Flipping Out In Science!

Research has proven that students have different learning styles, and videos or the making of videos cover three major types of learning: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile. Additionally, students retain more information when they are operating at a higher level of Bloom’s taxonomy. The highest level is creating, which includes generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things, as well as designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing. The making of videos incorporates all facets of this.

In my 9th grade Physical Science classes, one of the most common questions I am asked is “What does this have to do with real life?” The 9th grade is a pivotal year for students – they are new to high school, and failure rates are substantially higher in this grade than in any other. It is imperative that we make science real to them, or we are in danger of them either failing or dropping out of school. Therefore, I am constantly striving for ways to make science real and relevant to their lives, and one way to meet these needs are to utilize 21st century learning skills, which includes the use of technology. One of the ideas I have to meet these needs is to have my students research the real life applications of a particular topic (such as chemical reactions, Newton’s laws, acids/bases, etc.) and videotape them in creative ways with a Flip camera. For example, if a student was given the subject of forces and mechanical advantage, they might video a presentation about how the ancient Egyptians used these principles when figuring out how to hoist the huge stones to the top of the pyramid.

In my Medical Microbiology classes, I would use the Flip cameras to document a complete experimental process. For example, every year we culture different areas of their everyday living environment to see what bacteria grow. The students could video the process from beginning to end – show how they collect their samples, why they chose the area they did, the process of culturing the bacteria in the laboratory, and how they interpret their growth results. Additionally, they could interview experts in the field about their findings to see why something grew what it did.

All classes can edit their videos in the computer and post it on my class website for all the students in my district to see or can be shown as infomercials on our school television network that is played during lunch shifts. These could easily be done in contest format where each class is assigned the same topic, and the videos are judged by their peers according to a rubric. These can be uploaded to TeacherTube and to YouTube for other students to view as well.

Both of the above projects, as well as many others, meet all of the ISTE Performance Indicators for Students. They also meet many standards for the 21st century learner as addressed in the 21st century skills map for science, such as the use of creativity in presenting scientific principles, building on previous results, informing others about their work, collaborating with peers and experts, use popular media to discuss science, use scientific approaches to solve real-world problems, and to recognize the role of science in society.