Spotlight on Andy Fall

I love highlighting some of the phenomenal things teachers are doing at CCHS.  I'm labeling these posts 'Spotlight' posts.  Hopefully, you  find it beneficial to get a glimpse into another teacher's classroom,  and maybe find some inspiration!    

Today's Spotlight Post features Andy Fall, who joined CCHS in the 2016-2017 school year teaching Chemistry.  As Andy began teaching last year, his students requested he repeat explanations of particularly difficult content they were learning.  He began having students video him using his cell phone.  Videos range from 2 to 5 minutes long.  Andy posts the video on his youtube channel for students to refer to when doing homework/projects at home or in Directed Studies. 

Here is an example of a video on the Ideal Gas Law that Andy had already worked through with his class.  Students requested he re-teach so they could video the explanation (this time without student questions).  Notice that Andy has added text to the video to highlight important concepts:

Sample Guided Notes for Students 

(Note:  You must be signed into your @concordcarlisle.org account to view the worksheet)

(If you think about this, it is quite amazing.  Students voluntarily listening to content explanations in class not once, but twice!  The video gives students the opportunity to replay as many times as they need to process the material.)

Andy now creates videos/guided notes for students in lieu of note taking from a text.  He uses EdPuzzle to assign the video and Guided Notes so he can see who has watched the video.  Students are responsible for completing their guided notes as homework and keeping them in a binder.  He feels comfortable doing spot binder checks at convenient times (like when students are working on review problems) because EdPuzzle gives him a good sense of who is doing the homework.  This frees up class time for learning.  Andy also creates playlists of his videos organized by unit.  (A playlist is a series of videos set in a specific order, though students can pick and choose the video or order they desire.)  Students can use the videos to review for unit tests, mid-term exams, and finals!  Occasionally, Andy will add questions to the video using EdPuzzle to get formative assessment data on how the learning is progressing.  

Student feedback has been EXTREMELY positive.  They love that they can access the support when they need it, as many times as they need to learn.   Andy finds that fewer students seek him out during his free blocks (both good and bad) because their questions have been answered by reviewing the video.  Videoing himself presenting the material mitigates the issue that videos available on the web sometimes present (like Khan Academy), where different vocabulary and approaches to problems can confuse students trying to learn the material.  Video format seems to be a preference with GenZ. 

Do I think every teacher needs to have a private youtube channel?  It does take a lot of time.  Andy thinks it is time well spent, and he can reuse many of the videos he made last year.  If you think this is something that might work for you,  give it a try by creating your own youtube channel.  Post a video of yourself or one from the web teaching a difficult concept, or providing 'how to' directions for your coursework!

Not for you?  No worries!  Just note the power of video and EdPuzzle.  Maybe someday they will provide a solution to a problem!