2013 from http://nstahosted.org/pdfs/ngss/20130509/dci-grouped/HS-PhysicalScienceStandards.pdf

Common Core State Standards Initiative (2012). Retrieved October 6, 2013 from http://www.corestandards.org/

NETS for Students 2007 (2007). Retrieved October 6, 2013 from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007

Laughead, G. (2009, February 25). 3D Map of the World Wide Web Retrieved October 6, 2013 from http://www.vlib.us/web/worldwideweb3d.html

http://phet.colorado.edu/

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/shwave/

http://www.showme.com/

http://drive.google.com

http://www.wikipedia.org/

http://www.britannica.com/

http://diigo.com/

http://prezi.com/

http://voicethread.com/

 

Worms, Butterflies and Buildings Make Project-Based Learning Successful

Teachers put a great deal of effort into creating engaging, high-quality lessons. We brainstorm, create, collaborate, borrow, steal and imagine lessons that might increase student engagement while meeting the curriculum standards required by our state and district. Project-based learning (PBL) is one of the many methods being adopted by teachers to improve learning and prepare students for standardized tests, as well as college and careers. 

I teach an elective science course for on-level seniors titled Scientific Research and Design. (A fancy title for Physics is Fun!) The objectives of this course boil down to design, perform and report on experiments with the focus on problem solving skills. Over the last 3 years I have flipped the class and slowly moved toward PBL without exactly knowing how to get there or what it really is. I have eliminated paper test with problem sets and incorporated projects. Rubrics, written reflection and presentations form most of the course assessment. Students work collaboratively to solve problems, create solutions and meet challenges. While students have said they have learned more in this class than others, I feel that learning opportunities are being missed due to my lack of knowledge. Examining schools that have used PBL successfully should help me improve my course.

Many classrooms have implemented PBL successfully. Analyzing successful examples from three different schools will provide an idea of what it takes to create better learning experiences. An elementary science magnet with low-income students uses PBL extensively to teach all subjects. More Fun Than a Barrel of Worms (Curtis, ”More Fun”, 2001) provides many examples of learning by students at Newsome Park Elementary School in Newport News Virginia through PBL. Elementary students at Rockledge Elementary School in Bowie, Maryland study migration patterns in their project March of the Monarchs  (Curtis, “March of the Monarchs”, 2002).  High school students attending Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington show off their learning through an end of the year project, Geometry Students Angle Into Architecture (Armstrong, 2002). Each of the examples was different in style and topic but had similar elements that made them successful. 

Despite the different schools, ages and courses there were similarities in the goals and design of the projects. Simply assigning a project does not meet the curriculum objectives of a course. Each project must be carefully designed by the teacher to insure the students are given the opportunity to learn the necessary skills and concepts. The teacher must also ensure the information that will be needed by the students is available at the appropriate level. Additionally, the project must fit into the curriculum and course timeline and not be just an element that is added on as something fun. The framework for the projects was similar. Each of the projects started with a big idea, like animal life cycles, migration, or architecture, and contains elements that connect to real-world applications and crosses curriculum. Students have choice in research and documentation of their progress. Students have technology available as a tool for learning and creativity. The final products presentations are shared with people outside the school as well as peers within the school. Throughout the projects students collaborate, ask questions and seek answers using the knowledge from many courses not just the class with the project assignment. Teachers have many opportunities for assessment with crafted questions and rubrics for product and teamwork evaluation. Experts in the field and community members are included as resource and evaluators.  At Newsome Park community volunteers come in and present information to the students (Curtis, ”More Fun”, 2001). The students in Bowie participate an Annenberg Foundation program tracking migrations and providing scientists with data (Curtis, “March of the Monarchs”, 2002). Geometry students work with professional architects as mentors and evaluators throughout their assignment (Armstrong, 2002). In each of the projects the students have the opportunity to stretch beyond the course into the real-world.

In each of the PBL courses the teacher is more than effectively planning and designing lessons.  The teacher becomes a facilitator and steps back to let the students talk, struggle and work together in the manner they choose, only intervening when frustration is sensed or redirection is needed. Additionally, the teachers are comfortable giving up the role of sage and allow students to seek other sources of information. By posing carefully crafted questions the teachers help the student begin to sort through the things they already know and the new knowledge they need to obtain. Also, the teachers help student find the connections between the project, other courses and real-world experiences. At the conclusion of the different projects the teacher also shared the assessment role with students, community members and experts. In each of the examples the teacher guides the students and allows them the freedom to arrive at solutions in their own way. 

