Graphing with 9th graders

Some day I’ll remember what I already know…if you push kids, but do it in a way that allows them to reach their potential, they will respond in a positive way. I know that probably sounds like pure drivel, but hear me out.

My Biotechnology class is full of 9th graders, and we meet for only 47 minutes a day. It’s a lab-based, inquiry-based class, but there’s only so much you can do inside of 3.5 hours a week. Since the class commenced in January, we have performed four small experiments with E. coli, and I dropped the lab on logistic growth. I was grading their first UV mutagenesis lab and guess what…I had ninth graders successfully graphing dose response curves and estimating Leathal Dose 50 (LD-50) for UV radiation on E. coli.

By doing one less experiment and concentrating more on experimental design, concentrating more on execution of experiments, and concentrating more on graphing results and making claims based on evidence, my students are coming along faster than in years past. I’m really impressed with what they can do…as long as I stay on them.

gone kayaking

By the end of last Monday, I knew it was time for break. Check out my class blogs to see how much I’ve been doing in lab. I’ve been pushing myself and my student in class, and I’ve been using lots of community resources. Visiting lectures from geologists, trips to the local museum for a quick look at dinosaurs, tree thinking with extant vertebrates, and tetrapod evolution 2010. I do it all ’cause I love this sh*t!

Oh yeah…I deliberately took today (31Jan10) off. Sort of. I did write for an hour and a half, but I also got a run in and hooked up with my paddling buddies from the Cahaba River Society for a quick white water trip down our favorite local run: Lovick Bridge to Grants Mill Road. Oh, the paddling that will go down when National Boards are complete.

I finally figured it out (aka “it is a good start)

I’ve told anyone who has asked about National Boards that I finally figured it out. It takes about 6 months to figure out what the hell is going on with the portfolio, and that leaves about 3 months to knock it out. At least that’s been my experience. Based on conversations I had last week, I’m not the first person to gain this insight.

So, what am I doing about it? I’m getting after it. I’ve got a draft of Entry 1 in, Entry 4 is rolling along, I have started writing up Entry 2, and I’m planning the learning cycle that I will feature in Entry 3. It’s rolling along.

In related news…I’m also teaching 3 science classes. I’m simultaneously teaching global demographics, fundamental ecosystem principles, and basic microbiology skills. It must be spring at ASFA.

Next week I make my annual trek to McWane Center to give kids a chance to see their incredible fossil collection, and I make my annual trip to Birmingham-Southern College to borrow vertebrate specimens. Yeah, it’s time to Teach Evolution! in the South. Scott Brande, Geologist extraordinare will also be coming to teach my kids. Wait, geology, fossils, homologous structures and vertebrate cladistics? My kids might really learn something. Look out!

national board update

All the certified teachers I talk to and glean information from say things like, “This is a great start.” or, “Congratulations on starting your journey.” This isn’t the first time I’ve heard national boards dubbed a “journey”. That doesn’t bother me. What’s irritating is the whole, “…good start…” stuff. My mom used to tell me that. All the time. When I was doing chores.

“Mom, I finished sweeping the back porch,” I would say.

“Mom, I finished cleaning the bathroom,” I would claim.

“That’s a good start.” She would say. Ugh. (Full disclosure: I tell my daugther the same thing in regards to her chores.) Genetics. You can’t escape them.

The bottom line is I’m on my way, but the clock is ticking. I’ve got 8 weeks to finish three more entries and clean up my first entry. I must admit, the process is transformative. I understand students better now than I did 6 months ago. I’m a better listener now than I was 6 months ago. I recognize student insights better now, and I try to give those insights more room to breathe in class. I’m not perfect by any means, but I am more in tune with what’s going on in my classes.

In a perfect world every class would be guided by students’ questions. Then again, I don’t buy that. I firmly believe teachers should guide the class. We set up the Driving Questions. We lead the class. What we shoudl do is create opportunities for students to explore their ideas based on the central ideas of the lesson. They can explore their ideas and their specific questions based on the Driving Question.

I can be better at training students to ask good questions. I can be more organized in my approach. I can plan what I say, and I can plan the quesitons I ask better. I think I’ll still be working on these core principles long after my National Board Portfolio is boxed up and sent to San Antonio.

Back in the saddle

Great. Another song lyric. Is anything left unwritten? Great. Another song lyric. When will the circle be unbroken. Great. Another song lyric. STOP.

