Exceptional A new teaching model I developed for my chemistry classes. The Educational Corporate Model: Us : Chemistry Corporate Model - Part 2 by davisr (Rhonda) Book of the Month contest entry

The end of Chapter 2: "You're so right. Who in your row is going to share their feelings about the concept?" "I know a little about business," one of the girls said, "and this sounds like fun. My family owns a Mexican restaurant in town." "Good, maybe one of your family members can come speak to us. How do you feel about the part that says, 'student-led'?" A girl from another group raised her hand before she could answer. "Does that mean students are going to stand in the front like you and lecture? If so, no disrespect, but what will we need you for?" I smiled at the students. I had anticipated this question, and attitude, so no offense was taken. "It means," I explained, "things are going to rearrange a bit about how you learn. When we're through with the presentation, maybe you'll get a better idea of what I mean. As far as whether I'm needed, I sincerely hope I am, but not in the way I was. The walls of this class are about to disappear, along with the time you're in chemistry. This will no longer be just one of your classes, it will become an adventure into your future, and chemistry will be happening all around you." I waited so see if there were any more questions, and then switched to slide two. Another image appeared on the board. Chapter 3 begins: I looked around the room at the collective students. They seemed to expect more of the same teaching style they had always known, just wrapped in a new package. Who could blame them? It was all they had ever known. . . it was all I had ever known. I hoped to change the perception for all of us. "Group two," I began. "I know there is nothing to read on this slide, so we are going to slip out of our pattern. I want three of you to make observations about what you see." The students nodded. This was a science class, and they understood observations. "A cell phone," one girl said. She paused to let another student speak. "Love." "Good," I said. "What else?" "A Chromebook." "Yes, I see that, too," I said. "Now let's hear from group three. Give one observation, please." "I don't know," a boy said. He paused to look at the huge glowing screen in the front of the room. "I see a group of kids taking a selfie." I paused while the students giggled. They were, after all, sophomores. "Group four?" "Man, I see a hamburger and fries." The observations continued in a semi-orderly fashion, until we returned to group two and stopped. "Before you make another observation," I said, "please wait until I turn out all the lights." I walked over to the light switch and turned it off. The students sat quietly, waiting for my next move. I pressed the remote to change the presentation to the next slide. "What do you see now?" "A lighthouse," they responded in unison. "That's right," I said. "It was hidden beneath the other objects that might distract you from learning. You are the lighthouses and the job of the Chemistry Corporate Model is to help remove the detractors that get in the way of you learning chemistry. I completely expected to hear the usual negative comments from the class as they poked fun at my analogy. They did not, rather they nodded approval. Okay, I was doing well so far. I switched to the next slide. "Group three," I said. "We'll go back to the original format. One of you read the slide, another comment on it, and a third tell how it makes you feel." One student read the text, which wasn't very long. After she finished, another student in the group said, "I'm guessing this program is going to let us make mistakes so long as we learn from them." Another student from the group spoke up. "I've heard this before. We learn more from our mistakes than we do from getting things right. I like the idea. In most classes, our mistakes give us lower grades. Are you trying to say you aren't going to do that?" "You're right, we're going to allow each other to make mistakes so we can learn. This whole program is a work in progress, and we'll have to allow each other to grow as we develop it." A student from group four raised her hand. "Yes?" I asked. "Our group is allowed to comment now, right?" "Yes." "So, you'll make mistakes, too?" "I expect so. I've never tried anything like this before, and I hope to learn as we go, just like you are." "So you care what we think?" John spoke up. "I mean, like we can help make decisions?" "That's what I'm counting on." John flashed the hint of a smile as he looked at the screen. I had his attention, now what was I going to do with it? Recognized Author Notes Image came from google. I am writing this book because my District Science Coordinator asked me to after observing and interacting with my chemistry classes. Wish me luck! FYI, you'll see John again later, and the changes he and I both undergo.

© Copyright 2024. davisr (Rhonda) All rights reserved. davisr (Rhonda) has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.