This blog has served as a place to reflect and analyze on my journey to flipped learning in my high school math classes from 2011-2014.
While I have transitioned to several other outside-the-classroom roles in education, this blog still hosts my reflections from those 3 years of flipping as well as thoughts from my other journeys as an instructional coach and curriculum leader.
Thank you for being a part of my PLN!
Figured I should finally publish this, since I've watched most of the sessions... still have several to get to at some point, but here's what it is for now!
See this agenda (in more detail) as well as find out how to register for virtual access to all these sessions here.
I also just found the link to the (free) YouTube playlist of some 2011 #flipcon sessions here.
I was able to watch a few archived presentations from #flipcon12 this afternoon... here are some notes that stood out to me and myreflections...
I would highly suggest you check out the sessions yourself as well, because what stood out to me may not be what impacts you the most! :)
Register for virtual access to all these sessionshere.
Troy Cockrum Using Flipped Class and Collaborative Tools for Writing Instruction
This is an awesome session for English teachers wanting a way to flip writing instruction. Since I'm not an English teacher, I didn't take notes on all the details of the workshop, but rather some notes or themes that I want to remember personally.
Every flipped class is different - so share with people the conceptual, they can figure out the how-to.
Important point. I think people want it to be easy, to be something like "hand me what I need to do and I'll do it"... but it's more than that. You need to do what is best for your students in your class and that may not be the same as what is best for mine!
"When writers write everyday, they begin to compose even when they are not composing"
Tools
Google Docs/Google Apps
Dropbox
ScreenChomp
Educreations
Camtasia
LiveScribe Pen
Anna F Brown The Flipped Experience in Higher Ed
Adjunct professor, Doctoral student, researching the flipped classroom
Presented the study she conducted with 8 professors.
Benefits/Challenges
From lecturer to content creator
from lecturer to facilitator
from expert to coach
increased learning for instructors and students
Greater flexibility for instructors and students
Kim Darche Taking the Plunge!
Todays Meet - chat room. No login required. Can choose when you want it to expire
Would be interesting to try out when we are in the computer lab (not too often though)!
xtranormal - type in text, cartoon characters do the talking. Phonetic, so you may have to change the way you type it
I definitely want to try this out this year!
Puffin - free or 99cents - flash app??
Eric Watt and Suzanne HuntemannImplementation of Flipped-Mastery Class in HS Chemistry: Year 1
Communicating with parents:
"Lecture and teaching is the same word" - that's how parents think
This is NOT experimental...
This is NOT self-taught
They brought up some very important key things to say/not say when introducing it to parents. I agree that many students and most parents think that lecture = teaching, just because that is what they are used to.
Definitely NOT going to mention the word "experimental" or "guinea pigs" this year - this is the way it is!!!
Still had test day, but students could take it EARLY. If students fall behind, instead of taking the test on that day, they take it before or after school.
They only allowed one attempt at the exam (they can retake quizzes though)
I like their ideas with tests. I think it might work for me. I always hate it when students are not ready for the test because of different circumstances and that leads to them doing poorly on a test, essential wasting an hour of their life. I will have to think about how I want to present this and what that means in terms of different versions of the test for those not taking it on the specified day.
Ellen Dill Flipping French: A Middle School Experience
She uses choice boards mainly for projects
I'm planning on using choice boards, and this might be a place for me to start and "get my feet wet" since I'm a little overwhelmed with using it for the normal unit
Kids can collaborate with other kids from other class periods
I've always siad no in the past because I'm like, "what if I give you time to work on it in class, you couldn't collaborate"... but if everything is online and they can still make progress individually, it might be good!
Teacher helps create meaning of the content within the context of the class
leads to personalize learning
Understand your learning style to help your students' understand theirs
Multiple intelligences *Bring this back! Have students do a learning styles/MI self-assessment like I did in years past.
"Oh, I could be any one of these!" - we want our students to be adaptive! While we recognize our strengths, we are also improving on our weaknesses! hmmm very true - I've never thought about this. Yes, we want students to be able to learn in the ways they learn best, but we also want them to challenge themselves to learn in new ways!!
