Mrs. Iris Mudd is an 8th grade science teacher at Meadowlark Middle School in Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools in North Carolina, and she has used Gizmos for over 10 years. “I use Gizmos for all of the 8th grade science standards. In all of my years in education, I have never had an on-line resource that is better able to support the science standards. The longer I use Gizmos, the more I realize what a great resource they are.”
She uses Gizmos in her classroom in a variety of ways. “Many of my classroom activities are done with small groups or with partners on Chromebooks. The Gizmos activities give students the opportunity to explore various concepts on their own. I start every lesson by activating the prior knowledge students have of the upcoming lesson. This is followed by an activity to launch them into the lesson. Every Gizmos lesson begins with this same format and continues with a warm-up activity for students to do prior to the activities. This has a positive effect on how comfortable students are with the information. It builds their confidence so that they have a positive mindset as they begin the lesson.”
“All of the Gizmos are outstanding! If I had to choose some of my favorite Gizmos, I would select the Mystery Powder Analysis, Natural Selection, Water Pollution and Prairie Ecosystem. The format of the lessons closely aligns with the 5E model of instruction (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate). The varied level of each activity within each Gizmo allows for differentiation. This helps all students learn the content. The way that the Gizmos apply the information to real-world situations makes it interesting for the students. I particularly like the way that the Gizmos allow students to manipulate information, equipment, variables, etc. so that students are actively engaged in the learning process.”
Mrs. Mudd finds that Gizmos are also useful for promoting literacy in her classroom. “Often times students are reluctant to read in classes other than their English class. Many of the Gizmo activities engage students in reading about real-world examples of science related concepts. For example, in the Water Pollution Gizmo, I love the way students are able to read the scenarios and use the information to determine the source of the pollutant in each situation. With Gizmos, students enjoy being able to change variables to determine what the results will be. Another excellent feature of every Gizmo is the assessment questions. These questions can be used to formatively assess the level of student understanding. This helps me to better understand student misconceptions. When students submit their answers, they get immediate feedback. They also receive a clear explanation for questions they got incorrect. I can then see the data and provide additional review when necessary.”
“Students oftentimes struggle with understanding how chemical and physical properties can be used to identify substances. The Mystery Powder Analysis Gizmo does an excellent job of helping students understand this. I received a $1,500 STEMEd grant for a lesson on “Understanding Chemical and Physical Changes.” I do the Mystery Powder Gizmo before the lesson on Understanding Chemical and Physical Changes so that students understand the properties of substances prior to distinguishing between the types of changes. After students have participated in the lesson, I always formatively assess their understanding. There are many ways to do this; however, the assessment questions on the Gizmo lessons are excellent for this. I particularly appreciate the way the Gizmo provides a detailed explanation for any questions a student gets incorrect. Since I get an immediate report for each student, I can quickly assess how well students understand particular concepts.”
“Without a doubt, Gizmos increase student learning. I enjoy seeing students authentically engaged in a way that builds their content knowledge and overall confidence in their ability to learn. As students become more confident in their ability to learn, their overall mindset changes. I notice them giving more effort with other activities. When students share their Gizmos results with other students, they become more social and willing to participate in other classroom activities.”
“Teachers are faced with the challenge of making learning engaging to all students. We have to know our student population and create new ways of getting students to want to learn. This is the only resource I have found that gets students totally engaged while at the same time integrating literacy and content information. The Gizmos also allow teachers to differentiate instruction so that students at all academic levels are challenged. I love the way that Gizmos can be modified to include information that has been taught in the past. This is an excellent opportunity for teachers to review information throughout the year; thereby, preparing students for end-of-grade tests. At the 2017 NC Science Leadership Association Fall Summit, I heard the keynote speaker say that, ‘Every student should have access to the Explore Learning Gizmos.’ I absolutely agree! With education funding being limited, it is crucial that we look at resources that are proven to work in increasing student achievement and put the funding we have toward those resources. Gizmos are the absolute best math and science resources available.”
Mrs. Iris Mudd has taught for 28 years and is a NBCT. She has a Bachelor of Science and a Masters in Education from Easter Kentucky University. She has received many honors for her teaching, including Teacher of the Year for her district. She recently received a grant for a lesson plan written using a Gizmo.