B-8 Using Strategies from Building Thinking Classrooms to Support NYSSLS Implementation

Kristen Drury

William Floyd High School, NY

AP and Honors Chemistry

www.chemisme.com

chemisme@gmail.com 

Slides with all links provided at the end of the presentation.

Creating and Mixing Teams

• How do you create teams?
• How many students are in each team?
• How often do you change student teams?

Creating and Mixing Teams

Why create teams?

• Students learn better from peers
• Peer Instruction yields better retention

Why mix teams?

• Long term teams create inactive students letting natural leaders take charge
• Self-select teams create social stress
• Students often self-select friends

Creating and Mixing Teams

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• Always in teams
• Teams of 3-4 (3 is best)
• Use randomizing sticks or program
• Have clear labeled locations to go to
• Make sure grouping is visible
• sometimes they get a friend, sometimes a foe
• no tricks, seems fair
• I use home teams for classwork and random teams for activities, group thinking questions, and labs: easy for attendance and for mobility

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www.classroomscreen.com

Encourage Discussion

• Model how to communicate science
• Sentence starters Great article link here
• Whole group discussions
• Be transparent about why we communicate in class
• Don’t give away answers for free
• Keep Thinking Questions
• “Be deliberately less helpful”
• Mobilize knowledge: allow students to learn from one another

Find your COLOR partners!

Move to that station of the room.

Pick up a handout.

The teacher with the most years in the classroom is the manager in charge of timing. They will also appoint the following roles to other team members:

• Reader: reads passage outloud to team
• Recorder: final answers on whiteboard
• Spokesperson: presents answers to class

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If you have a role, please write it on the top of your handout.

You have 5 minutes

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Non Curricular Thinking Task

Get ready to share your thinking on whiteboards!

“If we want out students to think, we need to give them something to think about” (Liljedahl 19)

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Report Out!

(Teacher led)

Find your number partners!

Move to that station of the room.

The teacher who traveled the furthest to get the the conference is the manager in charge of timing. They will also appoint the following roles to other team members:

• Reader: reads passage outloud to team
• Recorder: final answers on “whiteboard”
• Spokesperson: presents answers to class

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If you have a role, please write it on the top of your handout.�

Draw Iron and Sulfur before and after heating using particle diagrams (as if you are a HS student please 😊 ) You have 5 minutes.

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Report Out!

Board Meeting

• Try to make a large circle so everyone can see each other.
• Choose one person to hold up your board.
• Take turns raising hands and commenting about other boards:
• Point out things you like
• Ask questions
• Please be respectful

Vertical Whiteboards

BTC shows that student participate more when vertical non-permanent whiteboards are used

• allows for more mistakes
• shows thinking process
• take notes after whiteboard session

Presenting Whiteboard Work

Ideas

• Teacher led board debrief
• 2 stay 1 stray to view whiteboards
• Gallery tour
• Board meeting

Do Nows are often…

My Do Nows…

• 1-5 quick test questions
• done individually
• used to start the class on time, settle students, and provide routine
• reviews a previous idea
• ignored by many students

• more thinking based
• done in teams
• still provides routine
• introduces the next idea
• harder to ignore when in teams

Think Tank Problems versus Check for Understanding Questions

opportunities

to model proportional thinking

“regents” questions, mostly practice by repetition for those who need it.

reading comprehension

Think Tank Problems versus Check for Understanding Questions

Introduction of new vocabulary AFTER concept invention

Chance to understand limitations and use of Empirical formulas

Think Tank Problems versus Check for Understanding Questions

Opportunities to model particle level interpretations

Think Tank Problems versus Check for Understanding Questions

Introduction of vocabulary and concepts through real world phenomena

Draw as often as possible!

Consolidating: Make note-taking meaningful for future forgetful-selves LOG link

• Shift to note-making instead of note-taking
• Provide time in class for students to take notes and reflect on the lesson
• Allow student to share ideas for notes
• Support their note-taking with expectations
• Possibly allow them to use notes on certain tasks
• My first time I didn’t give a lot of directions for notes and let them see that poor notes don’t help on quizzes- provide examples.

ChiLL Logs

• Due at end of unit as participation/homework credit.
• Could be used on certain quizzes
• All notes in one place
• Summary of unit
• Great for end of year review

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• Each team will be assigned a topic to complete in the log.
• Use vertical whiteboards to record everything you know so far.
• Be prepared to present your whiteboard for others to review.

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• While reviewing whiteboards, complete the chill log.
• Consider writing what you know so far in the log in pencil and then in a new color add things from other whiteboards to show what you need to still work on.

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Find your shape partners!

Move to that station of the room.

The tallest student is the manager in charge of timing. They will also appoint the following roles to other team members:

• Reader: reads passage outloud to team
• Recorder: final answers on whiteboard
• Spokesperson: presents answers to class

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If you have a role, please write it on the top of your handout.�

You will be asked to fill in one section of the consolidated notes and write your section on the whiteboard. You have 5 minutes.

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Quick team selection (uses sticks)

Quick role selection… may provide more roles and role rules if needed

Accountability check

Directions of what to do and how long… place timer on board

Report Out!

Gallery Walk

Take time to go around to other boards and see what others have come up with. Record notes about what you liked and what could be improved for future discussion. Add to your chill log.

Thoughts?

Ideas?

Insights?

Questions?

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handout link