With the teacher role changed to a mentor or facilitator and the freedom of choice, the students in PBL classrooms are more responsible for their own learning. They create the questions, the research path, and the solution or product. They must use their creativity and skill to find answers, not just wait for the information to be delivered. Students also have to learn how to effectively work in a group, sharing the load and allowing opinions and ideas other than their own. This change in roles is an adjustment.  Since the projects are based on student interests, ideas and choices the students will make the switch. 

Putting the learning in the hands of the students creates an environment of engagement and deeper learning. Working in well-defined teams ensures that each student has a role in arriving at the solution. By making the product public and meaningful, the students are given the extra incentive to do the best work they can. And in the case of the students at Newsome Park Elementary the students really want to be at school (Curtis, ”More Fun”, 2001). Applying knowledge learned in multiple courses to real life problems shows true learning and gives the students an opportunity to deepen their understanding in a meaningful way. 

Looking at the three example schools gives a framework for success with PBL. I found some of the pieces missing in the assignments given in my course. By comparing the lessons from the three schools to my lessons I can improve the learning opportunities provided to students. Being honest and evaluating both to find what will work best for my students will make the whole experience better. Eventually, students will become expert learners and realize the lessons go beyond one class period, one unit or even one course and connect to real life.   

Curtis, D., (2001, October). More Fun Than a Barrel of . . . Worms?! Edutopia, Retrieved September 2, 2013, from http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

Curtis, D., (2002, June). March of the Monarchs: Students Follow the Butterflies' Migration. Edutopia, Retrieved September 2, 2013, from http://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs

Armstrong, S. (2002, February). Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning. Edutopia, Retrieved September 2, 2013, from http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects

Why Inquiry?

The simple answer is that inquiry lessons are a good use of class time. The real answer is a little more complicated. With the flipped learning model, lecture time has been traded for time to really work with students helping them learn, apply and practice. For the last two years the lessons have been changed and improved to take advantage of the time with students. Even with better activities, the majority of students are still focused on completing the work and grades rather than the learning. After conferences, professional development and a couple graduate courses, I finally got the message, the assigned work is designed to be completed and graded. Overall the level and contend of the assignments are fine, but the style of the assignment needs to change. The focus has to shift from answering a series of questions from the teacher to something more meaningful to the student. Inquiry has the potential of shifting the goal to learning and thinking. 

I have tried a few inquiry lessons before with mixed results. The lessons that turned out well were accidentally designed correctly. There was also an element of luck to go along with the curious nature of the students doing the work. The lessons that missed the mark were due to my misunderstanding and lack of knowledge regarding creating an inquiry lesson. With years of assigning labs with well-defined procedures, I have seen inquiry as more of a method for the ideal science class full of future scientists. For an on-level course it appeared to be an invitation to a free-for-all with expensive equipment, a big time drain in an over-full curriculum and have the tendency to provide more play time than real learning. What I have learned is that more inquiry is exactly what the on-level, non-science students need to learn and enjoy science. Students will need time and training to learn how to participate in inquiry successfully. The naturally curious and confident students will adapt quickly. Those that are unsure or intimidated by science will need encouragement to become comfortable with the open nature of this method.

I have to become more comfortable with creating inquiry lessons. The abilities and understanding of inquiry learning provide a frame work for designing quality lessons and activities. Using those to analyze, adapt and create labs will ensure that learning is part of the lesson in which the focus is shifted to the student.  I have found that inquiry lessons are far more flexible than originally thought. They can range in depth as well as the amount of teacher direction. One of the requirements of inquiry is the assessment of learning throughout the activity. It is important that the students are helped to stay on track with their learning. They should also be asked to show what they understand at different points during the activity. With the checks in place students can be lead through the process with varying amounts of intervention depending on the needs of the students.