Oral Exams
Turn objectives into "I can" statements
Individualized assessments
Not all of these go in the gradebook
Version 1:
Discuss with them in person the objective. If they can do this without any prompts, questions, etc, full credit (5 points). Every prompt = -1pt. Very subjective.
Version 2:
Turned into an objective rubric (see slide 11 here) *I like this (having oral assessments), but I'm always concerned about my subjectivity. The objective rubric will help with that. I just can't see myself being able to do this often with my 40 students...even though I want to. But, maybe this is something I can do with certain students who need that alternative assessment
Think-Tac-Toe from daretodifferentiate wikispaces *On my to-read list, coming soon!
Collaboration Grid from Teach Paperless blogspot
Camtasia for PC does automatic captioning. Mac doesn't yet. argh :(
Student self-assessment (see sample Google Form here)
"This is the goal, I'm interested in the process you use"... then give them the freedom to do that
Getting ideas from students about videos - *I just mentioned this in the last post, but I do want to keep getting feedback. The one thing my students have a hard time with is saying "why". Meaning, they will say "I didn't like that video" or "That video was confusing", but they have a hard time expressing WHY. Then, some students just won't say anything because they aren't used to teachers actually wanting their feedback.
"It would have been better if..."
"This was a really tough video, it probably would have been done better not on video..."
Big reminder:
Have a discussion...talk to them about why you’re doing what you’re doing, not how.
ARTICLES to read!!! *I really want to find these! And have my students blog about them... :)
Showed some great results from student and parent surveys...definitely check out the archive to hear these responses!
All 6 teachers after pilot: YES WE WANT TO CONTINUE (even if you don't let us!). Favorite part is: Time! (more time to work in class, more time to work one-on-one) *Personally, I could never go back either. I can hardly remember what my classroom was like in a traditional setting, and it hasn't even been a year!
Teacher goes from master of content to master of context
Winter Institute for new teachers - 25 teachers, 1 day + 1/2 work day
wanted to create a more sustainable "team" approach to the FC
not as "daunting"
Asked each teacher to take on ONE role
Quiz Creator
Do you have any questions about the video? Is there anything you want your teacher to know? If so, type your questions/comments in the text box below
How well do you understand the concepts presented in the math video? - Not well, somewhat, very well. * Metacognition
Add these questions to my WSQ forms
Moodle Manager - managing courses (getting videos in right place, etc)
Video creator
Started incorporating a "character" (pirate) into some of their videos
Looking into having a storyline/theme that runs through the videos to help with engagement
Consider that students may have internet at home, but it may not be HIGH-SPEED INTERNET *Add this to my technology survey as an option
I need to get some "cheesy" old school headphones (not earbuds) to keep with my class computers.
Flipchart creator - presentation software by ActiveInspire
A LOT of work in the first year, even if you take a team approach. WorkLOAD is much less in year 2. We can selectively improve quality of videos, quizzes, etc. The work you put in on the front end is very much worth it on the back end *I am so excited for that this year :) Even though there are videos I want to fix (reminding myself that perfection is not the goal), the workload is going to be much less!
A LOT more time in class to dive into more activities and applications they previously had to skip
When students are empowered to be creative, it adds a whole new dimension!!
What can become part of an activity? (instead of being in the lecture!)
How much practice is necessary? (everything else turned into "optional" practice problem)
Clearly state your expectations
for students (example: Before you join in on the activity, you must have the vodcast watched and the notes taken)
High expectations, and check them on it! (she sent email to student and parent restating the expectations that day)
What to look out for...
Make sure parents are informed
Get your administrators on board
I feel like I really started to do this about 4 years ago when I made my "Unit Maps" of concepts from each unit. I do want to take it a step further and divide those concepts into "essential" and "secondary" (or even A,B,C categories like some teachers do). So many things on my list, I really don't know if that will happen for this school year or during this school year (for next year). But, it is there :)
I hadn't really thought about taking some stuff completely out of the lecture and making it into an activity. This might be where some of my inquiry/discovery occurs this year, as I do want to explore what happens when I let my students discover things on their own. (Definitely something I will be trying in my Math Analysis class way before Algebra 1...)
