This is not activity 8, but....

As already said this is not a late blog post for activity 8. Instead of collecting OERs for an imaginary course, it is about my planning for next school year. 

Thursday it was decided that I'm going to teach a physics class next year. The upcoming 4th secondary.  I look so much forward to it as I am a physics teacher, but I have only had the subject in the younger classes (as a part of integrated science in 1. - 3. secondary) ever since I moved to Bruxelles 7 years ago.

Our school has a problem with the science in secondary year 4 and 5. Too many students fail. The teachers complain that they do not have the necessary time. The syllabus is long and they only have 2 times 45 minutes a week. They don't have time to explain the concepts over and over again. On top of that there is four obligatory B-tests during the year. Everytime that occupies 2 lessons and the teacher gets a pile of corrections to do. 

I would like to see if I can do parts of this different.  Inspired by all the personal experiences and the knowledge and theories I been through the last 9 months, I have begun to collect OERs to make my own partly online courses for my students. I want to experiment with the flipped classroom. 

Googling around yesterday I found Sophia where I've created a free profile. They offer a platform where I can work with modules of text, images, sound, videoes etc and even make small formative quizzes, to build a tutorial for my students. Yesterday I made two tutorials about forces and work. They are in danish but feel free to have a look: 

• force
• work, force and energy 

Screendump from one of my tutorials on Sophia

I arrange the links for the tutorials in a tabel on my website. In the other colonnes you find the codes for the areas in the syllabus (e.g. M1), the parts of the book connected to the content and the practical work we will do in the class. Below the tabel I try to collect java applets and other simulations and animations to help the students understanding as well. 

Both the website and the Sophia tutorials are projects under construction and it will possibly stay like that for months. I have to make a lot of tutorials to have enough to cover the entire syllabus. If you would like to get an idea about the site, you can have a sneak peek here. The link will leed to the site of mechanics. It''s the one I've worked most on until now.  

Flipping the classroom so the students study the theories at home and then come to class to solve problems and work practical with the peers will put more focus on  what you gain by  knowing and using the theories (I hope).

I've been very fascinated by all the advantages in peer discussions and peer assessment. It will become a more important part of my future physics class.  

All these discussions in the medias about MOOCs and do you actually learn anything when you sit isolated in front of your computer. Here is a danish example from the passed week. The articles picture says it all :)  Recall EDC?

Picture by Katrine Bælum

I find it quite amusing. Because I know how much these online courses have added to me and my practice. Now I'm just exited about the students opinion :)

Feel free to make a comment or leave a good idea.