Have you had an experience like this? You just gave an articulate, succinct and accurate description of a chemical process. You chose precise scientific words, threw in a little science-teacher humor, and were so satisfied that you had just perfectly explained the concept. A student’s hand goes up. In your mind you are expecting a congratulations or an invitation to do your own TED talk. Instead, they say, “What does that mean?”
What do you mean, “What does that mean?”? You just explained the exact meaning of the thing. The kid seemed like they were listening, but maybe they weren’t. Maybe they are actually a bad student that doesn’t care about their school at all. Or maybe, just maybe, they didn’t understand what you meant. It can be frustrating. But it’s why we are in this position. We get to meet kids where they are, teach them a challenging topic, and watch them grow.
It can be hard to know how to reach all the kids. It can be hard to know how to pace a class. It’s a hard job. Below, I will outline a few strategies to help you pace your class as well as reaching individual kids.
1. Formative is Formative
I have to admit, I’m not much for teacher-speak or edu-babble. I didn’t use the term “formative assessment” very much until I started at my new school. And then I thought I understood it. It’s an assessment that isn’t summarizing their knowledge. But my attitude has changed lately. Formative assessments should be formative. They are designed to help me formulate the next steps. This year, there is a chasm of ability between my honors and regular chem classes. I know this because I constantly give them formative assessments. And here is the kicker. I actually allowed the assessment to help me formulate how to teach. I knew that setting the bar exceedingly high would be crushing.
The challenge in teaching is always to set the bar where they realistically hope they can reach, and then take them there. And that varies from class to class and period to period. That means you have to work hard to allow your formative assessments to guide your decisions. Place the bar high enough to force them to grow, but not so high that they can’t make it.
I usually teach all my chemistry classes about electron affinity. In my regular chem, they were struggling mightily with first ionization energy. I mean mightily. It didn’t make sense to include affinity. So, I rewrote my lessons and my test. The bar was still plenty high for them. A few succeeded. Many battled for a C on the test. And many will have to retake it. But when they finally jump the bar, I will know that it was a bar selected just from them from their formative assessments.
2. Answer Questions
Duh. Teachers answer questions. That is what we do. Or is it? Have you ever found yourself just repeating what you just said, as an answer to a question? If you are repeating yourself, you actually aren’t answering their question. If you were, they wouldn’t be asking the exact same question! My general rule during in-class problem solving time is that when two kids ask the same question, it means that I didn’t explain it correctly. So, I stop the class (we call it “taking a time out”) and I reteach. That means changing the way that it is taught, not repeating what you already said.
Students feel more connected and understood when you finally start speaking their language. When you change the way that you say it and all of a sudden it clicks in their brain. I received a huge compliment from a student a couple days ago. My classes were preparing for test day. After school, my room was full of kids studying, practicing and getting help. I was hopping from group to group helping as much as I could. As the kids were filing out, a girl stopped me. “Mr. Koch, I heard you teach the same thing three different ways. That is why you get us.” No, I don’t actually “get teenagers” but I can answer questions. You can too.
3. Change modes
We will all tend to teach to our strongest learning mode. I am logical-mathematical. I don’t need to see a picture. I don’t need my hands on it. I don’t have to hear it. It just needs to have an obvious input and output that follows logical rules. Explain it to me in those terms and I’ve got it. Are you ready for this schooling revelation? Not all of your students learn the same way you do. Check your class to make sure that you aren’t just stuck in your favorite learning style. Over the course of a few days try to mix up how they interact with the content.
Write notes. Explain concepts out loud to each other. Play games. Do a lab. Solve problems. Create real-life challenges. Have students predict. Model concepts. Draw systems. Build things. Do processes backwards.
The key is to keep the modes changing so that you reach the depth of your students.
4. Hold high standards
Many of us teach three levels of chemistry: grade level, honors, and AP. In each of those classes, hold high standards. Yes, I know I just told you to make the class fit the students but do it with the highest standards. How hard can you push them? Will it be comfortable for the kids? No way. If it’s comfortable, your standards are too low. Growth comes from responding to new and challenging stimuli. Push them. And do it with joy. Many of us love the fact that we get to teach hard classes. It’s one of my favorite things about my job.
Particularly, in AP chem, there are obvious standards. There is a specific job to be done in a specific time frame. All the kids know that. But we also have to realize something about AP. Not all kids take AP to pass the test. I know this seems counterintuitive, but it’s true. Some want to be challenged. Some want to have a practice run at college chemistry. Some want to find out what they are made of. And many want college credits. Teach the class to earn college credits. I’ve been teaching AP for 18 years. I’m proud of my pass rate. But I’m also proud of the kids that took the class that was over their head, survived the class, and failed the AP test. I had a former student do just that. She knew she was in over her head. She failed the test. Now she is in college taking chemistry. She texted me the other day to tell me that SHE was being asked to tutor other kids in the class! She was so proud. All those tears in high school became worth it. Set the bar high. Make it a bar worth jumping.
5. Use praise
I’m not a gushy person. You don’t have to be to have praise benefit your class. Here is an easy way to remember how to praise. If you see it, say it. Look the kid in the eye and tell them that you see their growth. Tell them that they just jumped over a high bar. Tell them that improvement matters.
There is a girl who sits in the back of my class and smiles the whole time. She is in her element. She just got back-to-back 100% on the last two tests. She isn’t considered advanced. She is a goth girl with spiky dog collars and a somber attitude. She glowers through the hall. But in chemistry, she smiles. And it has a lot to do with praise. Early in the year, I saw a glimmer of hope for her in chemistry. I sat down next to her and told her that. I told her that I think she might be pretty good at this. I was excited to see what she could do. And that was all it took. Having a teacher excited about her academic prospects was not something that she was used to. I bumped into her dad yesterday at school. I told him that it makes me so happy to see her succeed and smile in my class. And with tears in his eyes, he said, “She smiles?”. What kid in your class needs to hear a new voice pouring confidence into their heart? What tough kid could you encourage in the smallest way and earn them onto your side? What opportunities to speak life have you let slip through in the busyness of class? Take the challenge and speak hope. Speak truth. Watch the kids grow.
Are you looking for a new mode of teaching? Use curriculum-driven chemistry games! During the periodic trends unit, I used Trendy in 4 different, short time frames. Teach a new trend? Add it to the game. It’s fast and easy and the kids get to interact in a social context about effective nuclear charge, atomic radius, electronegativity, first ionization energy, and electron affinity. Check it out!
Great thoughts. It is always good to be reminded of these things when we can get caught up in the grind.