Teaching Methods

Adam has a variety of teaching methods and strategies at his disposal. This allows his class to be dynamic and engaging. Adam currently teaching in a school with block scheduling (90 minute classes). This gives him enough time to cover the material in several ways, and longer classes are necessary for labs which are crucial for science education. In a typical 90-minute class, Adam will use at least three different educational strategies.

Lecture

At the heart of teaching is the most basic style of transmitting information from one person to another - the lecture. Usually a passive activity, Adam makes his lectures interactive. He accomplishes this through actively questioning his audience and using CPS student response systems to check for understanding. During this time, students are encouraged to take notes, and this is where most of the content is first presented.

Guided Practice

Adam believes in a three step approach to teaching new question types. First, Adam demonstrates how to solve the problem. Secondly, Adam works several other examples with the help of his students. Finally, Adam gives students a set of questions to work in groups and eventually on their own. Adam calls this the I do, We do, You do method.

Differentiated Learning

Once students are working on a particular type of problem on their own, Adam will have students self-evaluate their progress. The students are to group themselves into one of three categories: I get it, I'm almost there, and I'm lost. Adam lets the I get it group work the next problem set by themselves, and he will assign them some challenge questions. The I'm almost there group will work together to help one another. The I'm lost group will work with Adam slowly through a question or two in order to pinpoint where the students are having difficulty.

Laboratories

Lab skill and inquiry learning require time, so a single activity may take a whole class period to several class periods to complete. The crux of science is discovery, and this is done through the scientific method and experiments. Students need to understand each topic through this lens. A typical lab will be broken down into three parts. First, Adam introduces the lab and previews the steps; this is where safety information is addressed. Secondly, students go to the lab and complete the activity. Finally, students use the data they collected to draw conclusions. This can either introduce a new topic or reinforce a current topic. Writing lab reports is a part of every lab activity.

Hands-on

Hands-on activities are used to make students active learners. These activities could include making models, using manipulatives, or having students physically act out a process.

Research

Sometimes it is better to have students find information out on their own instead of giving it to them directly. This teaches students the skills to be life long learners. To do this, Adam develops a series of questions that require students to find the information. Students will use computers or iPads to do internet research for the answers; this teaches students where to find good, scholarly information on the web.

Problem or Project Based Learning (PBL)

Adam loves to use PBLs. His students work through four major PBLs: the Little Kanawha River Watershed Dynamics Project (LKRWDP), the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC), the West Virginia University Pumpkin Drop (WVUPD), and the High ALtitude Observation (HALO) Project. The first is a longitudinal study of the health of the local river, and the new two are engineering projects. The last one is a weather balloon sent into near space to collect data and photos. These long-term projects teach students to design experiments, to think critically, and to test hypotheses. In the spring of 2014, Adam's Physics II students worked collaboratively with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, WV to search for undiscovered Pulsars in the Milky Way Galaxy, and those students wrote a formal science research paper, created a research poster, and presented their findings to professional scientists.

Asynchronous Flipped Mastery

Besides a traditional classroom model, Adam can utilize an asynchronous flipped mastery model. Adam uses Moodle to post his video lectures, reading materials, and learning activities for students to work through the class at their own pace. Students are encouraged to watch the videos at home, so they can recieve one-on-one help and tutoring for the learning activities from Adam during class. Students cannot move to the next unit until they have demonstrated mastery of the current unit.