Problem-based learning is a valuable method of instruction that puts learning and discovery into the hands of the students. They are given a driving question with multiple solutions or answers and assigned a point of view or interest group. They must research the topic and potential solutions then present their findings in a culminating activity. I created this PBL example for a high school chemistry class. It poses the question "Are hydrogen-powered cars the future of transportation?" Students are divided into interest groups such as economists and environmentalists. They work together to present their research in a slideshow presentation for the whole class. After their presentation, they host a Q&A session with the rest of the class. The lesson plan includes a grabber video, a PowerPoint template, and a presentation rubric. In my own experience, it's easy to forget just how important chemistry is to our everyday lives. This PBL topic reminds students that even the simplest chemical reaction (the production of hydrogen gas) can have a huge impact on the world.
I recognize that all students learn in different ways. For example, some are visual learners. Concept maps are one way to appeal to visual learners because they allow you to neatly organize information in a free-flowing way. This concept map was made using Inspiration software. It details the states of matter and how to transform from one state to another. The information is easy to follow and groups the states of matter with a description and visual examples. Concept maps are also a great tool for formative assessments. After a lesson, I can ask students to create a concept map for something we learned and if they are able to effectively do so, I will know they have understood the material well enough to move on.
During my sophomore year of high school, my school started a 1:1 iPad initiative. As a student, I really enjoyed having hand-held technology in the classroom but I could tell some of my teacher struggled with it, especially in regards to classroom management. I created this infographic to detail my plans for digital classroom management. There are five simple rules listed with a consequence at the bottom. In my future classroom, I believe it will be important to make these rules clear from day one and to follow through with consequences so that technology doesn't become a disruptive part of the classroom. I made this poster with Piktochart which allows you to make a number of visually appealing posters and infographics.
As part of my service learning project that I worked on with another teacher, I created this EDpuzzle video about balancing chemical equations. I chose a video from YouTube then edited it to include interactive questions. When the students watch it, the video will pause for them to answer each question. I can track each student's progress once they have completed it. This video engages students because they must pay attention to the material so they are able to answer the questions. I'm a big fan of EDpuzzle and plan to use it in my future classroom. It would be great for a flipped classroom, possibly as a way for students to see a pre-lab lecture/video outside of class so we can have the maximum amount of time in the lab that day.
Symbaloo is a website that allows you to create a grid of bookmarked resources. This is my Symbaloo page after just one semester of education classes. I have links to resources for my personal use and resources for my future students. In my future classroom, I plan to have a Symbaloo page full of resources for my students so that they can easily access all the websites we will need for class. I also will keep my personal Symbaloo page to make my lesson planning easier.
I made this brochure for the classroom management seminar I took in the semester before student teaching. It discusses my teaching philosophy and classroom management plans for a middle school science classroom. Many of these policies are based on ones I saw in my middle school field placement that semester. In that classroom, students were always engaged in learning. They knew and respected the policies that were in place because my mentor teacher took the time to establish those routines and really enforce them. In my own classroom, I would keep several of these policies; however, I want to develop my classroom expectations in cooperation with my students. I want their voices to be heard in the classroom and this would be a great way for me to do that at the beginning of the year. Additionally, I feel that if they have a stake in setting the expectations, they will be more likely to follow them.
I made this lesson in my methods course during the spring of my junior year. We were tasked with creating a lesson that encompassed standards from our science content area, math, and another subject of our choosing (besides ELA). I chose to combine nuclear chemistry, algebra II, and business/marketing. Though I've never taught this lesson to students, I would be excited to try it with my future students, but with some modifications. I would edit the worksheet to include space for graphing just for my own ease of grading. I would also draw up more detailed directions and a rubric for the marketing pitch. This lesson would be done following direction instruction on half-life calculations and graphing nuclear decay. I love the idea of this lesson because it combines content with real-world applications and helps students develop their skills in other courses outside of chemistry. As a bonus, "Hoosier hysteria" is culturally relevant to students in an Indiana classroom!
I created this 5-minute lesson for my methods course that I took the semester before student teaching. We were tasked with creating a fun and engaging activity relating to our content area. I took a game that many people have played and modified it to teach chemistry. Instead of having students sit down and rote memorize the periodic table, each student was given a card with an element on it. They weren't allowed to look at it, but instead had to ask questions and gather clues from their classmates to try to guess what element was on their card. When I did this activity with my classmates, many of them gave hints that related to how we see that element in everyday life (for example, copper is found in pennies). These types of hints could help students tie the material to their everyday lives. This could be a fun activity to do as an introduction to the periodic table, or as a review game prior to a quiz or test. I would definitely incorporate this into a lesson as one of several stations students visit to engage with the material.