updated: "My Flipped Classroom" Prezi

I made some edits/updates to this Prezi that I originally created in January for a presentation to my staff about the flipped classroom. 

Since then, I have used it for several presentations and webinars (see link to my first webinar at the bottom of the guest blog post here), and thought it could use an "upgrade".

This Prezi is targeted towards educators and serves to inform them on 

1) What is a flipped classroom? 

2) What are the benefits of a flipped classroom for both teachers and students? 

3) What does a "sample" flipped classroom look like (both at home and at school) 

4) Why do students like the flipped classroom (video clip) 

This summer, I am hoping to update it a little more with some more video clips of my class in action as well as some updated quotes from my students that I recorded at the end of the school year. (Still got lots to sift thru and edit before they are ready!).  I'll re-post a "final" version here once I get everything edited.

Please note:  You are welcome to use and modify this Prezi for educational purposes.  All I ask is that you give me credit, and let me know that you are using it!  If you do "save a copy" and modify it, please send me the link to your modified version.  Thank you!

I also want to create the Prezi I am going to use to introduce STUDENTS to the concept during the first week of school as well as to introduce PARENTS to the flipped classroom. 

I'll post those when I get them done... probably in August :) 

Until then, here is the updated version of "My Flipped Classroom" 
(if you would prefer to view this on the Prezi Website, the direct link is http://prezi.com/-vbtn0xnnyzx/my-flipped-classroom/)

MY FLIPPED CLASSROOM on Prezi

Why I Flip My Class (Student Quote)

The flipped classroom is really coming around, more so than usual, because it promotes interaction and it makes sure that you are on task- otherwise, you have to do double the workload that night. I feel that I am getting more excited about math; I always enjoyed it, but it's really fun, despite the difficulty of the lesson, because of all the videos we make and the talks with our groups.  

This is from a student who HATED the flipped classroom in the beginning.  One that I had to sit down with after school and talk to about how to succeed in a flipped class.  Her transformation has been amazing and gives me hope for the rest of the kids who haven't quite come on board yet :)

Critics of the Flipped Classroom

I truly believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  With that... here is mine :)

In the teaching profession, we are often so locked into our own worlds and doing things our own way that we can easily go days, weeks, or even years without knowing what is going on next door or down the hall.  

One of the reasons I love teaching so much (among many) is that I am pretty much in control of my classroom, how it's run, and what is important inside my four walls.  However, this leads to one of the biggest pitfalls that it is so easy to fall into - not collaborating and sharing ideas with those around you.  Staying locked in your own world, with your own ideas and own opinions - and never sharing them for whatever reason.

The community that I have found via this blog, Edmodo teacher communities, the Flipped Class Network, and Twitter have been instrumental in starting my flipped classroom and absolutely essential in my professional growth and learning with regards to not only the flipped classroom, but teaching in general.  In my opinion, connecting with other educators is an essential part of being a teacher.  We can't teach in isolation.

With that said, I have encountered so many "flipping" teachers across the globe in the last 3 months.  Their ideas and encouragement have been indispensable.  However, I have also encountered several articles, comments, etc of people who are very strongly opposed to the flipped classroom.  

Like I started this post by saying, I truly believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion of what they think is good or bad, what works and what doesn't.  What I am bugged by, however (and the reason behind this post), is that (in my approximately 10 months of research all over the internet)  I have not yet encountered a critic of the flipped classroom who has actually tried the flipped classroom themselves.  They will write amazingly long posts of how bad the flipped classroom ideology is and how horrible it is for our students, but they haven't tried it themselves.  That really bugs me.  [Or, if they are out there, they haven't been willing or open to share about their failures and why their attempt at the flipped classroom didn't work.]  While critics seem to make some valid points, the counterarguments to those points are so clear to me and their points now seemed to be based off of ignorance and lack of personal experience with the flipped classroom model.  

My big question for the critics: How can you know if something doesn't work until you've tried it yourself?

I don't believe that the "flipped classroom" is a "magic bullet" or the one solution to solving today's educational problems.  I don't even believe the "flipped classroom" would necessarily work well with every teacher's style and preference.  I don't even believe the term "flipped classroom" really encompasses the changes I have made in my classroom this year; if anything, I feel like the phrase is a turn-off to some people who automatically stereotype every flipped classroom to be a certain way.

