Flipped Classroom

This year I learned about flipped classrooms and I made an effort to try to flip my classroom as well. I began recording videos of myself explaining content for students to watch on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/edwardslearninglab .

 However, while I enjoy making videos, I know that there are many great videos already on YouTube. I began creating playlists with these videos for students. However, some students did not have Internet access and others were not able to watch the videos. To encourage more students to watch the videos, I created online assignments with embedded videos. The students have to answer questions about the content in the video. To accommodate students with limited Internet access, I give students a week to complete the assignment. While this is not a true flipped classroom, I have found this works well for my students. I try to make watching the videos an active process by assigning a few questions with the videos, but use class time for practice and hands-on activities. I realize that "the flip" is a long-term process and I am giving myself permission to learn and grow.

The Power of Inquiry Labs

In chemistry this week, my students completed an inquiry lab involving the law of conservation of mass.  While many teachers and students have done this lab, my students had not previously performed this experiment.

The students were told they could use a Ziploc bag, an antacid tablet, a graduated cylinder, water, and a balance to determine the total mass before and after the reaction that occurs when antacid tablets are placed in water.  The students had to develop their own procedure before receiving materials.  The students then completed the experiment with their materials.  Watching the students work together to make decisions about the amount of water to use and how to set up their equations to determine initial and final masses was informative for them and for me.  Next the students calculated the percent difference before and after the reaction.  They were excited when they realized a small percent difference meant they had evidence supporting the law of conservation of mass.

In the future I plan to incorporate more inquiry labs in biology and chemistry classes.