Friday, February 20, 2015

Pecha Kucha 20 x 20

On Monday during staff development, Mrs. Rainwater introduced the Glenhope staff to Pecha Kucha 20 x 20, a presentation format that requires students to present 20 slides for 20 seconds each.  It was devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture in 2003, and it has caught on with professionals and educators from all over the world.  The idea is to give short, concise talks about topics you want to share.  The slides advance automatically as you speak, so you have to be well rehearsed to make an effective presentation.

How does this simple strategy apply to gifted students?  There are several variations we can use in our classroom.  On Tuesday, I put 20 slides together that reflected what we have learned about circuits, electricity, and energy during the last two weeks.  For example, one picture had a picture of a series circuit, with three lit light bulbs.  The students lined up in front of the screen, and each one had to talk for 20 seconds about their slide without ever seeing it beforehand.  It required them to think on their feet and apply what they have learned to a real-world situation.  When everyone had the chance to talk about a slide, we went back over them and clarified the most important elements of each picture.

This was an effective review strategy in my opinion.  The students collaborated to learn about every slide, and everyone participated.  There was a small amount of underlying anxiety because of the unknown, but that kept everyone focused and on-task.  I believe the students also enjoyed comparing what came to their mind when they saw the picture with what other students said.

One variation we could try in the future is for students to design their own Pecha Kucha.  The format does not allow students to read from a slide, or to waste time perfecting a Power Point with creative transitions and effects.  All of their efforts have to be directed toward the content.  I could also allow the students to preview the slides, and assign them to specific students or groups.  In addition, I could call on students at random during a slideshow instead of having them line up.  Whatever method we use, I believe Pecha Kucha is a fun activity that stimulates thinking and challenges students to apply what they have learned in class.  It allows students to be creative, and often requires them to demonstrate conceptual understanding of the topic.  I am looking forward to using this strategy again soon.

Note: Pecha Kucha Global Night is tonight (February 20)!  You can find more information here.




Friday, February 13, 2015

Flipping with Oreos

Last Friday the ASPIRE 5 students began an investigation into whether Double Stuf Oreos truly had "double the stuf."  This activity was created by Dan Anderson, a high school math teacher in New York.  Using the data provided by Anderson's students, my students completed a table by calculating the amount of "stuf" in Original, Double, and Mega Stuf Oreo Cookies.  The table required my students to multiply and divide decimals to arrive at their solutions.  So what was the big deal?  We had not covered either topic in class.  The activity was simply a formative assessment in disguise.  The students were interested in the driving question, and were immersed in real-world data.  In the meantime, I was able to see how much they already knew about multiplying and dividing decimals.  Some of the students were already proficient with their skills, some wanted me to teach them as they were completing the investigation, and others were allowed to consult their calculator's opinion if they could not do it on their own.  My observations, questioning, and data allowed me to prepare appropriate lessons for this week.  We did not have to spend as much time on multiplying decimals as I had originally planned.  On the other hand, I know that we will need to spend more time working on our division skills.  I also know which students can move on to another investigation while other students master their multiplication and division skills.

As for the Oreo lesson itself, part 2 required the students to collect their own Oreo data to see if it matched Anderson's results.  Then the fun began.  After sharing their opinions about whether Oreo should be able to call their cookies "Double Stuf" (there was not double the creme filling in a Double Stuf Oreo), the students chose an activity from a choiceboard to extend their thinking.  One of our students surveyed the class, and presented their findings in a graph.  Some expressed their Oreo outrage with boycott signs or carefully worded consumer letters to the Nabisco company.  A few chose to write an "official response" from Nabisco, while others wrote a "judge's opinion" as if the case had gone to court.  What started as a flipped math lesson ended up as a business ethics forum, with most of the students resembling a consumer rights advocacy group.  And of course, everyone received an Oreo at the end of class, even if they had no milk to dunk it in.


  

Friday, February 6, 2015

Character Graphs

Today the ASPIRE 5 class tried another one of the activities that I learned from Ian Byrd at the TAGT conference last December.  Character Graphs use the coordinate plane to analyze literary characters.  After choosing two variables, the students are required to plot a point where their character falls on the graph.  This is obviously a great way to integrate math and reading.  Even though my students have already learned to use a coordinate plane with four quadrants, it was still a fun way to review how they work and how they can be used outside of the math classroom.

We started the lesson by creating an example together.  I chose "prideful" and "talented" for the two variables.  The students were instructed to plot points for three characters from our latest Junior Great Books story, The Bat Poet.  What I thought would be a 5 minute warm-up that would help them create their own Character Graph transformed into the most engaging class discussion of the year.  After calling on one group to plot their point for one of the characters on the coordinate plane, the unexpected debate began.  Every table could not wait to give their opinion.  They passionately defended even the slightest change of position, citing evidence from the text, and using logical reasoning.  The only thing I had to do was occasionally redirect the conversation so three people wouldn't talk at the same time.  It was a great opportunity for me to sit back and enjoy listening to all of their opinions and disagreements.

We could have ended the lesson there, but I knew we were onto something they were excited about, so we cut into our Social Studies and Science time.  The students launched the Doceri app and imported a coordinate plane background.  Their instructions were to choose two variables of their own, find four characters to plot on the graph, and illustrate them with pictures as Ian Byrd did in his sample.  They also had to defend their placements in a written summary, which they didn't mind because they knew that everyone would disagree with them after our trial run.  For bonus points, the students could make a generalization for the characters in each of the four quadrants, a tip from Byrd that offered great depth and complexity.

I have rarely seen such passion for an activity as I did today.  The class even gave up their weekly read aloud time in the library because they wanted to continue working.  It was obvious that the students cared deeply about the characters they chose, and had strong opinions about how they related to variables such as honesty, strength, morality, courage, intelligence, and athleticism.  We didn't get to present the final products today, but most of them are complete, and show evidence of higher-level thinking.  I am sure they will have time to put them in their digital portfolios before student-led parent conferences next week.  I hope you enjoy hearing about them as much as I have.

For more information, be sure to visit Ian Byrd's Character Graph site here.