I posted earlier this year about "9 reasons I'm a flipping convert".  The reasons why I flip my classroom continue to grow longer with each passing week.  Here are a few I have mentioned before, but come to mind right now.

• Students are taking responsibility for their own learning. It's a skill that must be taught, and they are getting better at it.  This will help them this year, next year, and as they go off to college and get jobs.
• Students are required to do more than rote, mindless math practice problems.  They have to be able to talk about it, explain it, ask questions about it, teach it to others, and make connections with other material.  The conversations I have been able to have with my students this year are so much deeper, so much more detailed, and so much better overall than anything I have been able to facilitate in my five years of teaching.
• Students all have equal access to a challenging math curriculum that they can go through at their own pace and that they can always go back to (because of the video lessons).  Absences due to illness, sports, or family issues are no longer a problem in my class.  Do I still have plenty of absences? Yes. But they are no longer stressful for me or the student because the student can come back to school fully up to date on the lessons and just needing the extra support to tackle tough problems, not the need for me to re-teach everything they missed.
• Students are able to receive differentiated instruction based on their needs and their level of understanding. Students who learn at a slower pace or who have to hear something five times before it clicks have the opportunity to do so.  Students who learn at a faster pace are able to move through the curriculum faster and tackle more challenging problems that may be skipped for the general population.
• Students learn to work with others and to challenge each other's thinking on a daily basis.  There is no longer the student who sits in the corner of the room feeling helpless, embarrassed, or intimidated. Flipping my classroom has created a learning community where all are involved and all have the opportunity to succeed.
• Students are the ones doing the math in my classroom.  They are not sitting there watching me do amazing math and then going home to try it themselves with no support.
• Parents love the ability to see their students actually doing math "homework" by watching the video and the relief it gives them from trying to have to keep up with and help their student with math that they don't remember how to do.
• Students are scoring higher than last year by 2-8% on each test, the percentage of students receiving A's and B's on my exams is increasing greatly, and the percentage of students receiving D's and F's on my exams is decreasing.  (See Flip Data for more details)

Critics of the Flipped Classroom who have never tried it tend to think (based on my reading over the last year):

1. It's all about the videos

Videos are a tool that are used to help create the flipped classroom. I could use the textbook - although I don't think it would work nearly as well because I am able to reach visual and auditory learners through my videos (and I hope kinesthetic sometimes, too). I incorporate the same jokes, examples, voice inflection, songs/chants, and "fun" into my video lessons.  I can still follow-up the next day with more detail, more examples, more connections, more of anything that I want.  However, with the videos, my bases are covered and I can use class time for more discussion, collaboration, and actual student-focused learning

2. It creates an issue with equity/access to technology

I work in a district with about 70-75% of the students on Free and Reduced lunch.  We are in a low-income area.  There is absolutely no issue with access to technology at my school.  If students don't have access at home, they can use it at school either before/after school or during class if needed.  If I have to read another person say that we should abandon the flipped classroom because it is unfair for some students, I don't know what I will say.  We are in the 21 century and students must not only be able to use technology, they must learn how to use it responsibly and the value of technology as an educational tool and not just a social tool.  If they don't have the resources at home, we can provide that for them to the best of our ability.  That's not an excuse.

3. Lecture is always a poor method to teaching information

I still am a believer in the value of direct instruction under certain circumstances, especially in math.  Is there time for guided exploration? Yes, for certain lessons.  However (here is a great article), studies show that for most learners, the first time something is taught it needs to be taught directly and without all this exploration/inquiry stuff.  It just confuses them and does not help their growth in learning.

4. There is never whole-class teaching

There is whole-class teaching when there is a need for it in my flipped classroom.  It's focused on my students' needs, not mine. More often than not, I am doing small-group teaching (5-10 students), although there are times when I do 20 student teaching or 40 student teaching.  I'd much rather teach those that need it and let those who don't continue to explore and move on.

