This week, we were challenged to consider assessment tools while pondering the following scenario:
Boris has been teaching Chemistry 11 at a regional high school in the Bulkley Valley of northern BC for over a decade. He uses his school district’s Moodle server to disseminate lecture notes, lab forms and to answer student questions outside of class time via a discussion forum.
Over the years he’s found a distinct gap between some students’ performance in laboratory exercises and their exams. In particular they seem to have difficulty transferring what they learn about the Periodic Table in their labs (and readings) to their exam work. Some students do well, but they are those who find it manageable to memorize the entire table: students who cannot, who comprise about half his students in any given year, are the ones who struggle.
There isn’t a single hour of extra time for Boris to spend on Periodic Table review in class. He does have some extra handouts to give students who want more practice, but knows these only scratch the surface – substantive review would require a more detailed and systematic approach.
Boris is trying to find some way to create a stand-alone, self-directed review tool for students learning the Periodic Table. It should allow students to review material, then test their knowledge. In a perfect world it would give students instant feedback that not only tells them if they’re right or wrong: it would give them formative feedback that helps them move towards the right answers.
In response to Boris’ dilemma, I have a few comments. First of all, he should question the importance of memorizing the Periodic Table. I teach Science 10, and students are permitted to refer to a Periodic Table on their provincial exam. In grade 12 Chemistry tests at my school, students are once again allowed to refer to a Periodic Table at all times. Even when I took Chemistry in University, I was always provided with a data booklet on exams that included a Periodic Table. One of my best friends is a Chemical Engineer and at no point in her career has she been required to memorize the Periodic Table. She still looks up details on the P.T. today, even though she is much more familiar with it than the average person. What I’m getting at is that Boris should just provide his students with a Periodic Table to use on exams, rather than requiring them to memorize it.
That being said, I do acknowledge that students can complete Chemistry assignments and tests faster if they are familiar with the elements’ names and know approximately where to find them on the P.T.. This is similar to how students can do higher-level math problems much faster if they are proficient at basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (Price, Mazzocco, & Ansari, 2013; Zamarian, Ischebeck, & Delazer, 2009). In my experience, students will catch on rather quickly with repetition of Chemistry concepts such as naming compounds. However, if students are struggling and falling behind, then they can improve their skills with some extra practice. Boris already uses Moodle, so he could create online quizzes within his LMS for students to work on Periodic Table concepts. However, in my opinion, there are better options out there that wouldn’t require Boris to put so much effort into reinventing the wheel. For example, Boris could link from his course website to http://www.funbrain.com/periodic/ which is a game for students to match the symbol with the element. If Boris’ students have access to mobile devices, I would highly recommend the app called “Oresome Elements”, which I have used before in my class. This interactive game designed for high school students provides learners with a fun and engaging way to learn about the Periodic Table, its elements, and their uses.
In conclusion, Boris should determine what level of memorization he expects from his students. Do they really need to know the Periodic Table off by heart, or should they just be familiar with the most common elements’ symbols and locations? Secondly, Boris should identify students that are falling behind in class even when they can refer to a Periodic Table. If they are using up valuable time searching the P.T. for a particular element, they may not have the level of proficiency that is desired. In this case, they can improve their P.T. skills with available resources such as apps or games online that he links to from Moodle.
References:
Price, G.R., Mazzocco, M. & Ansari, D. (2013). Why mental arithmetic counts: Brain activation during single digit arithmetic predicts high school math scores. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(1), 156-163.
Zamarian, L., Ischebeck, A., & Delazer, M. (2009). Neuroscience of learning arithmetic: Evidence from brain imaging studies. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 33, 909-925.