NMY Math Science |
Class of 2012: CH AG BB MC SE TR AB RL Class of 2011: DG MS TN TG SAR TAB CL TR AA JG SA |
This post was written in November 2011 as part of the reflection process for Period Project. It somehow got lost in the shuffle of the holidays. I am posting it now, despite it’s tardiness!
This was a great project for me. I really appreciated the opportunity to get first hand experience in what these projects are like from the student perspective. The process helped to deepen my understanding and gave me better insight into what I am looking when I assign a research/project/presentation.
As we constructed the guidelines for this project, the class agreed that each person or group would identify a period of the earth’s history and research a common set of questions so we could compare and contrast the different periods and get an overview of the earth’s history. Many of the students chose periods in and around the Mezozoic Era, the age of dinosaurs. I thought it was important for the class get a broader experience so I opted it find out more about the Carboniferous Period. I knew very little about this period so I was excited and daunted by the prospect.
The process of research has changed significantly since I was in school. The use of the internet is the first place to get information. I did some survey-type research at first so I had a context to work within. It also drove me to research the periods directly preceding and following the Carboniferous because I needed to see the bigger picture before I could figure out what was necessary to present. This enabled me to sift through the mass amounts of information and focus on key changes and aspects of the period that were necessary to communicate.
I struggled tremendously with figuring out how to present my information. Many of students in the class had settled into a variety of projects/presentation-styles that felt very creative and diverse. I wanted to do something interesting and different, but the more I tried to be creative, I always found myself going back to things that I know, Keynote and timelines. I had decided I would make some sort of handout for the class have as a take-away. I was going to use Keynote, but the last weekend before I presented, I decided to try a new tool called Prezi. It was a presentation tool that incorporated movement and gave greater flexibility to layout the information in nonlinear format which I liked. It was intuitive and straight forward to learn and use. You can see the presentation here.
The presentation went well. I could have cleaned up my notes a little more so they were clearer when I was presenting, but I covered everything I hoped to cover. I got positive feedback for addressing visual and auditory learners with my Prezi and handout combination. There were many comments about how I tied the details about the Carboniferous period to the Devonian and Permian Periods. I appreciate that it was “strange” for the class to give me feedback, but I appreciated the honesty and critical notes.
I loved the diversity of presentation methods and tools that emerged from the rest of the class. Not everyone answered the basic questions that we outlined at the beginning of the project which made it challenging to see the connections between all of the periods presented. The themes that I walked away with were:
- climate changed dramatically several times through earth’s history
- the arrangement of the landmasses impacted climate significantly
- evolution of flora and fauna is incredible
- climate change in the Quatnerary Period seems to be dramatic compared to previous periods (time vs changes)
For the first time in my teaching career, I felt like I was truly learning along side the class and that I had equal responsibility with each of the students to help us all learn a specific topic. It feels like what I believe learning in schools should look like, but sadly, we, as teachers, are not encourage or given the tools (time, class size and freedom, etc.) to create this environment. I am grateful for the experience and opportunity.
In our eighth grade class, we began a discussion with the question, “Where did the earth come from?” They were asked to reflect on the question for homework and bring the information on the topic to class. They were instructed not do any research but simply bring their prior knowledge to the discussion.
The anticipated ideas and concepts were shared: the Big Bang Theory, plate tectonics, religious perspectives from Christianity, Judaism and Islam were represented. Everyone was given an opportunity to share their reflections and ideas. From this point, I expected we would make the shift to exploring the scientific ideas behind the formation of the earth. Instead, what ensued was one of the most engaging conversations I have ever had with anyone, much less a group of 13- and 14-year olds.
The experience was what most teachers dream of. Everyone was actively engaged in the conversation. They made room for everyone’s voice and opinions. They shared their personal experiences and knowledge. They feed off each other’s questions in such a way that lead us into deeper and increasingly areas of abstraction and subtlety. Their enthusiasm was cumulative and inspired more engagement. They were open and honest. They thought deeply, they listened with intent and understanding and they laughed heartily. They were awesome.
If that were not enough, add into this picture the subject of our discussion and it just blows me away. Here is a brief sampling of the questions posed and debated:
It was lightning in a bottle. This group of students has so much to offer and they are a prime example of what students can do if given the time, space, patience and guidance to explore the world from their perspective and from their passions. Adults do not give adolescents enough credit. When nurtured and supported, they are the best of what we can be. Open, honest, passionate, compassionate, thoughtful, curious and engaged.
Thank you, Bri, Maxx, Andrew, Sherif, Charmaine, Taelon, Ruby and Rob. I hope that this is first of many memorable moments this year.
