Quiz Re-Takes Really Work!

I never thought I would ever give a student a quiz re-take.  I was vehemently opposed to the idea.  I mean come on how many chances should we give students?  I thought that if I let them re-take a quiz it would set a precedent and I would have students re-taking every quiz.

Then I started to think about it and I started to do some research.  I was very skeptical, but as I read I started to change my mind.  Here's why.

Why not give students a second or third or forth chance?  Isn't our goal as a teacher to help students learn.  Why do we only reward them if they get it right the first time?  This is what I figured, if a student bombs a quiz or makes a mistake they should learn from those mistakes and find a way to improve.  Isn't that what life is about?  Where else in your life do you not get a second chance?  Yes, I know...when flying a plane...when performing surgery...when driving a car, etc.  Yes, there are certain events that you can't live and learn but I believe that in the classroom students should be able to live and learn as often as they need.

My goal, by the end of the year, is to teach my students as much chemistry as I can.  My students' job is to learn as much chemistry by the end of the year.  

Anyway, this year I figured I would try it out.  I am a scientist at heart and I wanted to collect my own data to see if quiz re-takes would have an effect.

Here's How I did it.

First, I established some guidelines.

1.  Students may re-take a quiz as many times as they like as long as it is re-taken before a unit test.  My test, for now, are final.  There are no test re-takes.  So a student can re-take a quiz on nomenclature 20 times until the day of the nomenclature test.

2.  Students must complete a quiz re-take form.  This form is on my Moodle page and it is designed to help the student reflect on the quiz.  In the past, students would throw away bad quizzes without giving them a second thought.  Now, they have to think about what they did poorly and then tell me what they plan to do to improve.  I really like this part!  I believe it is the most important part.  Here are some images of my quiz re-take form:

3.  Students must complete a remediation assignment based on the topics that gave them trouble.  I do not create these assignments.  Students can use the textbook or internet to create their own problem sets.  I want the students to create this.  I told them it doesn't have to be from the book and if they had another idea that I would be willing to listen.  Most students use the book or pull worksheets from the internet.  The only catch is they cannot use problems that I have already assigned.  It has to be something new!  I think this is great because students learn that when they don't understand something they can find information and resources to help them get better.  I have students going to the internet and working out problems on their own!

4.  The last grade stands.  I don't give them the higher of the two grades or the average.  I give them the last grade.  I love this for a number of reasons.  First, it deters some students from trying to go from 98% to 100%.  Second, it reflects what they currently know and that is what I am testing.  So what if last week you got an 80%.  Today you only know 73%.

Final Thoughts

In the beginning, I was nervous because I thought I would need to write 5-10 versions of each quiz.  Since the beginning of the year, I have only had two students re-take a quiz more than one time.  I write three versions of the quiz.  The questions are roughly the same.  I change some of the numbers and sometimes I change the question as long as it covers the same objective/target.

I was afraid that quiz re-takes would dominant my life this year.  I have been fairly organized.  I have a quiz folder for honors and AP chemistry and quiz answer key folder.  For each unit, I place the quizzes and keys in the folder and I am ready to go.  Note, I give students at minimum one quiz a week.

Grading has not been a nightmare.  My quizzes are short...around 10-15 points each.  They are very quick to grade.  What I have been doing this year is I place answers keys around the room during the quiz along with a colored pencil.  I let the students check their own quizzes before turning them in.  I encourage them to write notes to themselves and to make corrections as long as they use my colored pencil.  They know the consequences if I find them with their own pencil or pen at the quiz station.  My students love the instant feedback.  I still grade each quiz but their corrections make easier to grade.

Overall, I love this new system.  I know my students love it as well.  I have had numerous students come up to me and tell how much they like being able to re-take the quizzes.  Of course there are a few students who take advantage of the system.  They fill out the re-take form without much thought or effort and the remediation assignment is thrown together at the last minute.  But, so many of my other students are doing it the right way and benefiting I have to continue.  My students are more confident and are not as afraid to make mistakes as they used to be.  They know that they can learn from their mistakes and not be penalized.

Thanks
Dan

Halloween Fun with Chemistry

Every year, I do my traditional pumpkin explosion and it is a huge hit every year.  Since I started blogging this year, I thought I would share some links to great Halloween demonstrations.  Here are three great resources for creating your own Halloween show.  Be careful and have fun!

The American Chemical Society has a bunch of fun resources to use.  Click here.

About.com has been a great resource.  I actually subscribe and get weekly demonstrations.  Click here.

Of course I have to mention Steve Spangler.  In this video he does the pumpkin explosion I mentioned earlier.  Click here.

