In our slide drenched classrooms where we post our PowerPoints and Prezis to our Google classrooms, students always have access to our notes. So, students think that they do not need to take notes since they have constant access to information. Some of my students have even said they have teachers that say not to take notes because they can get it online later. 

​I haven't investigated, but I hope that isn't the case.

I was helping a student this week and I said, "Let me see your notes and I'll show you..." What I was saw was a bunch of scattered words on a piece of paper with no cohesion and thought process behind them. We harp about taking good notes, but let me ask you, have you ever taught a class how to take notes?

​I haven't until now. Do you want to know what I learned?

Do your students look at you like you’re speaking gibberish when explaining a new topic in chemistry? 

Do you get no response when you say, “Any questions?” at the end of class? If is your classroom some days, it’s time to grab your uninterested student’s attention.

It is so frustrating when you have spent 50 minutes explaining a topic and get crickets. I know. 
You think, “Did I explain it right? Did they just not listen? Should I have done more practice problems?”

No, they are bored. 

Have you thought about how far out of their world some topics in chemistry are? For some students, we might as well be explaining rocket science.

Rock their world by trying one of these fun tactics and see your students become sponges in your classroom. 

Yes, you may have occasional rowdiness (especially with #7), but they will be engaged. 
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And that involvement is what we all dream of seeing in our classrooms.