101. The Transformative Power of AI

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Folks, let’s face it. Our classrooms are going to look a little different this year. AI, specifically ChatGPT, is going to change the way we design learning experiences and assess student mastery. I’ll be honest, when I first explored the ChatGPT platform I was terrified. As I have dug deeper into the technology and its capabilities, I realized that while it does pose significant challenges — it also presents us with some pretty amazing opportunities. In this series, we will explore what AI is capable of, its implications in the classroom, and how it can benefit both teachers and students. Let’s start by examining where we have been, where we are currently, and looking forward to where we are going. Whether this is a trip you wanted to go on or not, the AI train has left the station and it is time for all of us to jump on board. From Card Catalogs to Artificial Intelligence I belong to the micro-generation called Xennial. Xennials are considered to be a “bridge” between Generation X a...
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#45. New Twist on a Old Lesson: Theories of Emotion

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If you have been following my blog you already know that I am a HUGE fan of the station-rotation model. The essence of the station rotation is that students rotate between carefully curated online and offline learning stations. This can occur both within and outside of the classroom walls so this model lends itself well to the remote and hybrid learning environment. In this post, I will share how I transformed  my existing lesson plans on the theories of emotion into a station rotation that can be used both in-person and online.

The key to a successful station rotation is balance. One of the most helpful resources that I have found in my blended learning journey is a book and blog by Catlin Tucker. According to Tucker, a strong lesson balances teacher-led stations with online and offline stations. You might already have ideas of what types of online and offline activities you could build into your station rotation. If not, consider checking out this document she created that summarizes different types of activities that could be used to ensure balance. This blog post is a MUST read if you are thinking of incorporating the station-rotation model in your own class.

The following station rotation was developed for Unit 7: Motivation, Emotion, and Personality in my AP Psychology class. It covers the content from Topic 7.3 Theories of Emotion. I choose to redesign this section of my unit because my students have struggled with the theories of emotion in the past and many of the activities that I already did would actually work better in a HyFlex environment - with some of my students in the classroom and some at home. 

This station rotation includes 5 stations. Each station is 20 minutes long. The stations are progressive and build off each other. In a "normal" year, the students rotate through different stations based on their groups so I pay careful attention to the order of the stations. Since my students can't physically move, I have them all completing the same station tasks each day. 

There are three instructional components to a station rotation; online, offline and teacher-led. I have included links to the activities at the end of this summary.

Online Stations: These stations include the content delivery covering the theories of emotion and nonverbal communication as well as an online test measuring how well the students can read facial expressions.

Offline Stations: At this station, the students create a one-pager explaining the theories of emotion and providing unique examples of each. I used this post by the Cult of Pedagogy as inspiration for this assignment. It also has some great one-pager templates. They also participate in a demonstration called "These Pretzels are Making Me Thirsty" designed to stretch their communication skills. (Side Note: If the "pretzel" demo was your original idea, I would love to give you credit. Please comment and I will update this information.)

Teacher-Led Station: Once again, this is my favorite station. This year has really shown me how much I value my relationships with my students and I LOVE having the opportunity to meet with them individually. This is not a set station during this station rotation. Instead, I am using the time afforded to me by the station rotation to do some side-by-side grading. At the conclusion of the previous lesson, I asked the students to apply motivational theories to a video called "The Battle of Kruger." You can find the write up here. I will be meeting with the students to provide feedback on their answers.
(Side note: If any of my readers are AP-veterans, you might remember when we had a listserv to share ideas. This came from that listserv! If this was your idea, please let me know so I can give you credit).

Station Directions, Materials & Handouts: Links are underlined
I would like to emphasize that I am not reinventing the wheel; I am merely re-imagining it. I am using many of the same lessons and activities that I use every year and tweak them for the online environment. For example, I normally would ask the students to stand back-to-back to complete the "pretzels" activity. This allows them to isolate their vocalizations from any non-verbal cues. In this situation, Zoom breakouts actually work better for this demo because the students can turn off their cameras. I am incorporating new technologies when appropriate. For example, I used to put tiny cut outs of names of emotions in an envelope for the "pretzels" activity. In order to avoid the sharing of materials, I found this nifty "Wheel Decide" which creates a personalized wheel that each student could turn. How fun is that?!

 

Are you interested in seeing more examples of how I have used the station rotation model? Check out these past posts!
The last thing that teachers need now is to have to design new lessons from scratch. Hopefully, this post gave you some ideas for how to imagine your past practices in a way that meets the unique needs of your current students. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I would love to hear from you!

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