NHS Inductee Speech 2013

Last night, I was honored to give the key note address during the 2013 National Honors Society Inductees ceremony at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Illinois.  I am not much of a public speaker but I did my best.  I was really nervous but I am really happy that I did it.  I was honored to have been selected by the students.  Anyway, I figured I would share my speech.  Thanks.

My Advice to NHS Students: Question Everything, Fail, 

Don’t Get a Job and Have Fun!

NHS Induction Speech October 16, 2013

Good evening.

I could not be more honored to be speaking here tonight.  When I was asked to give the speech tonight I was very flattered, but then I panicked because I realized that I would have to give a speech.  Then it dawned on me that the students select the speaker every year and then I was flattered again.  You see, it is a teacher’s dream to have his students want to listen to him even when they are not required.  

Now as some of you know, I am the honors and AP chemistry teacher here at Stagg high school and please rest at ease...I have no plans on Breaking Bad any time soon.  

First, I would like to congratulate the Inductees on their special night.  I know that this night belongs to you but to reach this point, you owe much to your family, friends and teachers.  It is true you have sacrificed your time, studied and passed test after test, wrestled with textbooks, stayed up late to finish that homework assignment, wrote the long term papers, sacrificed weekends to complete that project, spent hours on the bus on the way to a game, band contest, or academic competition, completed your service hours just to name a few.  Above all, you lived your life according a standard that reminds us that honor is not an idea that is trotted out at special award ceremonies, but something that has a significance in your everyday life.

Inductees and current National Honors Society members, while I know you have sacrificed much to be here tonight,  many of the people in the audience have helped you in one way or another to get here.  They helped to instill in you a belief that education has a value beyond what is done in a classroom.  

I know this not an easy accomplishment.  In most households, both parents have to work full-time and are often home late in the evening.  They come home from work tired...too tired to ask “how was school?”.  Too exhausted to look over homework.  Too busy to have dinner as a family, let alone work on that project together.  It is unfortunate that most families are too busy to be a family.  

Through the struggles of everyday life, the people in your life have made it a priority to be there for you.  Despite these obstacles, they have taken the time to sit down and make connections with you.  I know that when they ask you about your homework or how your day was, it is not because they are trying to be nosy and invade your privacy, but it is because they care about you and want the best for you.  They have taught you that education and honor mean something and have value.  It is the foundation they have poured for you that has helped you to get here tonight.  

We all have those people in our lives and one day, you will be an inspirational force in the life of someone else.  I hope that every student here tonight goes home and thanks the people who have helped him or her get to this point in his or her life.

The function of the National Honors Society is to encourage in students an enthusiasm for scholarship, to galvanize a spirit for serving, to foster the development of character and to transform students into future leaders.  

Tonight, however, instead of speaking about the tenets of the National Honors Society, please indulge me as I pass on some advice.  

First, question everything!  I do not mean that you should ask questions for the sake of defiance, but as a way of learning.  Many students believe that asking questions indicates ignorance or weakness.  I am a scientist at heart and I know that questions lead to knowledge.  In fact, the right questions can change the world.  

When he was 16, Albert Einstein asked himself, “What would it be like to ride on a beam of light?”.  He never forgot this question and as adult this question lead him to the development of the Theory of Relativity, which revolutionized the way we look at the universe.  I am not saying that all of your questions will be this monumental, but never underestimate the power of asking questions.  If you have me in class, you know I truly believe this.

The second thing I would like to talk about is failing.  I know most people think of failure as a bad thing and no one enjoys failing.  What most people don’t realize is that it is okay to fail if you are challenging yourself.  It is not the act of failing that defines us, but how we respond to failure that develops our character.  

When we fail, and we all do at some point in our lives, some people let it hold them back and they use it as an excuse.  Successful people use failure as a learning experience.  If you have not failed at something, then I believe you have not truly challenged yourself.  A part of challenging yourself and achieving is to take risks and stand up in the face of failure.  Find your limits and then blast through them.  John F. Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

 

My next piece of wisdom is: after college, don’t find a job.  I know how this sounds but let me explain.  I don’t have a job.  A lot of my friends have jobs and they don’t like them.  Think about it.  On average, you will spend 8-9 hours a day at work.  

That is 40-45 hours a week, not counting extra work you might have to do at home or on the weekends.  That is about 2,000 hours a year at work.  In the end, you will spend about 30% of your life working.  (Sorry, I teach chemistry so I had to work numbers into my speech.)