5.  It requires students to do work at home when they should be spending time with family.

What's wrong with students having homework?  I know my perspective on this issue is skewed right now because I don't have kids yet, but I don't see a problem with students having to do homework and manage responsibilities when they are in high school. [Do some teachers overdo the homework and give an hour or two a night for just their class? Yes. But that is not what I am referring to here].  When I see my students spending over an hour a day on facebook, another hour texting, another hour watching tv, and another hour sitting outside on the school steps doing nothing but waiting for their ride, that doesn't make me feel bad about asking my students to spend 20-30 minutes a night preparing for math class.  Do students have responsibilities at home (cooking, cleaning, babysitting)? Yes, most of them do to an extent.  Does this mean they should be excused from taking responsibility for their education and learning how to manage their time, making sure to do their homework, their chores, and still spend time with family and friends? No. 

Are there concerns that need to be addressed about the flipped classroom? yes.

Can the flipped classroom be done "badly"? yes.

Are there concerns that need to be addressed about ANY teaching strategy? yes.

Can ANY teaching strategy be done "badly"? yes.

Could I easily ignore all of these critics and not read anything negative about the flipped classroom and just stay in my little bubble?  Sure.  But I think there are good things that come from seeing both sides of the fence and from really thinking about why you are doing something.  If anything, reading the criticisms of the flipped classroom help me to refocus my own strategies and make sure my classroom (1) is NOT focused on only the videos; (2) provides full access to all students; (3) incorporates aspects of inquiry and exploration where warranted; (4) is fully student-centered and focuses on student needs; (5) provides my students with meaningful and do-able homework that will help them feel successful but yet still holds them accountable and responsible.

To quote Karon Tarver , who posted on http://www.iste-community.org/group/landl/forum/topics/to-flip-or-not-to-flip (emphasis mine)

Flip or not? I believe that whether it is flipping, tutoring or any other viable educational tool, all strategies have a place. The only “magic bullet” that I know of are teachers who are willing to teach beyond understanding to accomplish more than comprehension and create life-long learners. Those teachers who are willing to try everything to reach, teach and learn from their students will become the leaders in using the flip strategy. Their students will be the real winners.

I flip my classroom not because of what it does for me, but for what it does for my students.  My students are the "real winners" now and it works for me, my teaching style, and my classroom.

All I ask is that if you don't believe in the Flipped Classroom as a viable instructional tool/strategy, please try it yourself before posting endless essays and comments online about how much you think it sucks.  Please stop generalizing the Flipped Classroom down to one single method, one single type, one single purpose.  It is so much more than that.

On a side note: Can we come up with a new name other than "Flipped Classroom"? I really am sick of the misconceptions/connotations the phrase brings with it.

9 reasons why I'm a flipping convert

There are lots of reasons why I have become a proponent of the Flipped Classroom.  I honestly can't imagine going back to my regular, traditional methods of teaching, even though I really feel like I was a great teacher and lecturer in the classroom.

The flipped classroom allows so much more...

1. I used to always feel rushed in class. I could feel it, my students could feel it, it was there. Just gotta get thru this last example so they can do their hw tonight. Darn short period on an assembly day, now my lesson will be cut in half! Now: not anymore! My students come to class with exactly how many examples I wanted them to see, and sometimes more for the students who watch extra examples. There is no more rush to beat the bell.

 2. I used to get slightly annoyed when little things like proper notation would be done incorrectly. Little things that I tried to emphasize in class, but either got lost in the midst of the big concept or were explained in the one or two minutes the student spaced out and wasn't paying attention. Now: this honestly happens extremely infrequently and I greatly attribute it to the fact that students are taught in video and can pause, rewind, and rematch anything they missed or didn't quite get. In addition, I might just gloss over it in class, but I know I teach it explicitly on the video and so me spacing out one day about having to cover a minor detail doesn't affect them. in addition, I am always there to clarify and reexplain for those who still need it without holding back the rest of class.

 3. Calculator operations are hard to teach to 40 kids at one time.  There are always those that know what buttons to push, and then those that can't follow you no matter how slow you go.  Now those operations are taught on a video where they can learn at their own pace.  This = MUCH LESS frustration when teaching something that has to be shown step by step.

4. My test scores are higher. That's pretty simple.  I'm collecting data all year on this and hope to continue to see this proved.  (See Flip Data for what I've collected).  In addition, since the Flipped Classroom allows students to work at their own pace and I have developed a "waiver" system for students to show me proficiency and move on without doing busy work, I feel like they are taking their work more seriously and actually doing it to learn and move on rather than just mindlessly thinking "I just need to get it done whether I really understand what I am doing or not".

