Debrief 5

Ms. Wu and the speaker discuss a recent online class on chemical reactions in air pollution. The speaker used a do-now activity, a puzzle video, a lecture, and assigned FRQ questions for homework. They reflect on the lesson, noting that technical issues occurred but were addressed, and the lecture may have been too dense for some students. Ms. Wu suggests providing a downloadable video and breaking the lecture into smaller segments. They also discuss incorporating virtual labs, simulations, and group discussions. Ms. Wu offers virtual lab accounts and encourages the speaker to reach out for further assistance. They express gratitude and agree to stay in touch. Good afternoon, Ms. Wu. Nice to see you on campus. How's your weekend? Well, busy, but I like it because I got a lot of stuff done, so now I'm up to speed, ready for my new week. I have a question. Did you finish the evaluation of my fourth video? Yes, that's part of the reason why I'm busy this week. Thank you so much. I hope you do well. So today I want to discuss my recent lesson on chemical reactions in air pollution. Well, because of the interruption of typhoon, this lesson was moved online, so everything was interrupted. But I did try to incorporate some new teaching strategies, and I'd love to get your feedback from that. Yes, first, I was pretty impressed that we got the typhoon notice just the night before class, and you can still put everything together and do such a good online class. I feel that's very impressive. And I'm also glad you're seeking feedback. You can tell me more about your lesson and the strategies you used, and we'll go from there. All right, so as you noticed, I started with a do-not activity to review the carbon cycle as it is related to the lesson. Then I introduced the concept of air pollutants at a puzzle video. After that, I gave a lecture on specific air pollutants and their effects. So it was supposed to be wrapped up with the FRQ questions for practice, but we did not have time. But students were assigned as a homework. Yeah, that's pretty much my whole plan. Well, that sounds like a pretty comprehensive lesson plan. And how did the students respond to it? Well, I think the do-not activity went smoothly, and it helped coach their prior knowledge. So based on that, I think students didn't do well in the carbon cycle review, so I spent extra time to help them review that part. The air puzzle video was very engaging, but I noticed some students had technical issues. The lecture seemed to be—I think the lecture was quite informative, but I worry it might have been a bit too dense for some of them. And FRQs, I think, will help them apply what they learned. It's great now that you are reflecting on each part of the lesson. For the technical issues, it's going to happen, because we are embracing new technologies. We're all learning, so there's going to be these glitches here and there, but we still want to get used to it so that eventually we'll be used to getting everything figured out. But that's a very good start. You tried to incorporate it. Have you considered a backup plan in case students face connectivity problems in the future? Well, thank you, Ms. Wu. I think you raise a good point. Maybe I can provide a downloadable version of the video for some such situation next time. As for the lecture, I think of breaking it down into smaller, more interactive segments in the future. What do you think? Those sound like excellent ideas. Breaking the lecture into smaller segments with interactive elements can help maintain students' engagement. Also, providing alternative resources for technical issues will be a practical solution. Thank you for your feedback, Ms. Wu. I'm always looking for ways to improve my teaching methods. Do you have any other suggestions or resources that could help me enhance this lesson? You might want to explore virtual labs or simulations related to chemical reactions in air pollution. They can provide a more hands-on experience for your students, even in an online setting. Additionally, you can consider incorporating more group discussions to encourage peer learning and deeper understanding of the topic you're teaching. Those are very fantastic suggestions, Ms. Wu. I will look into virtual labs and work on incorporating more group discussions. I really appreciate your guidance. Do you know if our school has any virtual lab account? Yes, I have some. I have two. One for the introductory chemistry course, not just chemistry, science course. And I also have an advanced one for the AP level. I can give you these accounts for you to play with. Okay, okay. Thank you so much. No problem. You are very welcome, Ms. Guo. Keep up the great work. And I'm here to support your continued growth as an educator. If you ever need further assistance or want to discuss anything else, don't hesitate to reach out, because I feel I'm also learning a lot from you two. So this is good for both of us. Thank you, Ms. Wu. Your mentorship means a lot to me. I will definitely stay in touch if I have any questions or need advice on future lessons. Thank you. Bye-bye. No problem. Bye-bye.