Mo Physics Mo Problems

5 years ago I published my very first blog post.   It was a post highlighting my very first ever conference presentation. Detailing my first attempt to redesign my physics course to put students closer to the center of their own learning. Both the presentation and the blog post were really my first time putting my practice out for a large community. Both of these were steps that I took on my own. But, over the past 5 years many people have given me the opportunity to refine my practice in the classroom and share my work with a larger audience. So, I wanted to take a chance to thank them for making me feel more confident in every risk that I take. All of the changes I’ve brought to my classroom have been with the help of my co-teacher Andelee Espinosa . It’s interesting to look at the presentation we just gave over the weekend highlighting strategies and tools in our fully inclusive physics classroom. All of these changes wouldn’t be possible without the support of my admin...

After listening to the latest episode of Google Teacher Tribe on templates in G Suite , I was inspired to share out how my co-teacher Andelee Espinosa and I handle leveled templates on our co-taught physics classroom. In our classroom, we have a diverse range of student learning strengths and barriers to learning. To assist learners in the expression of learning, we create templates for labs, activities, and summative assessments. In addition, to reduce obstacles to expression for some learners, we create scaffolded templates. An example of this can be seen in our current unit on energy. One of the end of unit assessment options is an in-depth analysis of marble roller coasters we created last week. Since all students worked on the marble coasters, we want to be sure all students have the opportunity to choose this as a potential option to demonstrate mastery of unit outcomes. To facilitate this, we have created 3 different files. While all levels address the same outcomes. each...

In our student portfolio process, collecting and presenting artifact has taken priority. Traditionally, when present an artifact, they explain the artifact to an outside audience and how it connects to the unit outcomes.  One day in class, we were doing an exploration in which they observed a Cartesian diver and hypothesizing how it worked. They recorded these observations and explanations to Flipgrid. Eventually in the unit we would discuss the reasons why things float and sink based on buoyant forces and weight. As we ended the unit, I had an idea based on the fact that students had recorded these ideas in Flipgrid and had access to them via my.flipgrid.com. Many times students look at pretest and post test scores to reflect on growth. So, I had an idea to do something similar but without looking at scores. My idea involved going beyond a simple summary of the activity in the portfolio and an attempt for students to reflect on their past learning to see how their thinking h...

This is the essence of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Our task, as educators, is to design learning experiences where all students can be equally empowered, challenged, and supported. To do this, we have to be proactive about identifying and eliminating barriers that prevent inclusive learning and innovation. Couros, G., & Novak, K. (2019). Innovate inside the box: empowering learners through Udl and the Innovators Mindset. Place of publication not identified: published by IMpress, a division of Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. Andelee Espinosa and I teach in a very traditional looking high school. But, our physics class is not your typical physics class. Our co-taught physics classroom includes a wide spectrum of learners. Not only those who would not traditionally be in the physics classroom, but those who only a few years ago would be in a self-contained classroom. So how can we meet the needs of all learners in a college prep physics classroom when all of the learners...

"Are you open to your own evolution as an individual and as a professional?" Couros, G., & Novak, K. (2019). Innovate inside the box: empowering learners through Udl and the Innovators Mindset. Place of publication not identified: published by IMpress, a division of Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. Five years ago, I was hearing the buzz about student portfolios. So, I took the big leap of integrating student portfolios into my classroom. I was using Google Sites as the platform for creation. It was free and at the time our school was just beginning to use Google Apps for Education (now known as G Suite). If ever there was a case in which I felt like I was innovating inside of the box, this was it. Google Sites had lots of opportunities for customization. Almost any type of media could be added and the look of any part of the page could be adjusted. Students could add artifacts, create blog posts, and comment on each other’s work. The big drawback was that the interface w...

This will be my 6th year using Google Sites for student portfolios. A lot has changed along the way and I’m excited to iterate again with a feature that I feel has always been lacking in my portfolio process. That piece is reflection. Whether it be a portfolio to document growth or a portfolio to showcase the best work, the ability to reflect is essential. But, the ability to provide multiple forms of reflection has been a bit cumbersome. In all the time I have been using Google Sites, typed text responses to prompts has been the form that reflection has taken. After learning more about the amazing things educators are doing with Flipgrid, I have realized that not only is it a tool that can be used for sharing ideas, it is a great tool for video reflection. These video reflections can be kept private between the student and teacher. What I did not realize was how these videos created by students can easily be added to their Google Sites portfolio by the student. So what is the proc...

Too often the grade is the goal for our students, and we lose sight of learning in pursuit of a number. School needs to be something bigger than a grade. Couros, George & Novak, Katie. Innovate Inside the Box: Empowering Learners Through UDL and the Innovator's Mindset . IMPress. Kindle Edition. Reading the new book by George Couros and Katie Novak Innovation Inside the Box has me rethinking how I communicate purpose in my classroom. It is so easy for me to fall back into a mode where I accept compliance from my learners as an excuse to not define the purpose of what we do in class. Too often the compliance mindset sees the grade as the goal. It is the grade that is earned not the process or even the product. So, once the grade or credit has been earned the work can be forgotten. In the 1972 film The Candidate , Robert Redford play presidential candidate Bill McKay. The clip below shows the ending of the film when -- Spoiler Alert -- McKay wins the election. “What do we do n...