Guest post By Reggie Grant, Twitter @media4literacy

This project was presented at the FSU-Teach STEM Teaching Mini-Conference at Florida State University on June 28, 2023.

“While we teach, we learn.”

These words are attributed to the Roman philosopher Seneca and are the inspiration for a classroom project that I recently developed with my former colleague Brian McClain. “In what scientists have dubbed ‘the protégé effect,’ student teachers score higher on tests than pupils who are learning only for their own sake,” according to a 2011 Time article.

As a longtime high school science teacher, Brian has encountered various common science misconceptions that students hold, some of which are directly or indirectly related to photosynthesis. In an article published in the 2015 issue of the European of Teacher Education, researchers say misconceptions like these must be confronted and corrected to prevent them from stunting students’ future understanding.

“Misconceptions operate to distort new learning. …learners’ existing misconceptions will hinder future-related learning,” the article says. “Before new concepts can be understood, misconceptions must be dispelled.”

Brian and I designed this media project to help students use research and credible evidence to correct some of these common science misconceptions. The project guides students in the production of a short instructional video presentation that sets the record straight about a chosen misconception.

This “Set it Straight!” video project is similar to another project I developed a decade ago when I was teaching high schoolers. In that project, students taught others the correct use of a commonly misused set of words. Examples include there / their / they’re, affect / effect, and farther / further.

The process of creating a media product to teach others develops critical thinking, problem solving and creativity – three of the top five skills necessary for today’s workplace, according to the Future of Jobs Report 2020 produced by the World Economic Forum.

Using media this way in the classroom is endorsed by the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton University. SERC recommends teachers use media technology to engage students in more meaningful and deeper learning experiences. It should be used for more than delivering PowerPoint presentations and showing videos.

“Media can also be student-generated,” the SERC website said. “This approach asks the student to step into the role of the teacher and create content that will engage learners and help them to master concepts.”

“Involving students in creating media encourages collaboration, accountability, creativity, and mastery of ideas and concepts,” the SERC website said. “Importantly, one does not need a large budget, fancy studio, or advanced degree to create original media that is informative, entertaining and educational.”

The Project

The “Set it Straight!” video project is guided by a series of prompts.

For example: “What is the common misconception you researched?”

“Why do you think this is a common misconception?”

“Identify and list two or three important facts necessary to correct this misconception.”

The questions require students to restate the questions and answer them clearly and briefly. Limiting the number of sentences students can use in their answers is important. Short answers require students to really understand the concept. Clarity and brevity are the keys to effective media production.

After feedback has been provided and final revisions have been made, the questions/prompts are removed and the answers/responses become the script.

Students record themselves reading the script.

Accompanying visuals (photos/charts/graphics) are created and/or identified and downloaded.

Then, the visuals and narration are edited together for the video, which will be no longer than about three minutes.

The steps above are detailed in this document with accompanying links.

“Nutrients in the soil are the primary source of the mass increase in plants during their lives.” This misconception is corrected in this example video that we produced.

Conclusion

Making sense of a complex concept by creating media products is empowering for students. It is an effective way to actively involve students in their own education by teaching others.

And by teaching, they learn.

If you have any suggestions for this project, please send them to mediaforliteracy@gmail.com

Reggie Grant teaches journalism and mass communications at Tallahassee Community College. For 11 years, he taught media production — introduction to mass communication, photography, video production, and graphic design — at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida. He blogs at https://mediaforliteracy.wordpress.com and can be found on Twitter @media4literacy.

Looking for some PD for your school? I provide in-person and virtual training on the following topics. If you want to learn more about and explore AI and ChatGPT, contact me to schedule! Rdene915@gmail.com

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