I feel like I do a good job of only assigning necessary practice and not just "drill and kill" them with too much practice. On my list for the next month as I sort through my curriculum stuff is to have "extra practice problem" worksheets premade for each concept for the students to access. I have always offered these upon request in the past, and not too many students took me up on it (I think they thought it would be too much work on my part). But, with the program I use (KutaSoftware) it really doesn't take that long and I'll just link to them on my class blog.
I am very excited to start from day 1 with my expectations for students. I plan on having expectations clearly laid out for students, parents, and teacher (me). I'll post those here whenever I get them done!
create hands-on support and practice activities
"How do you know they watched the video?"
Guided notes (really nice setup for guided notes with her powerpoint slides around 13min in video!) *Can export Pwpt slides to Microsoft Word to further edit! (Publish)
Safety net
Essential Questions
Complete while watching videos
Fosters independent learning; teaches them how to learn
Have required problems and optional problems - can look at see which problems students chose to do and if they chose to do any of the optional problems.
If they fake it, once we get into the activity, it's really obvious
Kim has a system very similar to mine with her guided notes packets. I couldn't agree more how effective the notes packets are in sooooooo many ways. This is the first year I am incorporating all practice problems right in the packet instead of on a separate worksheet. I think students like and crave structure, and providing them with the packets at the beginning of the unit allows them to know exactly what they need to learn, how much it is for the unit, and the activities they will need to complete to help master the material
At first, "We can't stop you and ask questions right away". Then, "You know, if we just keep listening, most of our questions get answered!) - That's why lectures in class take so long!
Tried to turn as many of her worksheets into some sort of lab-based activity or demo
How do you get the students who need to do extra practice to do it?
That's what we have all that one-on-one time for!
record and edit your lectures
Nice thing: All your classes get the same video!
Never thought of this before, but it's true. I would also either remember something later in the day, or forget it b/c I had already done the same lesson twice previously. Now all students get the same content.
What to look out for:
Don't be a perfectionist!
Don't dwell on the editing - you don't have to use all the cool features!
one-on-one interaction and feedback
*Most important thing!
See each student every day
Questions - do they really get it?
Effective use of classroom time
Students learning how to know when group work was beneficial and when they needed to work individually
Ask for feedback! - ask what is working for them and what isn't... also good timing to give THEM feedback
Getting student feedback is essential in having them buy-in to this "change". It is important that they know their opinions and feelings are valued and desired. I would like to somehow get better feedback on each individual video/tutorial. On Sophia, they can "rate" the tutorial, but that doesn't really tell me much as far as if they rated me 5 stars WHY it was so good or if they rated my 3 stars what was missing or could have been improved upon. Maybe I can add a question to the end of the WSQ form that leaves it open for suggestions if something wasn't clear or if I didn't explain something well enough. My only concern is that sometimes students really don't know how to be constructive in their comments (I guess there's no time like the present to learn!) and receiving feedback nightly might get a little overbearing for me...
I was able to watch Mark's archived presentation from #flipcon12... here are some notes that stood out to me and myreflections...
I would highly suggest you check out the session yourself as well, because what stood out to me may not be what impacts you the most! :) Register for virtual access to all these sessionshere.
Starting the flip: In the beginning, it was all about creating time in the classroom b/c of their block schedules. So, it started out really all about the videos.
Same here, and I think that's what we have started to call Flip 101... most people start there and they quickly realize it's more than just the videos :)
70% of grade based on Level 1 questions (power standards). Students must receive 100% on these questions
10% of grade based on Level 2 questions
last 20% of grade based on Level 3 questions (more application-based questions)
This is a very interesting way to do "mastery" grading that I'd like to look into a little more. I divide my class into concepts - I could easily make those concepts A, B, and C level concepts. Don't know if I'll have time to get into that for this year, but maybe for next year **
Great information on using Moodle. Since I don't use Moodle, I didn't write a ton of stuff down about the logistics. There are some really cool things with Moodle that he showed, so if you use it, definitely check out his session!
"What every child needs is the disposition to learn, to be patient problem solvers, to understand and embrace failure" - Will Richardson
If we are going to will that to them, we must first possess that ourselves as educators
Failure -
Has been: "the worst F word you'll hear in school"
Repurpose that word - failing is not necessarily a bad thing. Failure is something we can build upon.
