Moving on from Gasoline: The End of an Era or Wishful Thinking?
The WISE lesson I chose to examine and modify was called “Chemical Reactions and Alternative Fuels: Making a Change.” There are two main sections to the lesson. The first dives into the chemical reaction that takes place when gasoline is ignited. It then explores information on increasing carbon dioxide rates globally. The second section introduces the learner to alternative fuels. It briefly looks at different methods of producing electricity and asks the student to form some ideas about what the best solution would be going forward. Both halves of this assignment have an emphasis of making a claim, backing it up with evidence, and providing reasoning for suggestions. Ultimately, this lesson culminates with students writing a persuasive letter to their congressman.
I was really impressed with this lesson and thought it did a good job in drawing in cross-curricular elements (letter writing), a call to action and strong science teaching. However, there are a few major tweaks that I made.
First, this lesson has students writing down important information in their notebook. I instead created them all a Google Slides presentation, and would have students do their journaling-type activities there. By doing this in a presentation format, it provides opportunity for students to easily share their learning with a group of other people. The explanation of this would be simple: What if your elected official invites you to their office to pitch your ideas in person? Reading journal entries is far less engaging than a well-constructed presentation.
Second, I added a compare and contrast chart after different methods of electricity generation are introduced. One small weakness with this lesson is that it doesn’t look at the other complexities related to producing electricity. (ie. Wind turbines make noise, nuclear is hard to dispose of) This would have students look at the broader pros/cons of coal, wind and hydro. This serves to help them better formulate quality conclusions on the issue, as well as drive home the understanding that there is no easy overnight solution to fossil fuels. This chart is supplemented with two videos that debate for/against the use of wind turbines.
Finally, I added in a link to Clipchamp where students can record a 30 second ‘elevator explanation’ of their proposal. A short snippet to show a prospective listener what they are all about, and demonstrate their depth of understanding on the topic. While not directly in the lesson, I would implement the 3rd goal of WISE (having students learn from each other) by encouraging students to watch the videos of 4-5 of their peers. (Linn, Clark, Slotta, 2003)
The changes I have suggested for this lesson aim to modernize some of the technology use, and help students better communicate their learning going forward. The core content of this lesson was very strong and it already did a stellar job of communicating the science behind internal combustion engines.
Given the quality of scaffolding that occurs in this lesson, I would let students work on it independently during science classes. I would allocate 40 minute periods for them to pick away at it over the course of a week.
Linn, M., Clark, D., & Slotta, J. (2003). Wise design for knowledge integration. Science Education, 87(4), 517-538. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.10086/abstract
I like that you tweaked the lesson through the addition of technology and made that use collaborative in nature. You’ve taken it off the page and into a real-world application. I also like that students have the opportunity to express their ideas in many ways through writing and talking and are required to listen to one another and build on each other’s ideas. It’s a timely topic and you’ve asked students to really explore all sides of the issue from a scientific standpoint and to be able to support their argument.
I really love how you enhanced this lesson. I think that you added relevant and authentic tools for data gathering, meta cognition, collaboration, and inquiry. The idea that scientific exploration is done through isolated memorization and paper note taking is not accurate and often is only found within the walls of a classroom. Being able to think with a team, capture ideas, and share your new understanding is crucial. I especially loved your 30 second elevator pitch. A short and concise representation of understanding. The days of 30 min PowerPoint boardroom presentations are a thing of the past, our students need real world experience using current tools to showcase their ideas. I have never used Clip Champ before. I tend to use Screencastify using Google Slides or a Flipgrid with no student faces. I find our FOIP restrictions are so intense it is hard to use new digital tools like this that capture faces and store data.
Trish
Hi Caleb,
I really liked how you included the compare and contrast chart for students to explore the complexities behind alternative energy source; it teaches them to think critically and not just assume that the alternatives are better. For the exercise with the elected official, would the students be directed to pick one of the energy options in the lesson or could they suggest something else?
Gordon