Standards-based Grading Series: Offering Choice Menus for Differentiated Assessment
Participants will be given an example of a choice menu to see how this assessment tool can be used within an online or in-person class. Assessment menus allow greater autonomy in a class as students choose the type of assignment that appeals to them or allows them to utilize their strengths. Although students may complete […]
Approaches to Learning: Using Stop-animation Videos to Learn Concepts
Stop-animation videos are short movies made with a series of photos taken from the same position and a handful of items that can be moved about to create a story. In this 1.5 hr. workshop, you will create your own stop-animation video of processes or phenomena, to cover main ideas or convey detailed information. Through […]
Math-infused Science: Data Modeling Activities for Ecology Lincoln’s and Simpson’s Indices
Using manipulatives found in our homes, we will simulate two common field science experiments: Lincoln’s Index for measuring abundance and Simpson’s Index for measuring biodiversity. Participants in this 1.5 hr. workshop will gather evidence and make calculations that can be used to describe the health of and changes in an ecosystem. Each activity will be […]
Approaches to Learning: Helping Students Give Kind and Useful Critical Feedback
One of the tools of student-centered teaching is the peer review process. In this technique, students gather in small groups and present their work to one another. The audience of peers is asked to use their knowledge and experience to give critical feedback to the presenter so they can improve their work before it is […]
Using DataClassroom to Improve IB Scores on the IA
6-7pm ET, Thursday, June 17, 2021 In this free 1-hour workshop, Kristen Dotti from Catalyst Learning Curricula will show teachers easy ways to integrate graphing and data analysis skills into their lesson plans with the user-friendly features of DataClassroom.
Standards-based Grading Series: Writing Easy-to-Use Rubrics
In this 1.5 hr. workshop, participants will practice writing rubrics with the intent of assessing the attainment of specific content and skills standards. We will explore how rubrics can be designed for ease of use and consistent interpretation. I will challenge the participants to make rubrics that are flexible enough to allow accurate assessment of […]
Statistics for Teaching Science: Part 1 Measuring and Reporting Uncertainty
All measurements include some degree of uncertainty or error, but how it is reported is decided by the person collecting the data. Because analysis is dependent on the data collected, the method used to report error can substantially impact the strength of the claims made and conclusions drawn. In this workshop, we will explore five […]
Standards-based Grading Series: Using Process Portfolios to Document Thinking and Learning
This 1.5 hr. workshop is dedicated to making thinking “visible” by documenting what influences a student’s thought process and by keeping track of the changes that occur when additional information is acquired. Process portfolios can be used in any subject area where a student’s ideas are evolving: a piece of writing, an experiment, a model, […]
Approaches to Learning: Incorporating Critical Thinking and Differentiation into Project-based Learning Outcomes
Participants in this 1.5 hr. workshop, will compare project-based learning outcomes and use their analysis to backward map the lesson such that it hits the skills and thinking objectives desired. Teachers will be introduced to several free online programs that allow students to create diverse projects and stimulate the novel application of learned content. Teachers […]
Statistics for Teaching Science: Part 2 The Problem with Describing Data Using the Mean
Often by middle school and certainly by high school, students default to the mean as the best way to describe data without much consideration for how they might defend that choice. So, you might think, what’s the harm in that? Everyone knows what is meant by this descriptor, it is familiar and understandable, easy to […]