"The only time you truly ever fail is when you choose not to learn from your mistakes."
I think I just found a new favorite quote :).
This reminds me of the acronym FAIL - "first attempt in learning"
How can we get our students to understand that failure will happen, because none of us are perfect... it's what you do with that failure that matters. I feel like a lot of my students (well, mainly my Algebra 1 students) come in with an attitude of failure from day 1. That is a lot to overcome from the outset. How do I help them begin to believe in themselves and believe they can succeed if they keep trying and learning from their mistakes?
A rubric of innovation - Ideal, Acceptable, Unacceptable
Start developing these in professional development
It is easy to map out what is "ideal" - exactly what we want
If we don't identify the "acceptable" and then we don't meet the "ideal", it feels like we have failed.
Quote: "If my kids could do everything that I asked them to do the very first time, I wasn't asking enough of them"
It will be different for everyone
It is important to identify (in any situation) what would be ideal, acceptable, and unacceptable. I think I tend to identify the ideal and the unacceptable, and don't think about what isn't necessarily perfect, but still acceptable. Not everything or everyone is going to be perfect and we need to prepare for that.
Implementation
level of use interviews
7 levels of use:
0-nonuse - ignore innovation
"Oh, I've seen that before! They were called 'this' 20 years ago and they'll be called 'that' down the road. We're going to stand our ground and when all the new fads fade away, we'll still be here with our textbooks and pencils."
~listen in around 21ish minutes.
It's okay to start here, not to stay here
Wow... I felt like he was speaking right to me. The quotes he said are actually REAL QUOTES I have actually heard from teachers at my school. With regards to the Flipped Classroom, with Common Core, with lots of new "innovations". I never thought of it in this way, that they are just at a different level of use than I am. The big question is, how do we get them to move from here.
1-orientation - trying to get ideas, get my feet wet
2-preparation - preparing to flip
3-mechanical - going through the motions, still hitting the curb every so often, still thinking everything through
4a-routine - just comes naturally
4b-refinement - start getting better at it
I feel like this year I am in the routine/refinement phase. The paradigm shift in mindset is pretty much coming naturally to me (I can hardly imagine my classroom the way it used to be!) and I feel like I'm starting to figure things out.
5-integration - seamless, part of who you are and what you do
Hoping for this next year after I have a full year from start to finish under my belt...
6-renewal - how can we repurpose the flipped classroom?
It's a conversation, not an evaluation. Be human.
Interview "flow map"
(from Brett's powerpoint presentation) Click to see larger
To help us find out "What do you know" and "What do you need to know next?"
Not always about "what level are they at" but "what is their level of willingness?"
pour yourself into buckets that don't have holes in them. As soon as they show a sliver of being open to it, be that insanely helpful coach (even helpful with things that don't apply to what you are trying to innovate)
When we want people to buy into innovation, they have to buy into YOU first!
This is such a great point! It reminds me of the quote "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
stages of concern regarding innovations
Measuring stages of concern
0 - unconcerned (I'm going to ignore this, this is a fad, I'm just going to weather the storm)
1 - informational (I don't have enough information about it)
2 - personal (I've bought into it, but how does it work for me in my classroom?)
3 - management (How do I manage this innovation? I can picture it, I can see it, but it's a lot to manage)
4 - consequence (How to deal with the bumps in the road that we will hit?)
5 - collaboration (I'm ready to share what I've learned and work with others. How can I help somebody else?). Won't be ready to collaborate and share until they have made it through steps 0-4!
6 - refocusing (How can I make this better? Sharing ideas but also receiving ideas?)
I see plenty of teachers I interact with in the "unconcerned" stage - not interested in trying anything new, and just waiting for the new fad to pass over, happy with what they are doing now, happy with the status quo. However, I think a lot of teachers at my school are in stages 1-3... not feeling informed enough, not knowing how it works in their classroom, not knowing how to manage the changes. The only problem is, I am not the one who needs to or should provide that training formally, in my opinion. Would I be willing? Yes, even though I'm far from an expert. I just don't think it would be a good idea - it needs to come from someone else right now.
