CYCLES OF LEARNING
  • BLOG
  • MISSION
  • TED
  • BOOK
  • CONSULTING
  • EMAIL

When curiosity is sparked...

deep cycles of learning can occur.

Subscribe

That Time a 5th Grader Designed My AP Chemistry Lesson!

8/6/2018

 
I have written many times before  about the connection between the 5E learning cycle and Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. Click here for a diagram that pairs the two processes together well.

Perhaps the most important part of the shifting one's instruction to an inquiry learning cycle approach is challenge of "Calling Students to Adventure", engaging them by strategically sparking their curiosity. The goal of this process is to STRATEGICALLY elicit spontaneous questioning about a topic in such a way that students begin to ask question about the lesson plan you have already created.

Yes, you could ask them the questions directly.

However, I find when the questions come directly from the students they are markedly more engaged and empowered. 

Below is an example of a "spark" I recently found that I plan to use in my chemistry class during the 2018-2019 school year:

Electrochemistry, specifically the intricacies of oxidation and reduction tend to be challenging ones to engage students in. The process of electron flow can be a challenging one to visualize, and beyond making batteries with lemons, nails and pennies, finding a simple, tangible, and engaging way to created a window into the topic and spark spontaneous, natural intrigue about the topic is something I have yet to do successfully.

Keeping this in mind, this summer I spotted one of my 5th grade science camp students dropping a AA battery and watching it bounce. When I confronted him he said:

"If it bounces it's empty. If it doesn't it's full".

At the time wasn't yet aware that this "bounce test" was a viral internet phenomenon. 

After sitting there watching this young camper test battery after battery I found myself asking questions:

"Why does it bounce?"
"Why does it not bounce?"
"Is this real?" 
"Is this a hoax?"

After contemplating the process, and scribbling the inner workings of an electrochemical cell on the adjacent whiteboard in search of a personal explanation, I finally resorted to the internet and found a few articles on the topic. This article was the most comprehensive and successfully quenched my curiosity.

I also found this video on the topic, which gave me an idea of a potential student activity on the topic.

After spending a few hours reviewing all of the videos on the topic, I decided to create my own battery bounce test curiosity spark on the a few day ago. A simple video that gets to the heart of the issue, and makes the information gap as salient and as clear as possible with the goal of tunneling students into the same questions I asked above.

​Click here to see the video or view below: 

Essentially I had gone on my own Hero's Journey..Embodied my own 5E Learning cycle..Lived the metaphor that I speak of so much when working with other teachers or writing blog posts (like this one!).

The young 5th grade science camper ENGAGED me with his battery bounce test.

The subsequent information gap forced me to EXPLORE reasons for this by accessing my prior knowledge.

My lack of ability to resolve this perplexity led to a need for a mentor (the internet) to help me EXPLAIN the  concept.

I am now EXTENDING this concept, converting it into a lesson plan for the upcoming school year, and will EVALUATE the lessons efficacy when done. 

If you found the information in this message useful to your practice, I invite you to learn more about becoming a site member. Monthly membership includes, but is not limited to, frequent distributions of detailed online video courses, lesson plans, teaching websites, curricular resources, and access to webinars exploring the world of curiosity, inquiry, and technology in the classroom. ​​Additionally, you can find a copy of my new book, "Spark Learning: 3 Keys to Embracing the Power of Student Curiosity", by clicking here. ​​​​

Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Ramsey Musallam is a full-time science teacher in Santa Rosa California.
    Starter Pack

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    3-Bullet Thursdays
    5E
    5E/Hero's Journey
    AI
    Apple Tv
    Arduino
    Assessment
    Assistive Technology
    Biology
    CAD
    ChatGPT
    Chemistry
    Clips
    Coding
    Cognition
    Commencement
    Commentary
    Computer Science
    Consulting
    Courses
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Curiosity
    Design
    Distance Learning
    Engineering
    Feynman
    Flipped Learning
    Friday 5
    Game Design
    Google
    Hack Series
    Hands-On
    Hero's Journey
    Inquiry
    Invention
    Itm
    Lecture
    Maker
    Masterclass
    Megacognition
    Misc.
    Models
    Movies
    Online Teaching
    PBL
    Pd
    Pedagogy
    Physics
    Podcast
    Presentation
    Presentations
    Products
    Programming
    Public
    Reflection
    Research
    Robotics
    Rubrics
    Science Camp
    Simulations
    Slides
    Social Good
    STEM
    Technology
    Tutorials
    Videos
    What If
    Workshop Materials
    Zoom

    Archives

    July 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    March 2022
    January 2022
    August 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    November 2010

  • BLOG
  • MISSION
  • TED
  • BOOK
  • CONSULTING
  • EMAIL