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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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#21. A Meeting of Minds - Student-Teacher Conferences

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There are a number of reasons to implement blended learning.  It helps the students develop executive functioning skills, can provide a more "college-like" experience, allows for flexibility in scheduling and can lead to increases in student satisfaction levels.  When I first sought to pilot a blended learning class, my primary goal was to provide my students with more flexibility in their schedules. Many of my students take a rigorous course load and sacrifice study halls and lunch hours to fit in all of their coursework.  This can create a logistical nightmare when the students are absent. When they return, they are n ot only stressed about all of the work that they need to make up; but they don't have time built in their day to see their teachers, makeup quizzes and tests, or even take a deep breath! With this is mind, I designed my flex days to include activities that the students could complete in or out of the classroom.  I utilized videos, online discus...
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#20. Utilizing the Station Rotation Model for the 1st Day of Class

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I cannot wait to welcome my new students to class next week!  The beginning of each year is filled with excitement, promise, and a wee bit of awkwardness.  For me, the first day of school is typically filled with class policies and procedures.  By the end of the first day, I can practically see my students' eyes roll back in their heads the moment they hear the word "syllabus."  Not exactly the most auspicious of starts, right?  This year I am flipping my 1st day lesson on it's head and implementing the Station-Rotation model of blended learning to present my course policies, procedures and student introductions. The practice of stations, as an instructional tool, has been around a long time.  The Station-Rotation model operates on the same general principles; the students rotate between different activities in a set period of time.  The Station-Rotation model differs from traditional stations in that at least one of the stations is an online learnin...
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#19. Harnessing the Power of Retrieval: Purposeful & Effective Reading Notes

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Summer is a time for family, reflection, and ... professional development. This week, I had the opportunity to meet with the other AP Psychology teacher at my school, Mindy Garis.  During our discussion, we identified potential areas of improvement in our classes.  One aspect that we kept circling back to was our weekly reading assignments. My  students have become more and more resistant to completing the assignments and I have not seen any data that suggesting that they are having a long-term, positive impact on my students' learning.  This is a problem.   My Current Practice (aka Reading Notes are the Bane of My Existence) I'll be honest, I am a HUGE fan of Cornell notes.  I was introduced to them at an AVID conference years ago and I was all in (or " pig in " for you "Grey's Anatomy" fans or District 155 folks).  I love that they provide opportunities for spacing, dual coding and summarizing.  The students have to do something with t...
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#18 Using EdPuzzle in a Blended Classroom

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Using EdPuzzle in a Blended Classroom Using Ed Puzzle to "Flip" a Class EdPuzzle is one of my favorite blended learning tools. I have been using it to disseminate videos to my classes for the past four years.  I love it because it allows me to embed different types of questions within each video and I can easily track each student's progress.   Plus, I can stop the students from fast-forwarding the video and it prevents them from opening another tab while the video is playing.  How awesome is that?! When I flip lessons for AP Psychology, I tend to use the Crash Course Psychology videos (I love Hank Green!), Khan Academy videos (there are a lot more now that the MCAT is assessing "psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior") and TED/TED-ED talks.  I like to keep the videos short and sweet.  I'd recommend keeping the videos under 20 minutes. It Just Got Even Better! EdPuzzle is now fully integrated with Canvas. Why is this a big ...
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#17. NCSS Chicago 2018

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NCSS 2018 HOLY SMOKES!  The NCSS Conference was amazing!!  Seriously, it was some of the best professional development that I have ever received.  It was truly inspiring to be surrounded by such passionate educators.    I was able to re-connect with old friends, finally meet people who I "knew" but had never met in person and establish new connections with teachers who are currently, or will soon be, teaching blended AP Psych.   The presentation options were limitless. I spent most of the first day in the designated psych room but was able to stretch my legs and see an entertaining  presentation by a NPR host, Peter Sagal.  He is hilarious!  If you have not attended NCSS before, I highly suggest that you look into it for next year.   On a side note, if you are a psychology teacher, I highly recommend that you consider joining the NCSS Psychology community. It is $30 for a lifetime membership!  You will receive acce...
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#16. Research Methods - Unit Planner, Blended Lesson and Data

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We are rapidly approaching the midterm of the semester and  just wrapped up the research methods unit.  When I began teaching AP Psychology, I dreaded teaching research.  It seemed so dry and boring.  Over time, I have grown to love this unit because it sets the stage for the rest of the year.  It emphasizes that psychology is a science and provides the empirical lens to critically analyze the  content for the remainder of the class.   I did not find that this unit lent itself to blending the curriculum as easily as other units.  I think this is due to the limited amount of time that we spend on the unit and the type of material covered.  However, I could easily see an in-depth research project fitting the blended model perfectly!  The flex days would provide ample opportunity to meet with students to discuss their research designs and findings. I have struggled with implementing this type of project due to the time constraints of c...
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#15. The Data: The Good, the Bad and the Unknown

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This year I have been granted the opportunity to pilot blended AP Psychology at Cary-Grove High School.  I have been enjoying re-envisioning my curriculum and it has sparked a new sense of creativity in my lesson design.   Study Overview:  The purpose of my study is to determine the efficacy of the blended model.  I teach three sections of AP Psychology; two sections follow a traditional method and one selection follows a blended method.  The students who elected to take AP Psychology were randomly assigned a section.   First Data Points!!:   I am excited to have my first set of data points to analyze.  My students took their first unit test last week.  It covered History, Perspectives and Cognitive Processes (Chapters 1, 7A and 7B) from Meyer's 1st ed.  It consisted of 50 questions, multiple choice.  The test questions were drawn from previously released AP exams and the Meyer's test bank.   ...
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