Stop Motion Biology

I've been working on improving the Biotechnology unit for my College Biology students this year, and one of the new topics is gene regulation. While searching for creative ways to help them understand the content I came across this PhET Simulation regarding the Lac operon. I read through some of the supplemental materials that came with the simulation, and saw that one teacher challenged students to imagine how mutations in the various genes in the operons would affect its function. I loved how this idea really stretched their understanding, but wanted a more non-traditional way for students to explain their thinking. Stop-motion video came to mind.

So I began searching for an iPad app that was free and user-friendly that would allow my students to make stop motion videos of the processes in the mutated Lac operon. I also wanted the capability for students to record a verbal explanation of their mutation within the app. After a few minutes of searching online, I found Stop Motion Studio and the project became reality.

Here's the sequence of the project:

Day 1. Students worked through the PhET simulation to learn how the Lac operon functions. I created a set of instructions with limited guidance, directed observations, and analysis questions to guide their learning.

Day 2. This was a shortened class period (only about 25 minutes).  I assigned each group of 2 students a gene to mutate (there are three genes in the PhET Lac operon simulation).  They discussed with each other how their mutation would affect the whole system, and then began choosing props to represent different parts for their video. I tend to hoard items that other people might think are "junk" in my classroom, so I pulled all this junk out of my cupboards and piled it up on the counter in the back of the room.  These are the props they used for their videos.

Days 3-4: Students took the pictures for their videos, edited them, wrote a script, and recorded the audio track. They saved the video to the camera roll and uploaded it to a media folder I set up on the class Schoology account.

Students getting a good perspective to take their photos.

The student in the scarf finished early and then helped other students. She drew the diagram on the board as she was explaining a concept to the students.

Writing the script for the audio track.

Those of you who are constantly changing and editing lessons in your classes to improve student learning and update techniques will understand what I mean when I say that most of my "great ideas" are a flop the first time I try them out.  It usually takes about 2 years of adjustments and tweaks before I get a lesson to the point where I feel it's successful. However, this lesson actually worked the way I envisioned it the very first time! The students were engaged, creative, and thinking deeply. They learned the content, formed their own understanding, and were able to communicate and demonstrate that new understanding.  Success!

Some examples of the final product are below. They might not make sense without an understanding of the Lac operon, but hopefully you'll get the idea and be inspired to have your students make stop motion videos!

Motivation & Minecraft

Have you ever had one of those moments during which the disparate minor occurrences of your everyday life suddenly converge into one, cohesive revelation? I experienced one of those moments today. Here is why:

Incident #1: Last week, I went to a conference session about Gamification in Education. I have concerns about the same old "carrot and stick" approach to student motivation in disguise as badges, leaderboards, and XP. I attended the session to better inform myself before making a final decision. After the session, I still feel the same way about gamification. It might improve student engagement for a time, but the focus on extrinsic motivation bothers me.

Incident #2: I'm finally reading Drive by Daniel Pink. I know I'm late to the party here, but wow, I'm loving it. I see connections to all areas of my life: personal, professional, and for my students. If for some crazy reason you haven't read this book yet, stop reading this and go out and get it. The insight into human motivation is powerful.

Incident #3: I had "conversations" with two teachers with amazing ideas this week. I was lucky enough to get an hour of Tricia Shelton's (@tdishelton) time via GHO, during which we talked about how her anatomy students are directing their own learning in the classroom. Her students help to form the questions that drive the content, search out evidence to support or refute a claim, and then present their defense in video format. Via Twitter, I was also introduced to Jodie Deinhammer (@jdeinhammer) who also structures her anatomy class around student questions, and then the student products are included in an iTunesU class accessed by thousands of learners around the world.

Incident #4: My 9 year old son informed me this morning that he had done this in bed last night:

I apologize that it's hard to tell what's going on in these photos, so let me take a moment to explain. My two sons are participating in an online Minecraft class called "Castles and Catapaults." And yes, I know that there might seem to be a conflict between this and my previously-proclaimed anti-gamification stance above. That is a longer discussion for a completely different post. Anyway, my sons are crazy about Minecraft and think about it all the time. So here's what my son explained to me this morning. He wants to set up an alchemy shop in his class's Minecraft world so he can "sell" potions. In order to make these potions, he needs lots of different ingredients. So the blue box is his plan of the actions he needs to take, in the correct sequence, in order to produce enough of the ingredients for the potions he plans to make. The green box is the amounts of each of the ingredient he'll need to make the number of potions he wants for the shop. The orange box summarizes the three-tiered trading scheme he's set up for people to "buy" the potions. They'll trade in items (all of which fit into different categories and rankings) for points, which they can apply to the potion they want to buy. Many of the items people will trade in are things he'll need to make more potions, so the system is self-sustaining. The red box is how many points each of his potions will cost. The white box shows the information for one of the potions; how to make it, how rare the ingredients are, etc. The final photo is a flow chart that he found online that shows the connections for making all of the potions. He decided he needed to make his own copy of it, and correctly explained the entire scheme to me.

