If a tree falls in the forest and there is no assessment...did it really fall?

WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?

     Particulate matter...research says this is the missing piece that most chemical educators are not teaching.  Research also says that if kids get this...it could be huge.  They can explain and apply at levels far beyond what they are currently doing.  So I have been using the whiteboards to have groups solve and defend their problems and thinking on drawing particulate drawings and lab procedures.  So far, it is going well.  It will not be a one shot deal.  I am beginning to believe it needs to be sustained over the long run.  Thanks to Mary Palmer, I was able to steal her idea on how to make whiteboard stands.  It makes a huge difference.  At one glance, I can see every groups progress throughout the room.

     Inquiry and specific heat....We did the heat needed to melt ice and then energy diagrams.  I then introduced specific heat.  This year I changed the specific heat lab.  Instead of doing several metals and a bunch of calculations I told them I would give them a mystery metal and they had to find a procedure to solve for the specific heat of their metal.  They did find a procedure and each group showed a portion of it on the whiteboards.  I made a few suggestions and they were off to the races.  I suggested they get two trials, find the specific heat, and decide if they should go for a third.  Here is what I heard...

     "Can I look on the internet to see if I can figure out my metal?"

     " Can I average the change in temperatures or should I wait untill the end to average the specific heat of the metal?"

     "When am I allowed to leave out data?  What if I take the standard deviation?"

     I am not sure how to describe or assess it.  The students have asked much better questions.  I can hear them arguing with each other on to solve the problem.  In the past I have just gotten, "How do I do the calculation?" and then on to the next topic.  Tomorrow they are turning in their tri folds and I am going to then give them a list of possible metals they have to potentially pick based on the published specific heats...I will keep you posted.