How have connections with other professionals improved your practice? Today's entry is from Brinn Belyea, Science Teacher at Torrey Pines High School:
How have connections with other professionals helped my practice?
The College Board is changing the AP Chem class to focus on in depth thinking, conceptual knowledge and lab applications. To meet these goals and the goals of CCSS and NGSS I flipped my class this year.
I prefer the PLN model to the PLC model so I follow the SDUHSD tech blog closely. I did what the internet allows best which is to follow the links that are in links that are in links and found Roger Schank, an expert on learning. Schank advocates story centered curriculum for retention of skills and knowledge. I formulated a plan and went to visit CCA chem teacher Eric Smith. I observed his flipped class and solicitied his advice on flipping and story centered curriculum.
The College Board's AP chem message board allowed me to get a good idea of how the test is changing and how to prepare for that. So far, the flipped class has put the responsibility for learning base knowledge on students and allows me to focus on in depth learning, problem solving, and critical thinking in class. The students are much more motivated to drill and practice skills and to think critically in the context of the story centered curriculum I have developed than they are with traditional chem problems.
The rate of change with ed tech is increasing so fast that I've found I can't keep up. So, I rely upon trusted colleagues who think alike for tips on what to try. Recently, TPHS chem teacher Angela Willden showed me socrative, a site that turns student cell phones into clickers. I plan on using this for informal formative assessment, the kind I use for instant feedback on what kids get.
I hope to keep building my PLN in order to improve as a professional educator.