While listening to my son describe all of these things to me this morning, bouncing up and down with excitement to share what he had done last night, I had that moment of clarity. This is what I want for my students. I want them to have the time and space in my classroom to unleash their intrinsic motivation and pursue personal questions. I need not fear that they will miss out on the "content" by following this path. When I look at what my son produced, I see the amazing cognitive skills that were used in designing his trade system, developing and planning his next steps, and deciphering models. This is the type of learning I want my students to participate in. I need to change my classroom so that students have more control over the direction of the class and their own learning.  Do your students learn via intrinsic motivation? How do you facilitate this in your classroom? I value your insight and opinions as I continue to plan changes for my own classes.

And For Today's Tech Tool....Publisher?

This semester, I find myself in the unique position of having a classroom set of lap tops and a classroom set of iPads for students to use.  I know, it's an unusual situation and I feel extremely fortunate.  Students have been using lap tops in my classroom all year, but the iPads are a new addition.  Our high school students will be 1:1 with iPads next year, so this cart is an attempt to begin to sort out some "bumps in the road" before then.

So far, I have been surprised to find that quite a few of my students are resistant to using the iPads.  They don't like the lack of a keyboard, and I think many of them just aren't enthused about the challenge of learning how to use something new.  However, I've felt internal pressure to find ways to incorporate them into lessons since my room is supposed to be a test trial for everyone else.  

I decided the best way to approach this dilemma was to give my students options.  For the Biology classes' most current project, students are creating informational "products" for local daycares, workplaces, the clinic, a nursing home, and other local establishments to help people become more informed about bacterial and viral infections. I told the students they could make any "product" they wanted to convey the information required, as long as it fit within the project requirements and was appropriate to be shared with their audience.  I gave them some samples of infographics that could be made on the lap tops or iPads, as well as showing them Tellagami and Story Creator on the iPad.  From there, I let them decide what they would create.  

Many students were in awe of Tellagami and immediately drawn to the app.  I still have some Prezi and Google Slides hold-outs, and a few are experimenting with infographics.  So they are fairly evenly dividing themselved between iPad and lap top usage.  What I found most interesting of all was a conversation I had with a student who wanted to make something for an office.  It went something like this...

Student: I want to give the employees something they can read, like a paper.

Me: Do you think that's going to draw them in?  Would you want to read a whole paper about this virus?

Student: Probably not. I'd probably want some pictures and things.

Me: And do you want them to be able to take this information with them, out of the office?

Student: Yes.

Me: Have you ever thought of making a tri-fold brochure?

Student: I'm not sure what that is.

(I demonstrate a brochure for the student.)

Student: Oh yeah, I know what you mean.  Yeah, I think that would be good.

Me: Well, you can make one with Publisher.  Have you ever used that before?

Student: No, I haven't even heard of it.

(I open Publisher on a lap top and give him a quick overview of how it works.)

Student: I get it...I think this is what I want to do.

Now, when I envisioned this project, did my grand vision include students using Microsoft Publisher?  No way.  It's archaic.  It's PC based.  It has to be printed on a color printer for distribution.  Not what I had in mind at all.  But for this student, in this moment, it was perfect.  I suited his vision and filled his needs.  He is going to learn how to use a program he's never used before, and it was his choice.  More and more as I explore the possibilities of technology use in my classroom, I begin to understand how the principles behind good teaching need to be applied here as well.  Number one: Differentiation is key.  Students come to us with varying technical abilities and experiences.  We need to design the classroom in a way that acknowledges this.  Number two:  Allow opportunity for student choice when possible.  High school students seem to be especially engrained to take orders and follow instructions in the classroom.  We need to give them more choices in their education, and if choices in technology use help them to feel more autonomous, all the better.  We as teachers need to help guide those decisions so that students are challenging themselves and making progress toward their goals.  So, in this one instance, am I satisfied with a student learning how to use Microsoft Publisher?  You bet.

#MnCOSE Presentations

It never fails...every year the weather seems to impact my MN Conference on Science Education experience.  This year, a terrific snowstorm reared its ugly head the day before I planned on heading the conference.  I did manage to make the drive eventually, but the two presentations I was scheduled to share had to be rescheduled and attendance was low.  Overall, it was a successful weekend of connecting with old friends and new, however.  Ramsay Musallam's keynote and Saturday workshop did not disappoint either.  The entire conference truly highlighted the professionalism and flexibility of Minnesota science teachers.

Here are links to the Google Sites that I created for each of my presentations.  On the site, you'll get access to the presentation, resources, and my contact information.  Please don't hesitate to send me a message if you have any questions!

