Mo Physics Mo Problems

Everyone needs motivation to push a little further. There needs to be a reason to make that effort. There needs to be a “why”. At the completion of an instructional unit, I ask my students 3 questions: What helped you learn What didn't help you learn What's one thing I should try to improve your learning At the end of the current term, I asked those questions again. The results were clear. My students have diametrically opposed needs which is the WHY of personalized learning.  Based on these results, I need to personalize even more. Helped Me Learn Didn’t Help Me Learn Canvas problems The canvas problems. Flexibility of the class, as well as interactive presentations.  I didn't like the somewhat flexible due dates because they make it difficult for me to be motivated to finish my work. The canvas quizzes allowed me to learn on my own I did not learn as well when we had to learn individually. The group projects helped

As a part of my Edutopia reading practice, I came upon the following post: Mid-Year Reflection: Setting PD Goals by Monica Burns In the post, she recommends a process of  Looking back on the year so far and acknowledge all you have done  Determining areas your like to grow Draft a plan to accomplish those goals Hold yourself accountable to these goals So, I'm taking some time today to look at steps 1 and 2 as I reflect on the first half of this school year. Changes in Learning and Assessment Started the year with new collaborative seating arrangement. Students completed a Personal Learning Preference sheet on the first day of class and revisited it during the course Unlike last year, I began AP Physics by giving students options for demonstrating mastery from unit 1. As the year went on I transformed the student portfolio into a vehicle to submit course artifacts for grading rather than simply a place for reflection. I set up my online gradeb

As we come to the close of term 2 in the block, my current students are ending their time with me.  Although I like to get feedback through the entire course, the end of the course provides a great time for reflection.   The first piece of reflection I’m having my students do this week is related to technology.   As more teachers in our district use Canvas LMS, it's important that we get advice on how to best use it from experts. Students use Canvas in my course virtually everyday so I consider them experts. So why not listen to advice from those who use it the most and whose opinion matters most. Summarizing the advice 1) Model how Canvas will be used in your classroom. 2) Use the c alendar to help students keep track of assignments and test dates. 3) Upload worksheets and answer keys. 4) Keep all your uploaded files organized. 5) Consider using online document submission. 6) If you're going to use a Canvas feature, find a way to use it regu

If you've read any of my previous posts you know how I feel about the current state of student assessment. For those of you who are not caught up, simply put, this is how I feel. In my last post, I ended with the question "What makes a good assessment?"  I have come to realize very quickly, and this is not an original idea, that the best assessment is one that the teacher doesn't write. At the end of last term, I gave my AP physics students the option of taking a traditional paper and pencil test as we had been doing all term or completing something I've termed an Objective Mastery Defense.  Turns out the students like it and some said that it was the best innovation I have brought to the classroom.  What is it and why did they love it?  I'll save myself some typing and let my students explain it all.  I took all the video today and cut it on my phone during 4th block. So, please forgive the uneven audio levels.  It's my hope to have a more compl

Testing is one of the most debated topic in education today. So, doing a post on it may seem a little bit overwhelming.   But, to make it more manageable, I just want to bite off a small piece of the issue and express my opinion.  I'll be sure to take many more bites in the future of this blog. When I began to thinking about the way I view testing and the learning process, this clip from "The Right Stuff" is the first that came to mind. In any classroom environment, every student starts at a different level of understanding when introduced to a new learning objective.  Every student makes progress towards learning objectives at a different pace.  I don't think there is much debate about this point.  Yet, in many classrooms, all students are given a summative assessment on these objectives on the same date.  As teachers, we have the ability to determine when tests will be administered.  The only real firm date we have at my high school are the ends of the ter

Citizen Kane is artistically the most influential film of all time.  If you have never seen it, you should stop reading this blog and go watch it. I don't ever care if you don't come back and read the rest of this post. It is more important to the world at large that you experience the wonder that is this film. Sit yourself down and watch it on a screen bigger than a mobile device. In fact, make sure you put your mobile device away, there is to be no second screen experience with this one. Make sure you turn of the lights or close the curtains for the optimal viewing experience. If you haven't seen it in a while, you owe it to yourself to see the beautiful 70th anniversary restoration. So to give a little context to you who have forgotten the story, rich recluse Charles Foster Kane utters the word "rosebud" with his dying breath.  The movie follows a reporter as he attempts to uncover the mystery of what rosebud is.  The film closes with the following cl