5. I speak with every student every day. I look at every student's work every day. They have a personal teacher who can help them at any moment and they don't have to feel bad about asking questions and slowing down the rest of the class.  I feel like I know my students more and they are more comfortable asking questions than in previous years.

 6. My students not only get to talk to each other, they HAVE to talk to each other.  They have to converse about math and not just passively sit there and receive the information, and then spit it back out to me mindlessly in the homework.  There isn't room for them to be passive about their learning in a flipped class because there is always more stuff to learn, questions to answer, and concepts to explore.

7. I can still reteach to a whole class if needed.  A Flipped Classroom does not remove that option from my repertoire.  It also allows me to reteach to small groups and let the rest of the class keep working if necessary.

8. My faster learners don't feel held back.  They can work ahead at their own pace, whether it be moving ahead by a single lesson, moving on to the next chapter, or challenging themselves with deeper problems that I don't pose to the whole class.  In the same note, my slower learners don't feel like they should just give up because it's too hard.  They can take in the content at their own pace and review/re-learn material at any point.  Because the instruction is permanently archived on video, all students (high, medium, and low) can go back and review or re-learn at any time during  the year (or even once they are out of my class but need a refresher!).  All students can learn at their pace and every student is given the possibility to succeed, not just the learners that "get it" right away.

9.  Every student has the opportunity to receive the best quality education and be challenged to make meaning of it and take responsibility for themselves and their learning.  As much as they struggle with this sometimes, I know that deep inside it is rewarding for them when they see their hard work pay off and they feel successful.

Why do YOU flip your classroom?  Share in the comments!

My Goals for the Flipped Classroom

I think it's about time I actually verbalized the goals that I hope to accomplish (for myself and for my students) by using the Flipped Classroom.  Then, in June, I will have a measuring stick to see if my goals were actually met or not.  This is list still a work in progress and I will be adding to it as needed.  I will be starting a new tab on the top of my blog titled "Data" that will track the progress of these goals.

For Students:

Using the Flipped Classroom ideology will increase student understanding of the material as shown by:

• An increase in the percentage of students receiving A's and B's on my Chapter/Unit Tests by an average of 5% over my 2010-2011 students (taught with a Traditional Classroom)
• A decrease in the percentage of students receiving F's on my Chapter/Unit Tests by an average of 5% less my 2010-2011 students (taught with a Traditional Classroom)
• An overall class average increase of 5% over my 2010-2011 students on each individual Chapter/Unit Test

Using the Flipped Classroom ideology will increase student motivation in math as shown by:

• A decrease the number of homework cards students receive by 20% for the entire semester. (1st semester - 219, 230, 206 = 655 HW cards in 3 Algebra 1 classes; 113, 156 = 269 HW cards in 2 Math Analysis classes)
• A consistent decrease in the number of homework cards students receive each week as we continue through the flipped classroom model.
  

For Myself:

Using the Flipped Classroom ideology will allow me as a teacher to:

• Interact with every student (ALL of them) on a daily basis in at least a short math-related conversation.
• Be able to more easily and readily assess student mastery of the content on a daily basis and provide the immediate support they need to succeed.

What are your thoughts on these goals?  Do you have similar goals for your students?  What are some goals I may be missing that I should consider setting?  All ideas and feedback welcome :)

What does my Flipped Classroom look like? (letter to parents)

I have updated the letter I will be sending home to parents at the beginning of the next school year about what my flipped classroom looks like.  It is edited from an earlier version (January 2012) and is still under construction until I hand it out next August!
 Updated letter link here:

January 2012 letter below:

Dear Parents,
Starting in 2012, things will be a little different in your student’s math class than you may be used to. We will be fully implementing a teaching model known widely as the “flipped classroom”. What is a “flipped classroom”? Please take a few moments to watch the presentation I have put together for you, which can be found at http://prezi.com/8wuzpv14scke/flipped-classroom-instructions/ .

In short, a “flipped classroom” switches around the traditional order of teaching with the purpose of creating a more in depth and supportive environment in the classroom when the teacher is present and able to help students. It allows for students to receive a more individualized math education, thus resulting in them understanding the content at a higher and deeper level than before. In addition, it challenges students to learn how to take charge of their learning, becoming resourceful learners. Lastly, it provides time for more discussion and questioning during class time, helping students to become reflective communicators and to think more deeply about the subject.


