Case Study: An Interview with Charlene Cooper

Charlene teaches 6th grade Physical Science at Rusheon Middle School in Bossier City, Louisiana. She is a National Board Certified teacher in Early Adolescent Science, and is currently in her 9th year of teaching middle school science.

We are very grateful that Charlene could spare some time to talk to us about Gizmos!

Let's learn more about how Charlene uses Gizmos in her teaching by asking her a few questions:

How did you first hear about ExploreLearning?

A math teacher in my school was investigating virtual manipulatives when he came across ExploreLearning. He was very excited to share the site with me!

What were your first impressions of the site and Gizmos when you got access to ExploreLearning.com? What keeps you using Gizmos?

At first, I was very impressed at how user friendly the site was. As I started to explore the Gizmos more, I was impressed with the content and how applicable it was to our current curriculum. I was also excited with what the site could offer my students in terms of manipulating variables in a way that could allow them to easily test and retest their hypothesis.

How do you use Gizmos in class? (For example, do students work individually on computers? In pairs? Do you use Gizmos as a demo for the whole class? Do you assign Gizmos as homework?)

I am able to use Gizmos in a variety of ways for my students. I can use Gizmos to help introduce a new concept, reinforce what we are currently studying, or as an enrichment. My favorite way to use Gizmos is in conjunction with a hands on activity! I can use the Gizmo before or after a hands on activity to enrich what we are studying - this helps my students to really develop their science process skills!

If you've used other technology and/or teaching methods to cover some of the same math concepts, how do you find that Gizmos help you cover the topic more quickly/easily/more effectively?

Gizmos allow my students to become actively involved in their learning - they are able to manipulate variables, and collect data as they investigate key concepts in physical science. My students have had much more success in making connections to key concepts and real life.

How do your students respond to Gizmos?

We work on Gizmos on a weekly basis – our day to use the computer lab is on a Wednesday. My students always tell me that they can't wait to go to the lab! I've also had positive comments from parents...they tell me that their child has shared the Gizmos with them at home. What I really love to hear is that the students are teaching their parents by going through the Gizmos with them at home!!

Describe the technology setup in which you use Gizmos. (e.g., Networked classroom? How many computers? Laptops and/or Carts? Projector? Interactive whiteboard?)

We are fortunate in our school that we have a computer lab dedicated to science. In our lab we have 35 computers, and a Promethean ActivBoard. My students visit the lab every Wednesday for ExploreLearning.

What Gizmo did you have the most success (and/or fun and/or satisfaction) teaching with?

My students have really enjoyed the Mineral Identification Gizmo and the Circuit Builder Gizmo. I also had success teaching the scientific method through the Growing Plants Gizmo.

What was it about these Gizmos that made the lessons successful?

In the Circuit Builder Gizmo, students were challenged to create a circuit that would make a light bulb light up. After they investigated and practiced this with their Gizmos, they were given the same real components and they applied what they learned to make a real light bulb light. The students enjoyed the Mineral Identification Gizmo because as they went through each mineral, they found that they were improving how they took their data and then identified the mineral based on the data. I like this Gizmo because it reinforced density and important science process skills. The Growing Plants Gizmo helped reinforce the importance of proper experimental design. As they progressed through this Gizmo, students were able to understand why they should only change one variable at a time.

Have you any evidence that you’d like to share on the impact of Gizmos on student learning in your classes?

I have seen an increase in student interest level in science. My students this year are more inclined to look for more information on their science topics. For example, we completed the Measuring Motion Gizmo where students measure the speed of different animals. This Gizmo sparked so much curiosity that my students started investigating these animals to find out more information on how fast (or slow) they were in real life. Although I was not planning it, this became an opportunity for students to share their findings and then compare their research with what they learned from the Gizmo.

Do you have any other comments or statements that you’d like to make about Gizmos?

As a middle school science teacher, I strive to build science confidence in my students. I don't want for any of my students to feel that they are "not good at science." Gizmos have helped students to develop their understanding of science. Students are able to see that if they don't understand something in science, they can design an experiment in a way to help make sense of their questions. As one young lady sat at her computer working on the Mineral Identification Gizmo, I noticed that she was really strengthening her science process skills and understanding how to identify the mineral based on her data. I commented that she had correctly identified her last 6 minerals and she said to me, ”Mrs. Cooper, I finally found something that I am good at!” I have a deep appreciation for the way that Gizmos have helped me build confident science students!