Science First! Using Technology for Inquiry. (Overview of some of the tech tools students use in my classroom for investigations, presentations, discussions, etc.)


Facilitating Multi-Age Partnerships to Reinforce & Encourage Science Interest. (Examples of many ways that my high school science students have interacted with elementary students to teach and learn science concepts.)

The Science Textbook - Yea, Nay, or Somewhere In-between?

Here is an issue I struggle with as science teacher:  How much should students use their textbooks?

Throughout high school and college, I read a lot of science textbooks.  It was expected of students, and I have always loved reading, so I never questioned the need for this practice.  By the time I started teaching, however, I had begun a gradual shift toward seeing texts less as a primary source of information for students and more as a reference for questions they might have.  The science courses that I teach are currently lab-intensive and inquiry-based, relying on physical models for processes as needed.  I am convinced that it's more important that students learn to think like scientists rather than memorize all the information scientists have already discovered.  I used my state science standards to guide what students will learn, but how they learn is intentionally rooted in core science skills such as creativity and curiosity, observation, questioning, and analysis.  Confession time:  My Biology students used their textbooks no more than three times last semester (maybe).  I don't even assign students their own copies anymore.  Textbooks stay in the classroom and can be checked out if needed.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been thinking more about textbook usage, however.  It started with our staff book-read for this year - Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning by Mike Schmoker.  The author proposes that two "templates" for lessons, "...could be the basis for effectively teaching 80% or more of the curriculum."  The two templates revolve around (1) "interactive lecture and direct teaching," and (2) "literacy-based lessons with a focus on any text."  This type of language immediately starts to turn me off, but as I did agree with some other ideas he presented about the importance of reading, I was hopeful that I was misinterpreting his intentions.  Then I reached the chapter focusing on science.  To warm up the reader for the chapter, Schmoker shares this quote: "Hands-on...activities may have overshadowed the importance of developing science content ideas" (Roth and Garnier).  This sets the tone for much of the chapter, during which he attempts to convince the reader that investigations in science classes aren't helping students learn science content, so teachers need to reduce labs and increase the amount of direct lecture and reading of texts.  One of the sections is entitled, "The Problem with Hands-On Science."  In this section, Schmoker quotes sources that state "cookbook" labs are not the most effective way to learn science.  I agree with this 100%, but unlike Schmoker, I don't agree that this is grounds for changing the investigative nature of science classes.  He quotes a scientist who believes that science is not best learned through labs, but by reading textbooks.

I was prepared to express some of my concerns about Schmoker's ideas at our next staff meeting, until a former student stopped by my classroom last week.  I love it when students do this, not only because it's always great to see them, but also because I can grill them about what they're learning in their college science classes.  I typically ask something along the lines of, "Based on your college Biology classes, what should I spend more time teaching in high school?"  So I asked my most recent visitor this question, and he said it wasn't a specific topic, he just wishes that he was better prepared to read college textbooks.  He said that most of his college professors expect their students to learn a lot of their content by reading the textbook because there isn't enough time to cover everything in lecture or lab.  But he admitted that he wouldn't have done assigned reading as homework in high school.  He thought it would be better if students read the text in class with the help of teachers.

So, here's my dilemma:  I agree literacy is important, and I want my students to be prepared for college so that they will be successful.  However, allowing students to learn science through inquiry is still my top priority.  There are so many examples of studies that support this methodology, as well as anecdotal accounts from scientists.  I don't know if I'm ready for students to "do" less science in class so that they can read "about" more science.  In the bigger picture, is it more important for students to learn how to analyze and think critically about data or learn how to read an upper-level science textbook?  What will serve them better in the long-run?

My final question is this:  Should we (as high school science instructors) start having more conversations with college faculty about what skills high school graduates should be bringing with them to their post-secondary institution?  If national science organizations are saying we need to encourage more independent, creative thinking in our science-minded students, why aren't college science courses supporting this by making their teaching methods more inquiry-based?

How often do your students read from their textbooks?  Do you have your students read primary sources in your classroom in lieu of textbooks?  How do you support high school students in their reading of challenging texts and articles?  I would appreciate any input on these topics as I continue to grow in my understanding of what it means to teach science.

1:1 Student Conversations

I find that moments of "asynchronosity" are becoming more and more common in my classes this year as I continue to weave in mastery learning and student-centered learning. During these moments, when students are working on various assignments and activities, based on their current needs in the classroom, I've been able to actually sit down and TALK with individual students for an extended length of time! It has amazed me how powerful these two to five-minute conversations can be. Here are some examples of how I've used this time:

1) Verbal Assessment. Students in my Biology classes take and retake small quizzes on content until they reach 100% (with remediation and reteaching in-between). I was astonished to find that there are students who occasionally struggle with multiple choice questions, but can verbally explain their thinking just fine. So I've started giving verbal assessments to students who haven't reached 100% on a quiz after two tries. Out of my 50 Biology students, about 5 or so usually need this type of assessment, so it doesn't take a terribly long time to accomplish.