What does homework look like now?

For homework, students will be required to watch video lectures created by me, where I will teach them the lesson and give examples in the same way they would receive it in class. However, because the students are watching the lessons on video, they can pause, rewind, or re-watch any segments of the video at any time. This allows students to learn at their own pace and become more self-directed, having to know when they need to go back over a certain concept they did not fully grasp the first time it was explained. Each lesson is specifically designed to be around 8 to 15 minutes long.
These videos can be accessed at www.youtube.com/crystalkirch for home viewing, on SchoolTube for school viewing, or students can get the videos on a flash drive in order to watch them without internet access. All direct links are also accessible at the class website, www.edmodo.com . Because the videos are online, they can be accessed on any internet-capable device, such as a cell phone. Videos can also be uploaded to iTunes from a flash drive and synced with a student’s iPod to watch offline. Other options are also available by request, such as getting the videos on DVD to watch on a TV instead of a computer.

While watching the videos, students are taking copious notes of important concepts and examples in their SSS packets that are provided for them. When they are done watching the video, they write a summary of the concept they learned about. The quality and depth of their summary informs me of how much they truly understood what they watched and what misconceptions they may have that need to be further explained. After the summary, students write at least one question regarding the content. This may be a question that they do not know how to answer and need explained, or it may be a question that they do know the answer to, but is an important piece of the concept from the video. Students are challenged to make their questions “HOT” questions (“Higher Order Thinking” questions) and have been provided with question starters on Edmodo to help deepen their thinking. This process is called a “WSQ” (pronounced wisk), and stands for “Watch – Summary – Question”. Underclassmen (9th-10th graders) are also required to add a “V”erification portion to their “WSQ” (making it a “WSQV”, pronounced wis-quiv) where a parent or guardian signs their summary and question, along with the time frame in which the student watched the video. Upperclassmen (11th-12th graders) parents can request that their students be put on a required “WSQV” contract if their students need more monitoring in finishing the homework.

There will still be a few nights where homework will look like regular “homework”... students will be doing review worksheets and practice problems. This generally occurs the few nights before a test. However, now students have access to the lesson online and can re-watch it if they don’t remember how to do the problems assigned in the homework.


What does classwork look like now?

When students come into class, we begin by reviewing their “WSQ’s” in a variety of ways. We may go over a few sample summaries as a class, or students may discuss their summaries either in partners or in small groups. This time allows the class to refresh their memory on what was watched last night as well as to clarify anything that was not clear during the video lesson. We also go over the questions that students have asked. Similarly, we may go over a few questions as a class, but most often students work in their small groups to ask and answer each others’ questions, whether they know the answer or not. If no student in the group can answer the question, or the group needs more clarification, I am there to be able to answer the question and explain anything that needs further clarification.

After the “WSQ” portion of class is over, students work in small groups on a set of practice problems or activities to help them practice and develop full understanding of the concept. Students are encouraged to work with each other and help each other out and are constantly reminded that one of the ways they can really find out if they understand a concept is by explaining it to someone else. I am constantly walking around from group to group, helping explain things and clarifying confusing parts.
In the “flipped classroom” model, we still take short quizzes on each concept a few times a week and still practice learning concepts by using the songs and chants I have developed. In addition, there is still the opportunity for whole-class teaching and review if the large group needs to go back over a concept. However, most of the teaching is now focused on smaller groups of students who need help on certain concepts, leading to fully differentiated instruction and support.


What does a “flipped classroom” require of you as a parent?

The “flipped classroom” enables you as a parent to be more involved in your student’s math education. Most parents tend to agree that they do not remember much from their high school math classes and do not feel they can support or help their student at all when they are home doing homework. However, with the “flipped classroom”, there are several very easy ways you can help your student:

(1) Provide your student with a quiet place to watch the lecture video (preferably with headphones to limit distractions) each night. If internet access is not available at your house, provide your student with the time to stay after school to watch the video in the school library or my classroom.
(2) Ask your student questions about what they watched and have them read their summary out loud to you.
(3) Read their summary yourself to make sure it sounds complete and makes sense.
(4) Read the question they asked and see if they can answer it.
(5) Encourage them to take their time while watching the videos, which means they pause, rewind, or re-watch portions of the video when the teaching is going too fast or when students need a minute to
make sense of what was taught.
(6) Watch the videos with them so you can learn along with them and help them when it comes to doing regular practice at home the night before the test!