There is more to inquiry than just posing a problem and letting students create a question then find the answer. Work must be done in advance to set the student up for success. They need to be familiar with using measuring tools, creating an investigable question, designing an experiment, analyzing results for evidence and using the evidence to make a valid conclusion. For the student who has only seen labs that are procedure and question driven, this will take some adjustment and modeling. Since the students do the creating and designing the ideas come from their experiences and prior knowledge and are at a level that matches their abilities and understanding. This gives the student a comfortable starting point to build upon. It is also using the curiosity of the student to create meaning and a reason to learn more about the topic. Students have the freedom and opportunity to learn at a deeper level. 

I should say that the title is an example of a non-investigable question. For inquiry purposes the question should be “How will inquiry lessons change the learning in my physics class this fall?” The change should help the student change focus from completion to learning. I hope inquiry will lead individuals to find meaning in the work they are doing and they will be excited to show their understanding of concepts not just memorized fact and processes. I am excited about assigning and facilitating the inquiry lessons this fall. Inquiry lessons will be the starting point of a new unit. Since students already have some experience with motion, forces and other physics concepts it makes sense to have a way for student to start from what they already know. This will create interest in the upcoming learning and provide an opportunity review prior knowledge and to correct misconceptions. Students will be encouraged to create a question of their own that goes beyond the initial inquiry and can be answered with the learning throughout the unit. I would love it if students arrived in class wondering what they were going to learn today.

Inquiry: Learning a Lesson Instead of Completing an Assignment

Two years ago I changed the style of my physics class from a lecture based format to a more student-centered format by introducing flipped learning. In this transition I learned some unexpected lessons. The more student-centered a class becomes, the more important the ability of the teacher to instruct becomes. Also, unfortunately students do work to get good grades, learning is often secondary.  Finally, changing the system for high school juniors is difficult. It is difficult to convince eleventh grade students that completing an assignment is not the same as learning the lesson. Even with more class time dedicated to guiding students through application and practice many are still moving through the activities, complying and completing with only incidental learning occurring. The trick is to find a way to introduce activities where learning is primary and meaningful and evaluation is continuous not just at the end of the process. 

Designing lessons around inquiry learning removes the goal of completion and replaces it with creating and answering a question. Instead of “Collect data to create a graph showing the relationship of mass vs. weight” the lesson changes to “How can you determine the relationship between mass vs. weight?” This change puts the emphasis on the process not the final product. Focusing on the process makes the activity a real learning experience for the student. Instead of a single final product to grade, the teacher evaluates progress and learning throughout the lesson and the student is challenged to show learning with each step. 

To engage the students in the lesson the teacher designs an introductory activity with an over-arching question in mind. This activity should build on prior knowledge, pique interest, create relevance and draw out misconceptions. With this start the students can use familiar ideas and their curiosity formulate questions about what they wish to learn regarding the topic. 

Moving into the exploration phase of inquiry the curious student has created comfortable and personal base with which to proceed. Students can test theories, make observations, correct misconceptions and really experience learning. In this step the teacher is an observer. Skill is required to listen to the wonderful conversations and ask leading questions. While it is important to ensure the students address and correct their misconceptions, self-control is also needed to remain in the background as the student learns. By acting as an observer and facilitator the teacher gives the students control over their learning while keeping intervention limited to redirection and providing information when absolutely needed. Watching how the students explore and converse as they move through this step the teacher can witness and evaluate the learning process in action.

Having had the opportunity to explore the concept the student has gained knowledge, created new ideas and improved understanding. All of this will be used to explain the observations made during the exploration. At this point the student can show understanding based on personal experience. Now it is time for the teacher to add new information. The new knowledge can help build a more formal framework for the experience. It will also give the student a deeper understanding of the lesson. 

Together the student and teacher prepare to broaden the learning beyond personal experience. Combining experience and the new knowledge the student moves on to expand the ideas and questions to different situations. Personal knowledge becomes general rules or leads to more questions. The teacher’s role at this point is to ask the student to show or tell what they know now and ask what they think about a different situation or application. 

In each of the steps of this lesson cycle the role of the teacher is to monitor, redirect, question, and evaluate the learning. The role of the student is to show learning with experience, evidence and reasoning. Changing the goal from answering a series of questions or solving a problem set to feeding curiosity and showing learning removes completion as a goal and focuses on learning. When implementing this in the fall I hope I see the shift in my classroom. Perhaps students will realize if they take care of the learning, good grades will follow.