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In late March, early April I will be putting my plan into action with my AP Chemistry class during the Electrochemistry unit. The basic idea: I am testing out some new strategies for the follow up of a flipped class. In the past, the students have watched the video prior to coming to class. When they arrive to class we debrief practice a few questions together and then they get to work on independent practice. How will I change it? Each day, I will take a different approach and at the end I will gather feedback from students about what they liked and didn’t like. Here is the plan.
Day 1: Oxidation Numbers, Balancing Equations & Redox Titrations
Upon their arrival to class students will do a quick Socrative quiz and I will use that to divide them into two groups. Group 1 (Advanced): Extend their understanding by working through a redox titration problem and then writing reactions from word equations. Group 2: We will work through examples together and they will practice, building toward solving redox problems at the end.
Day 2: Galvanic Cells
I will use Edpuzzle to track student learning as they watch the video. Upon their arrival to class, I will address specific problem areas and misconceptions. They will complete an online simulation in teams and build a galvanic cell in the lab. Once finished they will do some practice problems in teams and then on their own. During the work time, I will work with individuals that were identified during Edpuzzle as having greater difficulty with the concepts.
Day 3: Electrolytic Cells
Upon arrival to class, students will complete a self-reflection on their learning and identify what parts of the topic are straightforward and which ones are challenging. We will do this same survey at the end of class so they can track their own progress (and I can too!). The follow up lesson will be a lab activity where students make predictions using theory and test their predictions. They will then work through some traditional problems.
Day 4: Equilibrium & Electrochemistry
Upon arrival to class students will be placed into teams. We will work through a Socrative quiz (teacher directed) and then we will finish with a space race working through similar problems.
The students in this class love the flipped classroom and I am hopeful that by making it dynamic and fun, students will get a lot out of it. I am really interested to see which of the 4 strategies they prefer and how I they compare it to their experience with the Acid-Base unit we did in November.
Hi Melissa,
I am interested to see the follow-up to how students (and you) liked these strategies! I have been using a flipped classroom approach to start Electrochem too, as many of our students have been in and out of the classroom for service trips, leadership, etc. right before the break. There is a huge learning curve (for me), but the effort put into the videos and prep seem to be worth it.
Thanks for posting 🙂
I will definitely share Jenny! Units that are highly skill based (electrochem and acid-base chem) have worked really well for me. Having videos for my entire course has been well worth the time. I don’t stress when kids miss class or need help– they have access to me teaching them 24-7!
I love how clearly you have laid out your next steps. I think this is a great example of a strategic vision and a manageable next few steps. I have a feeling that many people get daunted by the trickiness of changing their practices or implementing new strategies…your outline seems so straightforward and possible. I’m so excited to read about the next steps.
Hi Melissa,
this sounds like a great process! It highlights the importance of teachers using student feedback to give them voice and choice in their learning. I can’t wait to hear how they respond.
What I’ve started to apply is levels of readiness instead of “advanced” and “on level”, etc… I’ve borrowed the language of the Google Apps conference a few of us attended in MTL (see @lmcbeth, @brenthurley, @timrollwagen ‘s posts). They use the language of “Getting Started”, “On My Way” and “Ready to Launch”. There are different ways to tailor this your class, but I find that students and teachers are more receptive to this language.
Can’t wait to read about your results!
garth.
Love the levels of readiness! Thanks for sharing that Garth. I will definitely use them.
Hey Melissa,
What a fantastic plan! I love how you are not just implementing new tech tools in your action plan, but that you’re also gathering student feedback on which forms of interacting with the content they found most effective. Not only that, but the various forms are integrating Assessment For, As and Of learning.
I look forward to hearing what the students found to be the most effective, and to see how they adopted each new piece of tech. Are you already using EdPuzzle and Socrative in your classes, or will this be the first time the students have used these tools?
Hope you’re having a great break.
Les
Leslie,
Socrative and EdPuzzle are both new tools to me and my exposure to them is thanks to Cohort 21! I have used Socrative in my other classes with great success but not with this particular group of students. It will be a first for me to try EdPuzzle– I am excited by the possibilities. In chatting with my students, many of them have been exposed to it in their other classes.
Melissa
Hey Rathier,
This is so clear and concise, and so exciting to bring new learning tools to your students. I think that some of your students will have used Edpuzzle in some of their other classes.
Are you already doing some of the “3 ring circus” stuff based on readiness that Garth mentioned? I think this is something you should introduce or present during one of our next Collaborative PD Sessions.
Like everyone else, I am excited to see what comes out of your action plan!
Thanks for your comment Derek. I would be happy to share my findings at PD sessions. Let me know!
I love the idea of flipping. I’ve done it the last 2 years in our linear systems unit in grade 10. I have never heard of Edpuzzle before, and now it adds a whole new level to the teaching. Thanks so much for sharing.