Comments/discussions
When flipping, start small. Give yourself permission to take time with it. Give yourself permission to take steps in the right direction
"You aren't going to go from zero to Bennett in 3 months"
Ha - I saw this quote tweeted out during the live session and cracked up then. And I cracked up now :). It's okay to start at Flip 101 and take your time in transitioning...
Our students go through levels of use and stages of concerns as well - we could make an Innovation Configuration Map for our students
I thought this was an interesting idea for next year. Even though I'm not in the "trial phase" any more with the flipped classroom, I still want to continue to get student thoughts, feedback, and ideas this next year. I think involving them in the process and them feeling like they have ownership is huge.
There are people to support what you are doing. May not be in your building, may not be in your county, may not be people you know. Get connected! Online, twitter, ning, etc.
My greatest PLN has not been real (until ISTE, that is)... it's all been online. That is where I have found my support, ideas, sharing, and openness to this new innovation.
Every teacher, every students wants: Choice and Voice
Choice how it looks in our classroom
Voice to share our concerns and share our ideas.
How do we open up the lines of communication so teachers feel ready and willing to share new ideas (without the threat of being shot down or the jealousy/competition that arises among teachers). Especially when those lines seem to be closed right now - how do we open them up?
Great, thought-provoking session... I would highly suggest you check it out!
I was able to watch Marc's archived presentation from #flipcon12... here are some notes that stood out to me and myreflections...
I would highly suggest you check out the session yourself as well, because what stood out to me may not be what impacts you the most! :) Register for virtual access to all these sessionshere.
Support is the key to success in the Flipped Classroom. You need to reach out!
Classroom guidelines - You need to alter your mindset. Normally rules are set up with a punishment if the rules aren't followed. These are his classroom guidelines, and the "guidelines" he set up for his session.
Be open-minded
Don't say no to anything presented. At least consider everything.
Be a critical thinker
The status quo is unacceptable here. You must think outside the box.
"I don't just think outside the box, I tear it up" - Fast and the Furious
"I'm so far outside the box, the box is a dot"
Take initiative
Dare to Fail
You cannot know what you know, you cannot know how to improve unless you fail miserably.
I like these "guidelines", and I have similar ones for my class - they are my "rules for success", but maybe I will cut out the word "rules" and make it "guidelines for success".
C-Complete All Assignments (thoroughly, thoughtfully, on time)
H-Have a positive attitude (be 'present', be open to learning, limit side talking, participate fully)
Conversation with principal: "I am going to increase the amount of conversation I have with my students, and I am going to be there every step of the way"
Note: Save this quote and use in my #flipclass introduction somewhere.
He started off with the "literal flip" (Flipping 101) and by the end of the year he was BORED - all he was doing was homework help in class, with a lab here or there. Students said they loved the extra time, but something needed to change!
Everything was assignment-driven.
Three questions that need to be addressed:
What's the purpose of the assignment? What does it measure?
Is this assignment measuring what I think it is measuring?
Is there There must be a better way!
We must design the assignment around the objective, not design the objective around the assignment.
This is one of my concerns with fully flipping for a school year. Even just doing it for 6-7 months, some of my students got sick of it and bored with it. I know I did not provide enough variety, and it's been my goal this summer so far to start thinking about that. I think somehow working with menus (choice boards) will help with this, but I still haven't had time to sit down and wrap my head around it. Coming soon, I guess :)
What's the purpose of assessment in a traditional classroom?
measure student understanding
modify instruction
meet objectives
All of these occur under the supervision of the teacher. They are teacher-initiated.
Typically individual
This next year, I think I am still going to have concept quizzes (taken when students are ready, but with deadlines) and unit tests (all taken on the same day). However, I would like to incorporate "non-traditional" assessment as well through projects, student-created videos, etc. It's still a barrier for me to count those assessments in the gradebook as "real assessments" (meaning like a test), but it's a process I will have to work through at my own pace because I see value in the non-traditional assessment.
"If I can build skills - if I can build my technology skills, my group work skills, my lab skills, my critical thinking skills - for two weeks... then I can teach content."
