POGIL: Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning

I have been using POGIL resources for the majority of my career but in 2017 I became a trained POGIL facilitator which has really helped me grow as an educator and analyze why I teach the way I do. POGIL resources are meant to be utilized in small teams of 3-4 students, each with a role such as manager or presenter (click here for my role cards).  Students work together using process skills such as teamwork, communication, problems solving, and critical thinking, to complete the activity. The POGIL created activities follow a constructivist approach that allows students to "explore" models and data sets, "invent" ideas such as identifying patterns, constructing solutions or formulas, etc and then students "apply" these inventions to new scenarios. This is known as the learning cycle. In my classroom, teams are not assessed on the content initially, they are assessed on their ability to use process skills to attempt the assignment to the best of their ability. This lowers the pressure on the students as they work on new information. At the beginning of each POGIL lesson I state the learning objective (such as isotopes), the process skill objective (such as teamwork), and timing goals (for example: questions 1-5 in the first 10 min...). At certain points, I ask my teams to call me over to check in on their progress, although I am constantly roaming the class, listening to conversations, moderating debates, and asking deeper questions. At the end of class, I have each team fill out reflection including a rubric which you can view on the role cards.  I really can't stress enough how much a pogil workshop can change your practice! Consider attending a workshop this summer! The first year and AP Chemistry books are a dream and they are linked in the images.