Week 2 | #Teach180 | Homecoming

Only the 5th day of school and it's already Homecoming Week! I've never been so thankful for Project Based Learning as I was the past few days. With the varying student involvement and modified schedules, standard instruction was very challenging to do without having students miss out on something important. Most of my physics classes this week consisted of 10-15 minutes of class meeting and 40-45 minutes of Team Time. Even so, there was lots of activity going on in the classroom during our first 5-day week of the school year.

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Quest for Formative Assignments

#Day5: Introduced QUEST from @TexasScience as formative tool. Students have same ?'s but different numbers @teach180 pic.twitter.com/WyXsdCHvPi

— Joe Cossette (@cossettej) September 15, 2015

In our physics classes, we do all of our problem set homework through an online system called QUEST. This program was developed by the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. QUEST allows the teacher of the online "classroom" to assign a problem set where every student receives the same problems but with different numbers. They submit each answer in the online QUEST form and it validates their submission. They get 7 attempts per question but the point total for the question decreases with each successive guess. I love that this turns the conversation from "what's the answer?" to "how did you do this one?" but I've found that this instant feedback and (immediate consequences for wrong answers) can be sometimes become a barrier for students. Because of this, I grade each assignment out of 10 points and I round up to the nearest point. This accounts for any wrong answer penalties and still allows students to get full points on practice problems that they put effort into. The system is $300 for a school license but you can try it out for 120 days before paying this fee. Find out more at https://quest.cns.utexas.edu/

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Project Based Learning | Maximize your Fro-Yo

I am very excited to see what my students come up with for their first project of the year, Maximize your Fro-Yo. I spent a lot of time working out how the logistics of the data share were going to work so I was very happy when everything came together exactly like I had envisioned (thank you Google Sheets!)
I also finished up the project rubric this week and taught students how to use it to help them focus their efforts. This project score will have the same weight as a test grade so the grading must truly reflect evidence of understanding. I plan to create a dedicated blog post about this project once all the projects are in and I can have some time to reflect.

#Day6: The crowd sourcing has begun. Students shared Fro-Yo topping market values ($/oz) in Google Sheets. #Teach180 pic.twitter.com/ewBQuQ6ruQ

— Joe Cossette (@cossettej) September 15, 2015

#Day7: Pointed students in the direction of the project requirements and took a step back #rubrics4days #Teach180 pic.twitter.com/KmE4R3spQs

— Joe Cossette (@cossettej) September 17, 2015

I find that the farther I distance myself from my students' projects, the cooler they become. I like this project stuff! #PBLChat #Teach180

— Joe Cossette (@cossettej) September 17, 2015

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Google Forms = Instant Feedback

In physical science, we have been learning and reviewing the metric system and converting units (metric to metric). As a way for students to self-check their understanding, we set up a walk around activity using Google Forms for data validation. I was very excited with how it all worked out. The instant feedback is lighting fast and allows students to discuss the process of getting to the answer with their classmates before they even leave the station.

Click here (link coming soon) for a blog post on this edtech strategy and how it is done.

#Day7: Walk around with data validation Google Form to give students instant feedback BEFORE they submit! #Teach180 pic.twitter.com/ucNzRN2kzM

— Joe Cossette (@cossettej) September 17, 2015

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Homecoming Week at Minnetonka High School

Homecoming week always has a fun energy about it. From dress up days (spreading the joy of bow ties) to events like mini concerts before school, it definitely makes you feel like you're a part of something big. It's crazy to think that Homecoming was just the second week of school this year but in many ways it allows us to get the celebration done a little early so we have more uninterrupted time to dig into our subjects.

#Day8: The science teachers were "twinning" in bow ties today. #homecoming #twinday #bowties #Teach180 pic.twitter.com/fPABYDBtys

— Joe Cossette (@cossettej) September 17, 2015

Student musicians kick off each morning of #homecoming week. Incredible talent in this school! @TonkaSchools pic.twitter.com/LGE6Xt9lod

— Joe Cossette (@cossettej) September 17, 2015

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Return of the Science Songs

#Day9: It's all about the Base (units) today in physical science. #Teach180 #sciencesongs https://t.co/gYrat3dkES pic.twitter.com/sffUc8It6L

— Joe Cossette (@cossettej) September 18, 2015

After so much wonderful feedback from students, friends, and family, the songs are back. I brought back All About the Base (Units) as a little Homecoming treat for my students. Apparently I'm already "Snapchat Famous" around the high school. Let's just hope I have time for couple new arrangements this year. :)

For last year's videos, click here.