ChemEd X Talk: Integrating Interactive Notebooks into chemistry courses

Interactive notebooks are a useful tool to help students interact with course content, and show them the flow and evolution of a course - particularly in courses that may not have a textbook. Students use blank composition notebooks and create their own textbook during the year with topics covered in two-page spreads. The rules of notebooking are generally loose and they should encourage creativity on the part of both students and teachers. A rule that should be followed is the rule that the left side of a page is for student "output" and the right side of a page is for teacher "input". For every "right side" page of notes that is designed and guided/directed by the teacher, the student should engage with the material on the facing "left side" page. This structure ensures that teachers are always thinking about student engagement with the material while designing the learning experiences that are being facilitated by the notebook.

In this ChemEd X Talk, Nora Walsh will share tips and advice for integrating interactive notebooks into chemistry lessons. Nora has been using interactive notebooks in her chemistry I classes full time since 2015. She will share both general and specific tips on everything from organizing your classroom for notebooking to how to plan layouts, general and specific ideas for input and output, and some ideas on grading/scoring interactive notebooks. This Talk will build on the ChemEd X posts Nora has been sharing outlining each of the units in her course notebook. By mid-fall 2022, Nora plans to share an entire year's curriculum for a Chemistry I interactive notebook. After participating in this ChemEd X Talk, teachers should feel empowered to begin Notebooking in the 22-23 school year. Having access to Nora's full year of content in advance of when teachers will integrate it into their own curriculum will allow for advance planning. Participants are encouraged to review Nora's previous interactive notebook posts in advance of the Talk (Using Interactive Notebooks in Chemistry - Stoichiometry and Gas Laws Interactive Notebook). 

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Nora Walsh teaches on-level, honors and AP Chemistry at FJ Reitz High School in Evansville, IN. She has bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from Emory University and a master's degree in secondary science education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She began teaching in Chattanooga, TN in 2004 and moved to Evansville in 2006 where she continues teaching at Reitz. She has been an AP Reader for the past two years, and has presented webinars for the American Association of Chemistry Teachers in the past. She is active on the AP Chemistry Teacher and National Chemistry Teacher Facebook groups, and enjoys sharing resources that other teachers find helpful. (You may be familiar with her document Write This, Not That on the AP Chemistry Exam). She also has a TikTok account that she uses for bite-size chemistry review (follow her @reitzchemistry). 

For more information about upcoming Talks and to find recordings of previous Talks visit: ChemEd X Talks, ChemBasics Talks - Schedule and Recordings