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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#12. Let's Flex with Memory Hackers!
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Ready, Set, Go!
We are one week into our new school year and are rapidly approaching our first flex day(s) in blended AP Psych! If you would like to see how this lesson fits into the larger unit, check out my Unit Overview. ---->>
Our first flex days are scheduled for 8/24 and 8/27. I am so excited!!
Memory Hackers Blended Lesson
The following lesson was designed to take place over (2) flex periods of 45 minutes each. This lesson involves watching a documentary, participating in a class discussion online, describing and applying 6 key learning strategies and analyzing blog posts about cognitive psychology. I have been piloting Canvas as part of my blended learning pilot and I LOVE it! I uploaded this lesson directly to Commons in Canvas (titled 2.3 Memory Hackers) so you can import it directly into your own course. It is free to create a Canvas course. Lesson Overview:
1. Students watch the documentary "Memory Hackers" and post to the class discussion board. 2. Review of Discussion Board Expectations that were provided on the course syllabus. -Submit your initial post early! -Respond to your peers at timely intervals. -Check out the discussion board more than once so you can be an active participant in the on-going discussion. -Your posts should be thoughtful and encourage dialogue. Saying “good point” isn’t going to cut it. You should support your statements with examples, experiences, or references. -Be brief — keep each post and response to one or two short paragraphs. Keep in mind that fellow learners will be reading and responding to you, too. -Stay on topic! Your posts should directly address the question, problem, or situation as presented for discussion. -Discussions occur when there is dialogue; therefore, you need to build upon the posts and responses of other learners to create discussion threads. Make sure to revisit the discussion forum and respond (if necessary) to what other learners have posted to your initial responses. -When relevant, add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, work experiences, references, web sites, resources, etc. (giving credit when appropriate). -Contributions to the discussions (posts and responses) should be complete and free of grammatical or structural errors. They should also be constructive in nature. Adapted from https://edtech.sesp.northwestern.edu/2016/02/25/4-things-to-include-on-an-onlineblended-course-syllabus/
3. "Memory Hackers" Discussion Questions There are 2 parts to this component of the lesson; (1) post an original response based on the assigned topic (see chart) & (2) respond to another person's post about a different topic. Note: I struggled with how to format this discussion. I'd like to give a huge shout out to our IC, Stephanie Sukow (@Steph_Sukow) for her suggestion in grouping the students by topic.
4. "The" Memory Hackers If you haven't started following the Learning Scientists (http://www.learningscientists.org/) yet, now's the time! They are a team of cognitive psychologists who are devoted to researching how people best learn. For this portion of the assignment, the students were asked to watch an overview of their learning strategies and explore current research in the field of cognitive psychology. Assigned Tasks: 1. Describe and apply the 6 habits of highly successful students. 2. Engage in thoughtful reflection 3. Explore blog posts about cognitive psychology Handout: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v8EEhRRQDtp1WBACzuemsIhm3kaDCuOshAA4_s9n2b0/edit?usp=sharing Thoughts and Reflections
I believe the advantages of using blended instruction for this lesson are numerous;
1. I can hear every student's voice through the use of the discussion board.
2. It helps build the skills necessary for success in college and beyond; organization and planning, effective online discussion, initiating and completing tasks with multiple steps and self-monitoring.
3. I hope that by offering a choice as to when the students will complete the assignment that it will increase student buy-in and ownership.
Lastly, a quick plug and HUGE THANK YOU to the APA TOPPS team. They have spent over a year creating a course template for AP Psych for Canvas that is jam packed with resources, videos and lesson ideas. You can find out more about this amazing resource here: http://teachinghighschoolpsychology.blogspot.com/2018/08/new-apa-resources-canvas-course.html Upcoming Topics Parent's Night: I will address our rationale for holding a parent's night (before school even started!), share the resources that we used and answer some frequently asked questions. Memory Reconstruction Choice Project: I am looking forward to developing a more personalized learning pathway for each student. I am currently developing a lesson about memory reconstruction and the work of Elizabeth Loftus. I hope to have both posts up within the week! Thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences in blending learning. As always, I'd love to hear from you! Sincerely, Cori
This past November, I had the honor of presenting about blended learning at the National Council for the Social Studies Conference in Austin, Texas. I was happy to see that there was a great deal of interest in this model of teaching! In my presentation, I differentiated between different models of blended learning and shared how I use the Station-Rotation model in my own classroom. I have found the Station-Rotation model to be my "go-to" model for blended lesson design. The essence of the Station-Rotation model is that students rotate between different stations within the classroom walls. However, as you will see in my example, they can also use flex time to complete some of their learning tasks. The key to a well-designed, station-rotation lesson is balance. One of the most helpful resources that I have found in my blended learning journey are a book and blog by Catlin Tucker. According to Tucker, a strong lesson balances teacher-led stations...
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 th...
Are you looking for another blended learning strategy to try that provides your students with choice and a voice? Consider designing a playlist for your students. A playlist is an interactive digital assignment that provides students with a roadmap for how to achieve their learning goals. I am really excited about incorporating playlists because it allows for a more personalized and differentiated learning experience for my students. They also require the students to assume ownership of their own learning because they choose which direction they take on their learning path. When I begin the process of designing a learning playlist, I focus on the following questions: Learning Outcomes:What do my students need to know at the end of this lesson? Assessment: How will I know if my students know what they need to know? Choice: What choices can I give my students in regards to the time, place or modality of learning that they can engage in? Teacher: How can I best support my students duri...
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