Puzzled by Pangaea

      Last fall I taught a lesson using new software purchased by my school district. The software was called Adaptive Curriculum. It allows students to complete interactive computer simulations that might otherwise be too difficult to complete in the classroom. I jumped in full steam ahead. The students really enjoyed it as well, until we hit our first bump in the road. It began as I taught a lesson on Pangaea. The lab instructed students to use scientific evidence to piece together landmasses to create the super-continent, Pangaea.

     Students could click on three different forms of evidence to determine how the landmasses would be placed: fossil evidence, soil composition and climate. The could match up the high-lighted areas.

    Simple enough? Right? Wrong. My students really struggled with this activity. It was supposed to be the culmination on a lesson on continental drift and Pangaea. I did not foresee the trouble my students would have with this activity. 

   After analyzing the activity, I came to the conclusion that my students had trouble matching up the evidence. Recently, I revisited the lesson and tried a new approach. This time, I used a paper activity in which students would cut out various landmasses and try to piece them together to form Pangaea. After the activity, I had a "V-8" moment. I should have done this first. I had students work in groups of two. They cut out the landmasses and using a legend to piece together Pangaea.

     

      I asked my students why they thought they had more success with this activity than with the computer activity, they said it was easier to piece the evidence together. They had more evidence available and a partner to help them. Just for kicks, I pulled up the original computer activity, and one pair of students worked together to complete it. Students were even bold enough to suggest that I use the paper lesson before the computer lesson with future students. I plan to listen to their suggestions to help engage future students. Lesson learned? It might be scary to ask students why an activity was difficult or to throw out a lesson and try something new.  However, you might be surprised what you find out and your students may be more engaged. My lesson learned, sometimes paper activities have a greater benefit than the computer ones.

References:

Adaptive Curriculum. (2011). Plate Tectonics. Retrieved from: http://www.adaptivecurriculum.com/us/index.html

American Museum of Natural History. (2007). Activity: A Plate Tectonic Puzzle. Retrieved from: http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/pdf/dinos_plate_tectonics.pdf