What I am trying to say is that you will spend much of your adult life working.  I encourage you find a career that you love and it will not feel like a job.  In the end, don’t let fate or money decide your career; follow your passion.  I love teaching.  I feel that I have the greatest career in the world.  All day long, I get to talk about one of my favorite subjects: chemistry, and I have the opportunity to work with a group of young people who I find enlightening, challenging, entertaining and energizing.  I truly don’t mind getting up in the morning and coming here.  

One of the best decisions I have ever made in my life was to quit my JOB and get a degree in education.  I define success not by the amount of money in your bank account or how famous you are.  I define success in the words of Will Rogers: “If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple.  Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing.  And believe in what you are doing.”

The last piece of advice I will leave you with tonight is to find time to have fun.  Life can be very challenging and we can get caught up in the seriousness of life.  But please never forget to find time to enjoy your life.  Find time to do the things you enjoy most.  As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”  

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak to you tonight.  As an honors and AP teacher, I have the opportunity to work with many of you on a daily basis.  I am in awe of the hard work and determination you put into your classes.  On a daily basis, I see your commitment to your studies and the sacrifices you make to achieve your potential.  Now is not the time to rest on your laurels.  This is only the beginning of a long and exciting journey.  I truly enjoy working with you and thank you for making this the greatest career on earth.  

Congratulations to the inductees and their families.  Enjoy your evening.  You have many reasons to be proud.

Thank you.

Why Gold Beat Out Lithium, Osmium and Einsteinium as our Money

Ever wonder why gold has been used as currency for millennia?  Why is gold better than sodium or platinum?  Out of the 118 elements on the periodic table, why is gold the chosen by multiple societies all over the world?  Is it random chance or can chemistry answer the question?

Listen to this story on NPR to find out the answer: http://n.pr/GWuu08

I Hate Lecturing!

This is my first year flipping my class and I had vowed to not lecture this year.   I have done small five minute lectures, but I was not willing to do a period long lecture. Well, recently I caved in. It is really not my fault.  I have been sick with pneumonia and I have not been able to make any new videos. The nice thing about the videos was that while I was sick the videos I had previously made kept my students from falling behind.  

Anyway, while I was sick I couldn't make any new videos.  I really had no other option so I figured I would fall back on my old friend PowerPoint.  Oh my gosh...what a nightmare!  I hated every second of it.  I know I am not a bad lecturer. In fact, I have had many former students tell me that they enjoy my lectures.  Regardless, I had so many heads on the desk and so many students day dreaming within the first ten minutes and I was counting the minutes when I would shut up.  

This was the first time I had a student put his head down on his desk all year.  No matter how interesting you can be most students are going to start losing interest at some point. Heck, I remember falling a sleep in my college lectures.  I love chemistry but I was so over exhausted there was no way I was going to stay awake.  

I enjoy the challenge of creating the videos. I try to keep them between 10-15 minutes in length.  This really helps me to stay focused and to the point.  Often, in class I would get sidetracked or a student's question would lead me down a totally new path.  

After my lecture, I couldn't believe that I use to teach this way everyday.  It was exhausting in a totally unproductive way to teach.  The flipped class is also very exhausting but at the end of the day you feel more accomplished.  After lecturing the entire period, I have no idea who knows what.  At the end of the day, in a flipped class, I have a great idea of who knows what because I had the time to talk to my students and answer their questions. I feel like I have a better understanding of how well students are doing.

I hope I never have to lecture again!

Thanks,
Dan

One of the Many Benefits of a Flipped Class

This is my first year flipping my class and it has been quite the experience.  On Wednesday, I had a student return to school from a five day absence.  I happened to be giving a quiz on that day.  I gave the student the quiz without really thinking about the fact that he had missed five days of school.  After the quiz, he came up to me and I was expecting him to say that he had no idea that we had a quiz and that he didn't know the material.  I was waiting for him to say "Can I retake the quiz?"  To my surprise he said "Was that all I missed?  Did you guys cover anything else while I was gone?"  I told him no, that as long as he had watched the videos he was caught up.  

This student was absent for five days and was able to keep up with the work by watching the videos and doing the homework on his own. Now, this student is a very good, high functioning student and the material was not that difficult.  The point is that it is easier to make up material in a flipped class then in the traditional classroom.  In a traditional class, if you miss the lecture that is pretty much it.  It is not like a teacher is going to perform the lecture in its entirety for every student who is sick or on a field trip.  In a flipped class, that is completely possible.  

Creating a flipped class is very challenging and labor intensive in the beginning but it is worth it.  I am so happy that I decided to move to this model.

Thanks,
Dan