How do we tackle POGILS?

 This year, in Advanced Biology (read Anatomy), we’ve used POGIL regularly—most modules.  We used the Anatomy and Physiology activity collection.  College Board hires teacher and college profs to grade the free response questions from AP exams.  I was a Reader and Table Leader for APES, AP Environmental Science.  (AP Reading Schedule)  For years APES and AP Chem were together.  I attended workshops and presentations in the evening, one of which was POGIL, for Chemistry.  It was certainly more useful than the session on how to measure the number of bats by their shadow cast on the moon. (It’s a lunar silhouette count—I thought the speaker was joking!)  

Back to POGIL.  POGIL is supposed to be a group activity using Implementation Tools and Role Cards.  The instructor is a facilitator.  Period.  He or she is supposed to circulate and refer students back to the models in the POGIL exercises, such as this sample exercise.  I knew that approach would never work for my kiddos when I took the workshop.  Even rotating roles, with four kids in a group, there is always a slacker.  How do we approach POGILs?  In Advanced Biology, we all work as one group.  Everyone takes turns answering questions. I might rephrase the question or  point out part of the model. We keep the Advanced Biology textbook out, too.  I have had to resort to Google once or twice, too.  Most of the time, the model supplies all the information necessary to answer the questions.  Since we go over the entire POGIL together, we don’t have a debrief. 

My approach to POGILs is different in Chem or Bio classes.  I will circulate and answer questions.  BTW the teens work in pairs, which usually eliminates slackers.  Ideally, the class can check their answers before the debrief.  During the debrief I always ask, ‘What is the point?’  (Not ‘busy work’.)  Here is a sample Chem POGIL and here is a sample Bio POGIL.