CRUSH SCHOOL

5644 1st Avenue South Minneapolis, MN, 55419

I blog on Brain-Based Learning, Metacognition, EdTech, and Social-Emotional Learning. I am the author of the Crush School Series of Books, which help students understand how their brains process information and learn. I also wrote The Power of Three: How to Simplify Your Life to Amplify Your Personal and Professional Success, but be warned that it's meant for adults who want to thrive and are comfortable with four letter words.

Unlocking the Unexplored: Creating a Common Learning Experience for Understanding Difficult Concepts

August 02, 2023  /  Oskar Cymerman

By using a real-world phenomenon at the beginning of a lesson, or a unit, or a series of lessons, teachers push students to undertake a journey of discovery - a journey that leads to students discovering on their own why and how this phenomenon happens. To this end, they are encouraged to collaborate as they seek and find answers to the questions they themselves generate when observing and analyzing the phenomenon.

But what should we do if the phenomenon itself is too hard for students to connect to or is too complex for students to break down?

When we encounter complex topics that may leave students overwhelmed and disengaged we can employ the power of exploration to spark curiosity, understanding, and confidence that they can indeed tackle the hardest of topics. A common learning experience can be such a tool to help your students unlock the secrets of challenging concepts.

Creating a Common Learning Experience for a Phenomenon

  1. Identify the Conceptual Roadblocks

    Before diving into a phenomenon that represents a difficult concept, it's crucial to understand the specific challenges your students may be facing with the concept. Identify the misconceptions or gaps in their understanding, and use this insight to tailor your common learning experience accordingly.

  2. Craft a Compelling Context

    Set the stage for the common learning experience by grounding the difficult concept in a real-life context that resonates with your students' interests and experiences. Whether it's a practical application, a thought-provoking problem, or a fascinating scenario, a relatable context fuels curiosity and motivation to dive deeper. At the end, students will be able to relate to the phenomenon you present to them.

  3. Introduce the Wonder of Exploration

    Share stories of famous scientists, inventors, or explorers who faced challenges and persevered through exploration. Check out this article that includes the failure and success stories of Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, and the Wright brothers for ideas. Encourage your students to view the difficult concept as an uncharted territory waiting to be explored, rather than an insurmountable obstacle and emphasize the thrill we all feel when our efforts pay off.

  4. Design Hands-on Activities and Give them the tools

    Hands-on investigations help unlock comprehension. Create interactive activities, experiments, or simulations that allow students to manipulate variables, observe outcomes, and draw their own conclusions. Give them the tools such as lab materials and encourage them to use online and other resources to investigate the concept actively.

    Check out this gas properties investigation I use to help chemistry students gain some background and understanding of gas properties.

  5. Encourage Questions and Hypotheses

    As they investigate, encouraging students to ask questions and formulate hypotheses about the difficult concept. Emphasize that it's okay not to have all the answers and to make mistakes, as exploration is a process of discovering of what we do not yet know.

  6. Make it Collaborative

    Learning is enriched through collaboration. When students work together, they support each other, share insights, make mistakes together, and collectively overcome obstacles. Encourage sharing of perspectives, discourse, peer teaching, and team problem-solving.

  7. Reflect and Connect

    Throughout the common learning experience, prompt students to reflect on their discoveries and connect them to real-world applications. Encourage them to draw parallels between the ideas they are discovering about the difficult concept and their everyday lives.

  8. See them and Celebrate Small Wins

    Be in the space with your students as they work through the problem. Acknowledge and celebrate the small wins you notice when they investigate. Positive reinforcement motivates students to persist, boosts their self-confidence in overcoming challenging concepts, and scores you major building relationships points.

    As a bonus, being in the space gives you the opportunity to help students by asking questions that lead them to the correct conclusions without giving the answers away.

Make it relevant first

Using a common learning experience tailored to the needs and interests of your students, even the most difficult concepts can become fun. By activating curiosity, using active learning, and promoting collaboration, the learning process can be transformed into captivating explorations into difficult ideas. The ensuing improved understanding of the concepts this challenging idea includes empowers students to persevere and gain confidence in their ability to conquer future challenges that will present themselves inside and out of the classroom.

So let’s make it relevant first by letting them unlock the unexplored for themselves.

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BOOKS & TOOLS

Phenomena Poster
Phenomena Poster
$1.50

This 11x17 poster defines and gives examples of phenomena.

Mistakes Are... Poster
Mistakes Are... Poster
$3.00

In this classroom Mistakes are Expected, Respected, Inspected, Corrected!

Learned helplessness is a result of years of conditioning that mistakes are bad for learning. Nothing is further from the truth - some of the most powerful life lessons come from making mistakes, reflecting on them, and growing as a result.

This is a PNG Poster you can print and display in your classroom to encourage a culture of risk-taking and learning from mistakes.

Equity: Bundle of 3 Posters - SAVE 25%
Equity: Bundle of 3 Posters - SAVE 25%
$4.00

3 Equity Promoting Posters.

(1) Equity (11 x17):

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  • Quality is more important that quantity

  • Understanding that diversity makes us stronger

  • Inclusion despite beliefs, appearances, and circumstances

  • Thoughtfulness lowers barriers and reduces biases

  • Yesterday's mistakes are today's learning agenda

(2) Equality vs Equity (11 x 17 side-by-side comparison)

(3) Equality vs Equity (11 x 17 the difference Quote)

Every poster contains accompanying images.

Classroom Posters Bundle of 8
Sale
Classroom Posters Bundle of 8
$5.00 $8.00

8 digital, printable, size 11 x 17 classroom posters:

  1. “Welcome” in multiple languages

  2. “Hi” in multiple languages

  3. Three Equity posters

  4. Classroom Rules: Be Open, Be Kind, Have Fun

  5. “Classroom of Champs”

  6. “Kindness”

ON SALE until August 30th.

PhenBL 16-Slide Professional Development Interactive Presentation
Sale
PhenBL 16-Slide Professional Development Interactive Presentation
$10.00 $15.00

For use by a school district-level administrator or trainer or a consultant with a professional audience such as teachers and other stakeholders to explain the ins and outs of Phenomenon-Based Learning:

  • 16 slides with speaker notes to aid presentation and cut down on preparation

  • high quality, original graphics

  • explain what PhenBL is and how to incorporate it into a classroom step-by-step

  • multiple examples of phenomena and PhenBL strategies

  • Explanations of NGSS and 3D learning (DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs)

  • Everything you need to teach implementation of PhenBL along with tools to do it

After purchase, you will receive a PDF slide that contains a link that will copy this Google Slides presentation to your Google Drive.

Breaking Down Phenomenon Based Learning and NGSS
Breaking Down Phenomenon Based Learning and NGSS
$5.00

This infographic explains how Phenomenon Based Learning (PhenBL) can be used in the context of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It explains what PhenBL is, describes the main intentions of the NGSS, and breaks down the three-dimensional (3D) learning framework NGSS proposes to use in solving phenomena and learning science and engineering concepts and skills.

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