I really really really hope I can do this in August. I tend to always jump in, but I need to slow down and teach skills first. I am not sure how to teach these and still keep the rigor of the first week of school to the level that I like to start the year off at. Again, I've got a month to think about it :)
Critical thinking skills (thinking beyond the surface of the problems)
Communication skills (with me and their peers)
Writing/reflecting skills (WSQ)
Basic internet skills (based on the sites they'll be accessing)
Video watching skills
Objectives
Develop a common objective/definition for assessment in a flipped classroom
Identify aspects of a traditional assignment that can be easily modified to meet our new definition
Will these modifications give students greater understanding?
Where's the creativity?
Does it give the students choice?
Problem-based?
Inquiry driven?
Ideas
Have students not come up with "right" answers, but come up with "wrong" answers that could occur. Oh I like this! What a great activity for students to do! Definitely going to try this. I can see that it will take some training in not having kids come up with cheesy mistakes, but actually ones that could be made by them or their classmates.
In order to retake, they have to come in for a minimum 15 minute appointment with the teacher to go over the assessment. I like this idea as well, especially the one-to-one communication part. So many students of mine just review the test individually, study individually, rewatch videos individually, and I don't really get to see where their misconceptions were and address them with them.
Last afternoon of #flipcon12! I am very excited for the archives to be posted next week. After this week, ISTE next week, and then watching all the sessions I missed, I may be PD-d out for the summer!!! But, it's all good :)
It is very helpful for me to blog and digest what I heard because honestly, right now, it's all just coming so fast. I'm planning on trying to blog at ISTE (who knows, it may be too crazy!) and blogging through the archived #flipcon12 sessions. I will probably give it a couple of weeks and then decide what I am going to do with all of it and where I want to go with all this info in my classroom.
Alright, Keynote #3 (or "plenary session #3", as it is officially called :)). Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams are two teachers formerly from Woodland Park, CO (Jon moved on last year and is a Technology Coordinator in Illinois I believe, and Aaron is moving to Philadelphia (?) this next year). They both taught science and flipped their classes for about 6 years. I am excited to get their book, which should be in the mail any day now. You can find it at http://www.iste.org/store/product.aspx?ID=2285
Here are some things that stood out to me, which is definitely not all inclusive of everything they talked about... (from Jon/Aaron in bold, from me in italics):
Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams - Keynote 3 - The future of the flipped class
Knowledge resided
in the teacher’s head, the textbooks, and the library... now there is no
shortage of information with the internet, iPhones, etc... education is
changing!
This is how education used to be...times are changing and so must we!
#flipclass is a
“bottom up” movement - it is coming from the trenches, from the
classrooms! Individual teachers are taking the idea and doing what
they think will work in their classroom with it. “A bunch of teachers
trying to do what is best for their kids”
“Where did this
idea come from?”
Having a
conversation with Asst. Sup’t of Schools at Woodland Park. “My daughter’s
boyfriend loves these videos because he doesn’t have to go to class
anymore!” → Then what is the value of class time? BIG QUESTION: “What is
the best use of your face-to-face class time?” There is not one way
to do this or one answer. Don’t adopt the “Bergmann - Sams method”
- do what’s best for YOUR students!
I think this is one of the biggest things I've learned this year... well maybe a few things. #1 My class time must still be valuable to students #2 My class time doesn't need to look anything like another flipper's class time because I need to do what is best for my students and they need to do what is best for theirs. Yes, we will probably have similar bits and pieces as we share with each other, but there isn't a step by step guide on how to make this work.
Flipped Class 101
What used to be
done in class is done at home, what used to be done in home is done in
class - very FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL flip
Pretty much
every teacher starts here... most don’t STAY here!
I was here for the first 3 months or so, and then I got connected online and really started trying some new ideas out. Until I started communication with my PLN, I was stuck in "Flipped Class 101"
Myths and
Misconceptions about the Flipped Class
Flipped Learning
Relies on Videos
Yes, a key
component and a valuable tool to have as an archive
I am very interested to see where I am at this time next year. I still see the videos as a very important part of my flipped class, but I am really hoping to broaden my horizons this year and see what happens!