2) Project Evaluation. After the Biology students' Food Webs project rough drafts were due, I scheduled some class time to sit down with each student and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their projects thus far. I asked the students to complete a self-reflection before meeting with me, and then during each conference, we were able to start by discussing their thoughts on their project. This took about three class periods, and I had to be creative in designing something else that was engaging enough for the class to work on independently while these conferences were happening.  In the future, I'd like to record the conferences, however, because when the project deadline approached it turned out many students had forgotten the details of our discussion!

3) Notebook Conversations. Students in each of my classes complete all of their classwork in their science notebooks. Although I love the organization this provides for the students, it is a pain for me to take home 50 notebooks to look over every weekend. Last weekend I was just too busy to finish all of the notebooks I wanted to read through, so I decided to look through the notebooks WITH the students while they were working on other things for class. What started out as a time-saver for me ended up being a really great way to have a conversation with each of my students. I talked over each their entries, gave them feedback on their work, and had them make corrections right then and there (usually they go back and make corrections on their own, and I look them over when I collect notebooks again). Being able to talk through some of the misconceptions with students in the moment was so valuable for me because there is often a disconnect between what they're thinking and what they actually write down on paper.

Even though some of these techniques took quite a bit of class time, I feel like the investment will pay off in the long run. I'd love to hear ideas from you about how you "meet" with individual students and create time in your classes for these types of interactions.

Backchannel Bonus

I've been experimenting with backchanneling in my classes this year.  I use Schoology for my LMS, so its Discussion feature has been perfect for this.  Up until today, I'd tried backchanneling twice in class.  Once, I asked my Biology students to answer some questions about a few video clips they watched about human impacts on the carbon and nitrogen cycles.  This worked okay, but did't produce a lot of student interaction, which was what I was looking for.

The second time, I had students ask questions through the backchannel while they were watching presentations given by their peers.  When each presentation was finished, I randomly chose a handful of the questions for the presenters to answer.  This was a little closer to what I envisioned: every student had a voice, and some of the voices were heard.  Still not enough student interaction, though.

Today, I showed a great movie, "What Darwin Never Knew," to my College Biology students.  I set up a backchannel discussion on Schoology again.  Here's how I described it for the students.

While watching the movie, record your questions, "I wonder-s," and "That's Cool-s!" here. Respond to your classmates as they post their thoughts as well.

Requirements:
Comments should be on-topic and school-appropriate.
Each student should record at least 2 comments of their own.
Each student should reply to at least 2 of their classmates' comments.

Then I let the movie roll and watched the magic unfold.  Students were engaged.  Students were "talking" to each other.  Students were excited.  And guess what...BONUS!...it turns out that backchanneling in this way is a great formative assessment!  Here's how:

As you maybe guessed by the movie choice, the students are at the end of an evolution unit.  The questions and ideas they posted in the backchannel gave me insight into pockets of confusion that exist in the class right now.  Check out some of these questions and responses (student typos/word usage/grammar and spelling errors are unchanged!):

Comment A
Student 1: Did they just say we evolved from fish? So when people say your a fish when your swimming it's actually true in a way....

Student 2: That is an interesting thought, but no i don't think that would be the "truth" about people swimming very well.

Student 1: If you think about it theoretically it could be, why do u think some people are better swimmers then others maybe they evolved from better fish...

My thoughts:  Definitely reveals some misconceptions about common ancestors.

Comment B

Student:  If we developed from other animals why cant they mix these animals again and make humans?

My thoughts:  We need to revisit phylogenetic trees.  Students are forgetting ancestral forms are no longer living.  Humans didn't evolve from present-day organisms.

Comment C

Student 1: So does this mean we are related to everything in the world besides plants or any other vegetation? Or are we related to plants too?

Student 2: That's a really good question. Because do common ancestors apply to just animals or plants as well?

Student 3: It wouldn't surprise me if we were related to plants because it seems like we are related to everything living organism.

Student 4: I don't think so because even though plants are living things they aren't actually like us or animals.. like they don't have thoughts or feelings like animals and humans do

Student 5: put most animals don't have thoughts either they just have natural instinct.

My thoughts:  Students still struggle with the fact that humans are animals, which makes it difficult for them to understand our connection to other organisms.

I find all of these student thoughts just fascinating!  I could go on with further examples, but let's get to the point:  This method of backchanneling was a great formative assessment.  I got a peak into the minds of my students that I wouldn't otherwise have seen.  Now I have a list of topics we need to revisit in class.  And it doesn't hurt that my students really enjoyed it.  When the end of class rolled around and we had to pause for the day, one student spontaneously said, "Aw, do we have to?  This is so much fun!" 

Enough said.