Ready to Drink the Kool Aid....

WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?

     So I did an inquiry lab on the fly.  I read a J. Chem. Ed article supplying evidence that it is a good idea to first start with the large scale and then model it on a small scale.  We did an evaporation lab where I had students get the data first, ask questions about what they would need to explain the data and then I showed them the particulate models.  We also did a "card sort" about types of intermolecular forces that provided me with information about what they did or did not know.  Finally, as part of the lab they had to predict how pentane would evaporate compared to everything else we did.  It went amazingly well and they did great on the test question about this lab.  I informally asked students what they thought about doing labs this way.  One student (who is really smart but rarely does homework) talked about how he liked "figuring things out".  Another student said she did not like it....it force her to think to hard (I'll take that criticism any day).  

     So what about this week?  I went to the Grand Valley State TIMU website and started downloading labs.  There are some great ones on particulate matter and chemical reactions that I am going to start doing with academic.  I also found better ways to use whiteboards...I will report to you next week.

More Adventures in the land of Inquiry...

WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?

     There is something nice about weird schedules during testing week.  Since I can use the excuse, "I had a strange week," I can make it really strange by trying something a little out of the ordinary.  I decided to take a typical lab and make it a bit more inquiry.

     For years we have done a lab on intermolecular forces.  Students were provided the structures of alkanes and alcohols.  They were also provided information about hydrogen bonding and other intermolecular forces.  They would collect data on temperature change as these solvents evaporated and link that to intermolecular forces.  Essentially, the stronger the intermolecular force, the slower it would evaporate and the lower the change in temperature.  The less force, the larger and more sudden drop.  I also showed particulate videos and models before the lab.

      This year I changed things up.  First, they got the data with little explanation (macroscale first).  They then developed a question ("What makes thing evaporate differently?).  Next, I told them they would have to predict what would happen if we did the same experiment with pentane. What would they need to know besides data?  They asked questions about structure, polarity and molecular weight.  I introduced intermolecular forces, structures and hydrogen bonding as they asked about it.  They asked lots of questions but I choose the ones I answered.  This is the "guided" part of the inquiry.  Now they are putting it into a full scale trifold lab.  The level of questions and ideas have been greater for those who actively participated.  Google docs has allowed me to give out information efficiently and in bits and pieces on a need to know basis.  Tomorrow we will test their predictions after the lab gets turned in.  I will keep you posted......

What a difference two weeks makes....

WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?

   What a difference two weeks makes.  Not sure where to start.  First...my transformation into the world of inquiry.  If I am going to jump off the cliff, I hope to do it with enough chemical education research in hand to make it worth the trip.

     First, I read a paper about how to introduce the idea of particulate matter.  This professor had students who viewed an experiment and then viewed the particulate model of the experiment.  Some viewed the particulate model first and then the experiment. Some saw them at the same time.  He did it with three different concepts.  He wanted to see if ordered mattered on how students view material....and it does.  Students who viewed the experiment first and then the animated particulate experiment did much better in their conceptual understanding.  It seems from a constructivist,s point of view, they had something to connect their understanding with.  If they saw the animated view first, then they could not have an experience to connect with.  Also, through the TIMU program I read some stuff about the Science Writing Heuristic.  It seems to be a better way to write lab reports and do labs.  Essentially if forces kids to think more.

     Which gets me to my action research project.  I hope to do 5 to 8 consecutive activities in which students will see or perform a real world experiment and connect it with a particulate matter explanation.  I want to see how it changes their explanations over time.

     Finally, where would we be without blizzard bag assignments.  I am trying to incorporate flipped assignments with student centered activities and the particulate models.  Check out my "channel".  Look at the "Molecular Origami".  I would love to know what you think...