Google It! Collaborative Classroom Activity

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

Hiya friends!

So I switched to coffee shop style flexible seating in my chemistry classroom, which means that

1. Students face each other and not necessarily me or the front of the classroom.

2. I have to be intentional about building collaboration into my lessons and teaching students to collaborate..

3. I have to change the way I deliver much of the instruction and look for ways to change my teaching to fit the environment my students and I suddenly found ourselves in.

Today, I decided to let my students "Google It." They already learn this way outside of school, so why not let them inside? I too learn a lot of things by Googling or YouTubing them. If learning this way is something students already do, they can benefit from it, and I can curate it, why not do it?

The new concept to learn was "Isotopes." We did a bell ringer activity to review from the day before and got right into it. Here are the directions I gave:

I went over the directions and reiterated cooperation. I repeated the directions and gave them the go-ahead.

Off they went googling "isotopes." Starting out with this activity instead of direct instruction allowed me to walk around the room, talk to students, ask questions, redirect the ones who needed it, and get a glimpse into how my students learn. I could make corrections if I saw misconceptions forming and provide guidance on group work.

I found that some students are programmed by years of "same old." Instead of looking the concept up and collaborating on a group definition they'd take notes in their notebook and maybe try to discuss what they wrote later. Being in the space with them, as opposed to lecturing about isotopes from the front, allowed me to constructively explain to them the benefits of the collaborative approach. I communicated to them that I know they are good students trying to do the right thing, it's just that i wanted to show them a new way.

We collaborate every day. Group work is not this "once in a while" deal. We are getting there, but it's a process...

One group copied a definition they found on the web using a word or two that were new to them. I asked if that is the definition they want to "own" and will be likely to remember. The answer they gave was no, and they rewrote it in a way they felt would be more memorable.

One of the groups in my 4th hour team class was kind of squirrely. It was easier to redirect them and point them in the right direction, because I was able to talk to their group directly. They were distracted, but weren't called out in public. I sat down on an ottoman next to them. It was non-threatening. No power struggle ensued. They even asked for the clarification of a couple of concepts. They learned.

After each group finished with their definitions, examples, and drawings, I asked for their attention and proceeded to short direct instruction and practice.

I was able to curate the content as the students were working in their groups, so everyone had the "right stuff." Students volunteered the information as I asked leading questions. I wrote it on the board. Here are the 3rd hour notes.

Finally, I had students practicing figuring out the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons if given the isotope notations (hyphen notation or the nuclear notation). They rotated through by each student doing one practice problem, while others help him/her if need be. This also allowed me to check in with students in between problems.

I really felt I was able to get a lot of feedback on my students' understanding, because the wall has fallen. The teacher desk is gone. I let students teach themselves. I share the physical space with them. I can help them more in smaller groups. i can give them more attention individually.

I have to be honest here - I am sometimes concerned with using technology to replace instructional methods. But now I am finding myself using technology and the space I created to enhance instruction.

I have a strong suspicion it's working. More to come...

What do you think about the "Google It" activity I came up with this Tuesday morning? Do you see it as something you can use? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

You Have The Power To Change The World. Use It Often.

School Isn't The Movies: Unlecture Video Instruction

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

Videos can be a great way to deliver content learning to students. But how do you leverage video instruction to maximize learning? After all, school isn't the movies.

EDPuzzle

I use EDPuzzle to prep videos for instruction. You can sign up for free as a Teacher, upload and trim YouTube or other videos, and insert questions (quizzes) or prompts for students to answer or discuss during the video. Students sign in with a Join Code you give them or via their Google Classroom email.

I recommend trimming videos to less than 10 minutes and include a question/prompt every 2 minutes or so. For example, I used a 5 minute video today and included 3 discussion prompts in it.

Collaboration

Students usually expect a video to be shown via the LCD projector to everyone all at once. It may be accompanied by a worksheet they are supposed to fill out as they watch... That approach is time efficient, but is it effective?

Multitasking is ineffective, so why ask them to pay attention to the video and write down answers at the same time? And, no time is allowed to process concepts during the video.

I ask my students to watch the video with a partner or as a group of 3 or 4 using the Chromebooks I have or their own devices.

This is something they are not used to, so you have to sell it. I talk about the fact that we avoided being sabre tooth dinner by working in groups, cooperating, and having a common goal: survival. And I explain that our brains got much bigger than those of the other species with better physical attributes due in part to collaboration, which led to world domination. World Domination sounds kind of cruel, but kind of cool at the same time.

As students watch in EDPuzzle, the video stops at strategically chosen points and students discuss each prompt. This allows them to "fill in the blanks" in the information they might have missed and offers multiple interpretations and perspectives. Additionally, students can teach each other by explaining concepts they understand better than their teammates.

At the end, I ask students to write a group summary of the main concepts and, depending on time, we might share summaries. We then do a follow up activity that allows students to somehow apply the knowledge.