Okay. Sorry about that. School’s back in. I’ve reunited with my AP Biology students and my Core Environmental Science Students. I met a whole new crop of biotechnology students. Of the several questions I asked them, two were about they knew and what they wanted to learn. In terms of biotechnology and molecular genetics, they are indeed empty vessels. They were insightful enough to know that they did not know. Heck, they may have already reached enlightenment.

I’m going “soft sell” with my AP Bio crew. They know I’m knee deep into national boards.  I put the responsibility on them to do the reading and to keep up. I also let them know that our discussions would be a bit more open, and the class would be more workshop-esque and less formal this semester. They responded fairly well. We’re starting with climate and biomes today. Just playing with a globe and fooling with some data. Later this week we’ll play with some elementary survivorship data, generate some survivorship curves and talk about life histories. This soft cell and ecological overview serves three purposes. First, it leaves me with more energy to work on my National Boards. Second, it gives them some context for what Darwin and Wallace saw during their explorations before they wrote their theories of Evolution by natural selection. Third, it makes the class more conversational and more like a workshop. My students respond well to this mode of teaching and the laid-back environment fosters more learning.

Mercy, mercy, mercy

thanks Cannonball Adderly, for the sentiment. The spring semester opens tomorrow and I am BEhind. In addition to getting my ap biology class back up and running, getting my core environmental science students back on the same page, and set up a new blog for a new class (biotechnology), I’ve got to continue working on my national boards and get a manuscript on mitochondrial genetics toghether

“Closing” The Learning Cycle

In an effort to make exams less punative and more about learning I implemented two changes this year. First, I set up a system where the worst the students could do was an average of their 1st and 2nd quarter grades. Second, I got exams and essays graded within 48 hour of adminsitration and had everythign tabulated and back to students within 3 school days. I wanted to take the stress out of the exam. I also want kids to take my comments to heart, and know that I am on their side.

I have several reasons for setting nI don’t see why a solid “C” on an exam should bring my borderline “B” student down. Especially seeing as how they come in, bust their butts in lab, and work as hard as their time permits studying for unit tests. (My “gunner” students with the solid A averages still worked to outcompete eachother on the exam, so they didn’t slack off.) I had a few students whose final exam grade was a solid 10% lower than their actual grade, but they maintained their Bs. A student with a solid B on the exam (but had high “A” average averages on each quarter) might have seen his whole grade go down 1 or 2 percentage points if I used a traditional policy, but what’s the justification for that? These kids are under enough stress. They put the work in day-in and day-out. They’re talented, and they work to live up to thier potential. I say, “reward them.” I’ve pushed them enough; and I’ll  push them when we get back from Winter Holidays!

I have ulterior motive for the quick return on their exams. Yes, I want to “close” the learning cycle. Yes, I use Summative Assesment as a way to reinforce the concepts and ideas we discovered this year. The secondary motive, however,  is more pragamatic…and sincere. This immediate, thoughtful feedback will likely keep them engaged when we dive back into AP Bio when the spring semester starts.

AP Bio Finals are over!

Exam was administered on Wednesday, Dec 9, 2009. All 20 Mutliple Choice exams are graded and 40 AP Bio Free Response Questions (FRQs) are graded as of 2:45 pm (CDT) 11Dec09! A new record. Next step. Tabulate all the grades, put them in the gradebook, and start worrying about National Boards again.

Following that I’ll grade my APES students’ final project check out asfaenvironmental science and look at the PESTLE pages for more info on that.

My Core Environmental Science (CES) students  will be doing a short write up of their Duckweed population experiments on Wednesday. It should  be smooth sailing by then.

It’s not skin of my teeth for nothin’

So, I get an email from my department chair yesterday at around 3 pm. “Have you finished that application?”, she asked. Oh yeah, that application for the Siemen’s AP Teacher award she gave me about 2 months ago. I started it last week, stopped to write my AP Biology semester exam, and forgot to pick it up. Today my resume was updated and I spent the afternoon writing a 3-page summary of my teaching accomplishments. I gave myself a 3pm deadline and finished around 4pm. The entire application will be faxed tomorrow, 11Dec09. According to the College Board it can be received no later than 11Dec09.

We’ll see if my last ditch attempt is good enough for a state-wide award. Check your USA Today in late February to find out.

My strangest insight of the year

On mitochondrial genetics (after 9 hours of contact with students…and sitting in church for the first time in a while)…Here’s what I know now. Watching this lab (mitochondrial genetics) unfold. Seeing the Novagen DNAs glow brightly on the gel box. This thing is bigger than me now. I am apart from it. Now understanding it as an outsider, not as the creator. My questions now are: how can it be improved? And what will others do with it?