6 tips for being wrong the right way in the chemistry classroom

I can remember it like it was yesterday.  I was in fourth grade competing in a Quiz Bowl with my other science nerd friends.  The question came up, “How many feet are in a mile?”  I rang in with confidence.  Stood up, with the hopes of my team weighing on my shoulders.

“Five thousand two hundred eighty … two feet.”  5,282.  The judge stared at me in disbelief.  Announced that I was wrong, and I sat down in shame.  My teammates looked at me hiding their disappointment.  Man, I hate being wrong. 

But as I look back now, there was a key to successful teaching that I discovered in that moment of embarrassment.  I was the only one who rang in.  I tried.  Others said, “they knew the answer”, but I hit the button.  At some level, I had embraced the possibility of being wrong, and determined that it was less important than the potential prize of being right.  And in that case, I was right.

As I read the types of questions from chemistry teachers online, a lot of them are about being right.  They don’t want to mess up in front of the students.  And I get it, we should support each other, and use the wisdom of older teachers.  But at the same time, you just have to hit the button.  Step out and give it a shot.  Here are a few tips for being wrong in the best sort of way.

My AP chemistry students were joking with me yesterday that it seems like I haven’t been teaching AP chem for 18 years because I’m always telling them, “I’m trying something new.”  But I want them to know that I am working hard for the kids to give them the best chance to succeed.  I rearrange lessons.  I edit labs.  I write a new test every year.  I am always searching for how to improve their experience and their chances of passing the test.  And the students need to see that it is healthy to explore and try new things. 

The biggest benefit is that they will give you feedback.  If they know you are trying something new, they will tell you what they feel.  You can use that knowledge to try again next year.

You are not required to teach your topic from lesson 1 to lesson 180.  There is no canon for teaching chemistry.  Instead, try changing the order and watch how the kids’ development changes.  Find the order that makes the most sense for you and the kids.  I have been teaching intro level chemistry for 19 years.  I’ve never tried the order of units that I used this year.  I’ve liked it.  And next year, I will use it again.  But what if I wasn’t willing to mix it up?  I would have no idea. 

That is a powerful statement.  I don’t know yet.  That communicates the posture of your heart.  You are willing to learn.  You are willing to grow.  You are willing to change.  And it shows the students that you are a human.  You aren’t just reading off a secret teacher script.  You are engaged in the process of the class.  You are engaged with the questions that they are asking.  Being able to answer with a yet, show the students that you are in it with them. 

Roll out new labs before you are “ready”

You do not have to have your lab polished and ready for sale on TPT before your students do it.  In fact, most of my favorite labs were at one time just a method written in the form of a lab map on the board. (Read more about lab hacks here) The students didn’t have deep, insightful follow-up questions to answer.  They competed to make the best outcome possible, they worked to solve problems together, and then they communicated their findings. 

If you wait to roll out a lab until it is perfect, you won’t roll out a new lab.  Please note that I am not talking about chemical safety issues here.  You have to know what you are doing concerning the safety of kids. 

Last week I released a copy of my Jet Boat Race stoichiometry lab.  I currently have four sections of grade-level chemistry.  1st period was a disaster.  Then I had my prep.  The next class had a whole new method that actually worked.  Except for the secondary reaction after their initial findings.  The next two periods didn’t even try the secondary reaction because I knew of its flaws.  One of my 1st period students came in to my class when the fourth period was doing it.  They were so excited to see how the lab had changed.  “This is way better that what we did!”  And they were right. 

Get comfortable changing courses in the middle of the day.  It’s your classroom.  Direct it the best way you know how.  And if you get off course, turn the wheel next period and get back on course.

There is an amazing abundance of knowledge from the collection of teachers that have been doing it for a while.  Lean on them.  Ask questions.  Refine.  But there is also a strength in learning from rookies.  They are looking at the content with new eyes.  They see things from a younger perspective.  This can be beneficial.  So, ask them questions too. 

A scenario like this may have happened to you.  You can’t find a specific tool at home.  You have looked through your garage over and over.  You eventually, and humbly, ask you wife if she has seen it.  She hasn’t.  But she says, “You usually set things on the dryer on your way in from the garage.  Check there.”  And of course it’s there.  That is veteran advice.  She has seen where the mistakes happened in the past and communicate it to you.  The best predicter of future behavior is past behavior. 

Or there could be the same scenario, but this time your wife steps into the garage and looks at your toolbox for 0.05 seconds and spots the tool.  It had been lying there the whole time, but your eyes just didn’t see it.  That is leaning on youth.  They see things from a different perspective.  Even if the answer has been laying there the whole time.  (I would like to thank my wife for knowing where EVERYTHING in our house is at, and then telling me with only a little disgust, “We’ve lived here 10 years, how do you not know where that is at yet.”)

Push for perfection.  Make your class the best it can be.  But don’t wait to roll something out until it’s perfect.  Chase better.  Don’t be afraid of wrong.  You will find your mind being more engaged and the culture inside your classroom healthier when you have a growth mindset.  When growth is your goal it is easier to convince students that growth should be their mindset as well.

Want to try something new in your classroom?  Try Stoich Decks games!  Trendy teaches periodic trends in fast-paced game.  Up & Atom is a great way to introduce stoichiometry and the mole.  CHeMgO will help your students get the practice they need writing ionic formulas.  Check out these new ways to engage your students.