Why "Unlecturing" Is Better

Besides the few reasons I named, it is beneficial to "unlecture" videos (or presentations) as they allow for multiple ways to process the information. Students interact with the video and the content longer, which is less time efficient, but that's precisely the point.

Quality trumps quantity. Less material, more understanding. This is how the brain likes to learn: less "stuff," but more processing time leads to more retention, greater depth, and better understanding.

To me, that is what the education game is all about: decreasing the noise to increase the learning. What do you think?

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You Have The Power To Change The World. Use It Often.

I Stopped Lecturing, Because I Want My Students To Learn

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

Yep.

No More Lectures. Down With Lectures! Never Again Will I Lecture.

And I encourage you to do the same.

It took me 14 years to understand it, but now I know what student centered really means. And, I have a good grasp of the difference between passive and active learning.

LECTURING IS TEACHER CENTERED.

"Tell me and I'll forget..." And sure enough they do.

LECTURING IS PASSIVE LEARNING.

As such, can we even call lecturing learning? Or, is it just giving information, as students frantically write it all down mindlessly, and the words transferred to paper have little meaning?

I teach chemistry. Topics get long. Concepts get heavy. Things are abstract.

If you ever want to tire out a bunch of teenage prefrontal cortices in a span of 30 minutes, just do a chemistry lecture. Many will look at you with zombie eyes, while their minds travel to far away places in hopes of quick recovery.

Repeat this day after day, close your eyes, and hope for the best.

Or, you can engage students. And I'm not talking about asking questions as you lecture. They'll definitely keep the 2 kids that always answer them engaged, while the 30+ others nervously look down or away hoping you won't call on them.

ACTIVE LEARNING IS THE ALTERNATIVE.

And, at it's very basic, it requires only a small tweak to the traditional way to get things rolling.

So you have a presentation you want students to see. Great! Put it in whatever LMS (learning management system) you use or your school uses and let students interact (not just view) with the said presentation.

#BYOD OR 1:1

Allow students to use their own devices (phones, tablets etc.) or school provided ones (iPads, Chromebooks etc.) to watch the presentation. They can take notes on their own, with a partner, or in a small group.

COLLABORATION

But whatever you decide to do, incorporate collaboration. Have each group compare notes, discuss the topics, ask each other questions, and come up with a list of key points along with descriptions. The likelihood of missing key info becomes low with the inclusion of multiple brains in the process.

Do tell groups to call you over when they've complied their lists, curate them by giving them the thumbs up or asking whether they think a key topic they missed is important so they can add it.

But do not stop there! After approving the list of key points ask students to summarize. This requires meaningful synthesis and thus further processing of the information.

You may find that students are programmed to do notes on their own, so you'll have to lay the groundwork for effective collaboration. Here's an infographic resource that will help.

And the benefits?

SELF PACED LEARNING

Flipped learning inside the school walls. Except this time, everybody does it. All students can choose how fast they go, stop whenever they need, and process at their own pace. Lecturing ignores the fact that there are as many learning styles as there are sentient beings in the universe. The approach I talk about here offers differentiation at its best if you allow

MORE PROCESSING TIME

Decrease the amount of material. I love the number 3 for a reason. 3 is simple. 3 is more than 1. 3 is what the human brain likes. We can hold about 3 things in our working memory at any point in time. Stick to 3 main points and allow more processing time to ensure

DEEPER LEARNING

Less is more. Do you prefer your students really learn a few topics or regurgitate more topics?

Regurgitation plagues education. Thing is, we're not birds. We are much smarter. Our brains are much bigger. Let's teach in ways that maximize the human brain potential. Better understanding results from simplification not over-complication.

Focus on giving students time to process a few (3 is a GOOD number I tell ya) concepts in more than one way before they leave class on any one day and you will see positive results. And you will notice

BETTER RETENTION

Practice makes permanent right? Meaningful practice that is. Practice that involves thinking.

Think about it. Students watch the presentation in a low stress setting. They compare and discuss notes with teammates. They come up with key points through collaboration. They synthesize, select, and summarize key information as a group.

And, throughout the process they acquire 21st century skills - the

4 C'S

Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity - what's not to like? And let's be honest. Not a whole lot of that happening during lectures.

AND?

Nothing I say here is new. Yet, lecturing is the status quo in American middle schools and high schools.

Sure. There are projects and activities too. But...

We don't have to lecture. We don't need to lecture.

Lectures suck, because teachers do too much and students too little.

Lectures are ineffective.

The educational system is ripe for disruption. Disrupt it.

Shift the old paradigms.

Believe That You Have The Power To Change The World And Use It Often.

Oskar

Hey - sign up for my Newsletter and I promise to keep you entertained :)

Oh, and I'll show you how you can "unlecture" video lessons in my next Newsletter.