Flipped Learning
Creates a Digital Divide
20% of kids had
no internet at home when they started this 6 years ago. Flash drives,
DVDs... just a little creativity!!
Yes, a
legitimate concern and you must address it... but it’s NOT an
insurmountable hurdle. Be resourceful! Be Creative!!
Flipped Learning Propagates Bad Teaching (lectures)
Video is not
just recorded lectures!
Flipping
enables amazing things to happen in the classroom
Bring other
mediums into the video! Interaction! Real-life examples!
I don't think my videos are amazing, but I do think they are pretty good. I try to stay engaging and interactive with the students...but I'm always looking for more ideas!
Flipped Learning
Relies on Homework
not necessarily.
My flipped class runs best right now when students do watch the video outside of class time (which normally means at home). I haven't gotten to the point of eliminating hw yet, and don't know if I want to in math. Again, we'll see where I am at next year!
Flipped Learning
Requires Front-Loading with Video
Can put video
in middle of the learning cycle after topic has been introduced
Flipping
Bloom’s Taxonomy - videos are great for Remembering/Understanding!
I front-load the majority of my content. Something I would like to try to do this year with some of the trickier concepts is do a 5-10 minute intro at the end of class for what they will be watching that night, just to get their minds in the right place. Another something to think about...
The Flipped
Classroom is a TECHNIQUE that you leverage when it is appropriate to meet
the needs of our students. This is also a STEPPING STONE/BRIDGE
towards heading towards a more project-based, student-centered environment
This makes me think of something someone said on twitter in the last few days: (paraphrased) "Isn't a student-centered environment what we have wanted all along? Why do you need the flipped class to do that??" My response: YES, I think we all want a student-centered classroom. It's just really hard to do in today's day and age with all the pressures and content and testing and such. So, the flipped classroom is a TOOL/TECHNIQUE that has worked FOR ME to get that student-centered classroom in a way I wasn't able to do with traditional.
Universal Design
for Learning … Inquiry … PBL … Mastery … PD … AFL … 21st century learning
The flipped
classroom is what connects all of these together and allows us to
actually have the time and figure out how to do it in class
These are all
things we’ve WANTED to do... but never really had time to do in class.
By restructuring time so “direct instruction” is done outside of
class, it frees up time to actually do all this stuff.
I want to look into all of these later this summer :)
Steve Kelly video
(again)
They showed some edited clips from here, so I thought I would just embed the whole thing here.
Carolyn Durley
video
Carolyn (@okmbio) is another one of my tweeps (who is heading up the Canadian flipped conference later this week with a couple of other awesome flippers!!). Jon and Aaron asked her to put together a video for their keynote. So, here is one the Canadian flippers put together about "Flipped Classroom as a vehicle to the future" and then one of Carolyn talking about her experience with the Flipped Classroom. Great stuff!
In 5 years
time...
Redesigning
learning spaces
Gamification -
Paul Anderson (Bozeman Biology)
Hiring - how
does this change how we hire?
Differentiation
- FC solves this problem. Individual education
Personalization
(can’t standardize, we must customize)
Student-Created
Content (mathtrain.tv - Eric Marcos)
These were all very interesting things to talk about. I'm definitely thinking for next year on redesigning my learning space the best that I can and continuing to build up student-created content. I have only checked out mathtrain.tv a little bit, so that will be on my to-look list
Blank slide b/c
“there is no answer!!”
I'm sure a lot of people at #flipcon12 wanted to leave with the easy answer, the checklist, the steps of how to flip their classroom. But, there is no easy answer, there is no right way. It starts by the individual teacher asking the question "What is the best use of my face to face in class time with my students" and going from there.
Yes... start by
making content videos. BUT.. If I’m NOT going to do that in class, WHAT AM
I GOING TO DO???
Heather Witten is a Spanish teacher and one of my "tweeps" (twitter friends). I wanted to attend her session even though I'm not a FL teacher, and still took a lot from it! She even gave me a shoutout at the beginning of her session (thanks Heather!) :)
Here are some things that stood out to me, which is definitely not all inclusive of everything she talked about... (from Heather in bold, from me in italics):
Heather Witten (@srawitten) - Foreign Language Fun with Flip
Benefits of the
flip
Class can go on
even when I’m not there
Talk to every
kid every day!
