Roadmappers

Comments on Roadmap: States of Matter

Submitted by: Shauna Fox

Reviewed by: Cathie Norris & Elliot Soloway, 12/27/18

We think we understand what you want to do pedagogically – your instructions are quite clear. However, unfortunately, the way Roadmaps currently work, your current Roadmap on “States of Matter” won’t do what you want It to do pedagogically. Sorry! We need to do a better job of explaining how Roadmaps work – that’s what we have learned from your pedagogically lovely Roadmap!

Currently, in order to follow the instructional plan you have specified in your 1 Roadmap, there needs to be 2 Roadmaps! So, we have taken the liberty of “translating” your 1 Roadmap into 2 Roadmaps, as follows:

·         States of Matter 1 – Collaborative Brainstorming – This Roadmap is the “backbone” – it has the learners, as a whole class activity, filling out the K, then the W, the L using the KWL App. We have seen teachers do this “whole class” brainstorming activity to great effect. Typically, the teacher’s computer is connected to a projection system so the whole class can see on the screen at the front of the room all the inputs to the K (W, L). Now, each student can see all the inputs on their computers too. BUT, the teacher can comment on the inputs as they appear on the projection screen, and lead the class in conversation.

·         States of Matter 2 – Solo Activities – In this Roadmap, then, there are 3 solo activities – one done (concept mapping) after the whole class brainstorming on the K – Know; one done (writing) after the whole class brainstorming on the W – Want to know; one done (Venn Diagramming) done after the whole class brainstorming on the L – Learn.

Why 2 Roadmaps when conceptually there needs to be only 1? Here’s the deal: currently, if a Roadmap is “collabrified” – if 2 or more students are working on the same file in a learning activity (e.g., in the KWL activity on Solid, Liquid, Gas – the whole class is working inside the same files), the whole Roadmap is collabrified. So, in the “States of Matter” activity, where students fill out a concept map, currently… ready for this… the whole class would be working inside the same concept map. However, in your instructions you want each student to fill out his/her own concept map – but have the whole class do brainstorming together.

To make the class brainstorming happen, in the “Distribute Roadmap” tool, the teacher puts all the students into one group and then distributes the “States of Matter 1 – Collaborative Brainstorming Roadmap.”

The “States of Matter 2- Solo Activity: Each student receives a copy of this Roadmap and completes the assignments in this Roadmap solo – each student does each assignment solo.

There is one more “trick” that we need to point out. Now, as the students brainstorm the “WANT to KNOW” for each state of matter, the Roadmap must point back to the same KWL file for Solid, Liquid, Gas that contains the students’ inputs for the “KNOW” activity. Notice the tab at the bottom of the KWL drawer – the tab that says “copy.”  Tapping that tab – tapping copy – will generate a pointer to the current file. So, when generating the nodes for Solid, Liquid, Gas for the “WANT TO KNOW” activity – go back to the Solid node in the “KNOW” activity and click on “Copy.” That will generate a node with a pointer back to the original KWL file!  Do the same “copy trick” for Liquid and Gas – and the same “copy trick” when creating the nodes for the “L” activity. Again, we were not as clear on how to do that as we should have been on Dec 1. Our apologies!

Bottom line: the states of matter “lesson” is now 2 Roadmaps – 1 Roadmap that is distributed as a whole class activity and 1 Roadmap that is distributed that contains the solo activities. The core pedagogy in the 2-Roadmap lesson is absolutely…. Solid (sorry!)… Right now, to have the students enact that solid pedagogy, 2 Roadmaps are needed.

States of Matter 1 - Collaborative Brainstorming

https://www.roadmap.center/#/roadmap/66

States of Matter 2 - Solo Activities

https://www.roadmap.center/#/roadmap/67