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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#11. Blended AP Psych Syllabus and Pacing Guide

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Updates to Syllabus:

The 4th of July marks the halfway point in the summer for me and it is usually when I start preparing for the next year.  We go back August 13th, so if you are one of the lucky ones who go back after Labor Day I hope you can turn off your brain for a bit longer, bookmark this page and come back to it later.  This year, I have more reflecting, processing and prepping to do than usual as I transform my traditional AP Psychology course into a blended course.  My first step was to develop a course syllabus.  I have detailed some of the major changes that I made to my traditional syllabus below.  There is a link to my syllabus in its entirety at the end of this post.

1. Pacing Guide:  

I made some adjustments to my unit order and pacing calendar for the 2018-2019 school year.  Last year, I switched the order of my units and taught the memory portion of the Cognition unit first.  This was based on feedback that I had received from the students the previous year.  They felt that the concepts and skills that they learned about HOW they learn would have helped them be more successful if they were taught at the beginning of the year.  I agreed and moved chapter 7A (Meyers AP - 1st ed) to the beginning of the year.

 Overall, I think this was a positive change.  The students seemed to have a better understanding of why I asked them to do certain things (like reviewing notes and creating concrete examples) and it allowed us to rehearse the information throughout the entire semester.  I am still waiting on my Instructional Planning Report but I anticipate seeing student growth in this area. 

 However, I will be implementing one change regarding the Cognition unit.  Instead of splitting it into unit 7A (memory) & 7B (problem-solving and language), I will cover the unit in its entirety at the beginning of the year.  I anticipate this change will improve the flow of the course and will allow for more time to review for semester exams.

2. Weekly Quizzes:  

For the first time, I will be giving the students weekly reading quizzes.  I need to provide more opportunities for retrieval practice (be sure to check out the blog posts) at consistent intervals.  The weekly quizzes will be every Friday - which is the same day their Cornell notes covering that week's reading are also due.  The quizzes will be formative, short (less than 10 questions) and timed. They will be administered using our new LMS, Canvas.  I am considering allowing the students to access their reading notes during the quiz for two reasons; 1) I think it will reduce their anxiety regarding the quizzes and 2) it should provide them with incentive to complete their notes.  However, I am concerned that it will give them a false sense of mastery of the material.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this in the comment sections below.

3. Learning Expectations:  

I added a new section into the syllabus outlining the principles of how we learn.  As I mentioned above, this information is covered in our first few weeks of class.  It is my goal to incorporate these principles more thoughtfully and purposefully throughout the year.  Therefore, I wanted to emphasize the importance of these skills right off the bat.  Here is the new wording in their syllabus:

This class is designed using the principles of Cognitive Psychology; which is, in part, the study of how we learn and strategies to learn more effectively.  These principles will not only help you be successful in this class but others as well! 

1. Have you ever gone into a test thinking “I’ve got this!  It is SO easy” and then you left the test thinking “oh no, I bombed it! What happened?”  We are really bad at judging our own learning.  We tend to be drawn to study strategies that feel effective but aren’t. 

2. Re-reading your notes or book and cramming don’t work well in the long-run.  They give you a false sense of familiarity with the material but you don’t really master it or learn it for the long haul.

3. What actually does work is a little harder on the front end.  It is called retrieval practice.  It includes things like quizzes, flash cards, brain dumps, and games like quizlet.   We will be using this strategy in class almost every day!  We take practice FRQ’s, reading quizzes, unit tests, play review games etc.

4. Another strategy that works really, really well is spaced out practice.  In other words, NO CRAMMING!  In this class, we use a note-taking strategy called Cornell notes which will require you to review your notes and do something with them on more than one occasion.  Why?  Because it helps you remember the information for a longer period of time.

BROWN, P. C. (2018). MAKE IT STICK: The science of successful learning. S.l.: BELKNAP HARVARD.
(If you haven't read this book yet, check it out.  It is accessible, informative and research-based)

As I looked at my AP scores from the 2018 school year, I saw some missed opportunities.  I missed out on having some meaningful conversations with some kids about how they study and what they can do to improve their study skills. This year, I plan on adding in student conferences during flex days for those who need additional support.  I hope to better meet the individual needs of my students, even if I have 30+ students in each class.

4. Fundamentals of a Blended Classroom:

I will be teaching three sections of AP Psychology next year.  Two of those sections will follow a traditional model and one will follow a blended model. The students have been randomly assigned to each section in an attempt to reduce confounding variables as we measure the efficacy of the blended model.  This will also be the first blended class offered at our school.  As such, I anticipate a lot of questions about what blended learning is, what the benefits of the course are and why they should stay in the class.  Therefore, I included an overview of blended learning in their syllabus as well as my expectations for the students in this setting.  I found the following site to be very helpful while I was considering what to include: https://bit.ly/2KSpRX0




If you are interested in seeing my syllabus in it's entirety, you can access it at 


As always, thank you for taking the time to read about my journey.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments below.

Cori

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