Identify
learning gaps more quickly
effectively
monitor student progression
These are the huge benefits of flipping my classroom as well. I had to be out of my classroom 20 times this last school year (and NONE were personal days!). It was crazy. But when I was gone, my classes still went on. Not as great as when I am there and can ask those questions and challenge my students, but still pretty good.
Don’t just try to
teach more material... give them more practice and application time of
what is taught!
I think this is a very important key - you can't choose to flip because you want to just cover more material. It won't work that way.
Hmmm REQUIRED
assignment and SUPPLEMENTAL assignments
I like that she gave both to her students. Later we found out the supplemental ones were for students who needed to retake a test (those then became required). However, I would really like to have "challenge" assignments for students who are ready to work ahead as well. Takes time - we'll see how this summer pans out.
“Classwork
Benchmarks” - DEADLINES
I am on the same page as Heather here in that I am still keeping most of my class on the same "schedule" - they can work ahead, but they have to keep up with certain deadlines
Triple the amount
of time for video length that it takes students to watch it.
I would agree with doubling or tripling. My end of the year survey gave the same results
Class structure:
Organized Chaos!
Need a
focusing/starter activity
Then “required”
assignments
Additional “fun”
assignments to apply learning
Quick
conversations - “you have 30 seconds to tell me about your favorite
shampoo”
I think my "focusing/starter" activity is the WSQ chats we have. Sometimes I'll do a quick recap if I feel it's absolutely necessary, and I'll go over the goals for the day. Then they get right into their groups!
I just came across some stuff on our hard drive from 4 years ago that I never really used - they do come from the textbook publisher, but there are "chapter projects" and "Make a Decision" problems that ask students to apply their knowledge of what they learned. I need to look at them more closely, but that may be my answer to some of the "mini-PBL" I am looking for. At least a start!
Google Voice!!
What a great idea!
Record a prompt
and once a week students have to call in and respond (1 min response)
I love this! I don't know if I could use it in my math class, but I think it's awesome!!!
“Ticket to the
show” - if you bomb a test, you can have the chance to fix it (we want
them to LEARN!) - supplementary assignments that must be completed first
I revamped my retake policy this year and students had to fill out an "application" to retake a test. My retake numbers when down exponentially. I still need to re-think what I want my policy to be.
Teacher Benefits:
inclusion of all
aspects of language in every unit
I can finally TWIRLS in my class!
continue
learning even when teacher absent
students engaged
almost 100% of time
There is no time to lean back, sit back, slouch, and space out.
identifying
learning gaps
less reteaching
My tutoring hours are going to cut back big time next year, and my husband is going to be happy :) The students don't need it as much!
never have to
deal with “what did I miss?”
:) wonderful.
Student benefits
more time to
practice [language] - excited about it
peer to peer
learning, teaching each other!
Once students get comfortable with each other, they love it and it is so good for them as well!
more time to ask
questions (give the nuts and bolts at home, spend class time asking
questions)
This might be one way I explain the Flipped Class to my students/parents next year. "I'm going to give you the nuts and bolts at home, so that way you can spend class time practicing and asking questions"
better and more
varied assessments
Still a work in progress for me... there are another couple of sessions on assessment I am going to watch when the archives arrive.
Student feedback
“Whatever you
put into it, you get out of it!”
This quote from one of Heather's students is so true. I think it's true in any class, but even more so in the flipped class because I truly believe every student has an equal opportunity to succeed in a flipped class. In my traditional class, students who were slower learners, shy to ask questions, or who didn't have support at home were at a disadvantage. This evens the playing field a bit.
For super-super
shy kids - don’t ask the question “do you get it”... ask them “hey, let me
see your work” “Hey show me what you’ve done”
I NEED TO WORK ON THIS BIG TIME!!
What are you
going to change the most for next year
Project-Based
Learning (cross-curricular)
re-doing the
videos to make them better
end of Mark Siegel's presentation (watch the archive)
Only answer question ONCE - after that, that student becomes the expert
Structure group more for lowerclassmen than upperclassmen
