Project Based Learning

One of the biggest evolutions in my practices as a teacher has been my attempt to step away from the lecture style that dominated my education as a child and moving closer and closer to the hands-on learning that is advocated for today. In the beginning, I could not understand how students would learn the information without me telling them it. However, in an attempt to take baby steps in the direction of becoming a better teacher, I am currently in the process of "flipping" my class, where the "homework" would be done in class and the learning portion would be done at home. In other words, I would record my lectures and slideshows, split them into five to ten minute segments, and students would watch a little bit every night. Then, when they come into class we would review the information they learned the night before. I have chosen to do this through a game called the History Cypher.

In the History Cypher, students are split into teams. Embodying my "alter ego," DJ Globe Up (It was DJ Sam-I-Am when I interned for U.S. History), I ask students questions about what they learned the day/night before. Students get points for every question they get correct. Teams can also lose points for misbehavior, tardiness, and other things that go against classroom protocol. At the end of the nine week period, extra credit points are added based on the teams who have the most points.

One of the great things about flipping my classroom, is that it gives me more opportunities to do project based learning in class, since the students already have the background knowledge for what we are discussing in class. This allows the students to really engage with the material and get a first hand point of view of what it was like to live during that time period.

DJ Globe Up during a round of History Cypher. For inquiring minds, the necklace is made out of cardboard and wire and says "HISTORY," while the microphone is a turkey baster that I spray painted black.

Left: During my first year teaching (2016-2017 School Year).
Right: During a photo-shoot for an article in the local newspaper, The Gainesville Sun (2019-2020 School Year).

One of the projects students do in my class is to build their own version of the aqueducts that were found in Ancient Rome. The challenge is to use paper towel rolls, and other materials found around the classroom, to transport a pink bouncy ball (acting as water) from my back table (the countryside) to three of the five cups around the room (representing different cities), all without having the ball touch the ground.

I like to do room transformations for the bigger chapters in the curriculum... These are pictures from when I built an entrance to a pyramid to really make the chapter about Egypt come to life. There is also a Nile River off to the side that is not pictured. All in all, the kids loved entering class by walking through a pyramid for those couple of weeks...

On this particular day in class, instead of just hearing about the Steps of Mummification used in Ancient Egypt, my students actually did the steps. I dressed up as Dr. Wraps-A-Lot and we performed the steps of mummification on the John Cena cardboard cutout that I have in my room. Students had a sheet that they would record each step down on as we went through the process. Hands down my favorite part was all the crazy looks we got from other classes as we simulated the funeral procession through the school!