What does a “flipped classroom” require of your student?

In reality, a “flipped classroom” does not change the fact that students are expected to go home and do “math homework” for 30-45 minutes a night. The only thing that is different is the type of “math homework” that they are doing. Instead of doing mindless practice problems where they can do the problems without really thinking about them, get stuck on the problems or do them incorrectly, or simply not do the problems at all because they think the problems are too difficult, students simply have to watch a video, take notes, and reflect in a summary and question. Students are expected to come prepared to class each day with the background knowledge of each concept, ready to learn it better, deeper, and faster. Students are not expected to have full mastery of the content before they arrive in class, although many students will be at that level.

The “flipped classroom” requires your student to take responsibility for their learning in several ways:
(1) Students must plan time to watch the video when they are still fully awake and able to make connections between content. (Before 10pm is highly suggested).
(2) Students must take initiative to re-watch videos they need to see again.
(3) Students must make sure that if they are absent, they still watch the required videos and come to class prepared.
(4) Students must make sure that they take initiative to communicate with me either online or in person if there are issues with watching the videos. This includes coming and seeing me before school, during seminar, or during lunch to watch the videos before class begins as often as possible.


What if your student watches the videos every night but still does not understand the content?

Individualized or small group tutoring and support is still available for students before, during, and after the school day. During that time, I can sit down with them and go over more examples and try to explain it in a different way. Students can contact me anytime via www.edmodo.com to ask when I am available, although I generally have a consistent schedule that is posted in the classroom.


How does the “flipped classroom” work with the Fundamental Structures at [our high school]?

Students will still be held accountable for completing the “WSQ” on a nightly basis, just like a regular homework assignment. Failure to do so will result in the progress discipline policies of the Missed Assignment Cards (“Homework Cards”). The policies listed below are subject to change.
• “WSQ” charts (see sample at end of letter) will be collected on a weekly basis, and students must have a minimum of 60% of the available points to not receive a homework card. Students will receive differing amount of points based on if the assignments are completed on time.
• If a student does not have the video watched before class begins twice in one week, they will receive a homework card automatically.
• The assignments that correspond with the WSQ’s must be fully completed by the next class day. Students are given plenty of class time to finish these assignments working with me and other classmates; however, if they are off task or absent they will have to make it up on their own time and make sure it is fully completed before entering class the next day.

Students will receive points in the HW/CW category of their grade for each week based on the percentage they have completed, so it is very important that students strive to reach 100% of the boxes filled with two points each.




STUDENT NAME: ___________________________________________ PERIOD: _________

[ ] I understand the changes that will be taking place and the expectations for my student. We have internet access at home and watching the videos nightly should not be a problem.

[ ] I understand the changes that will be taking place and the expectations for my student. We do have a computer at home; however, we do not have consistent internet access at home, so please make accommodations for my student.

[ ] I understand the changes that will be taking place and the expectations for my student. We do not have a computer at home, so please make accommodations for my student.

Parent/Guardian Name: ________________________ Relationship to Student: ____________

Parent Signature: ___________________________________________

Best way to contact me from 8am-2pm during the week
[ ] Email: ____________________________________________________________
[ ] Phone: ____________________________________________________________
Questions, comments, or concerns:

Letter to Admin and Counselors about the change

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to make sure you were informed on some changes that will be taking place in my classroom next semester that will affect the students you will be seeing from my class. (Which will hopefully be a lot less than last semester!)

After struggling last semester with a lot of students not completing homework, I began thinking of what I could do differently to help support them at home. After much research and trial during 1st semester, I have adopted a flipped classroom approach that I will be keeping in place for the 2nd semester. My goal is that we see a huge decrease in the number of students receiving homework cards because their homework will now entail (1) watching a video lesson created by me, (2) writing a summary and question, and (3) coming prepared to discuss, ask questions, get help, and work on the problems that formerly would have been "homework" in class where there is support available. I found that a lot of my students would not do homework because they would go home and have no idea how to start even though they thought they understood it in class.

If you would take a minute to read through the letter I have put together so you are informed of what is going on and the purposes of utilizing this teaching method, that would be great. The end of the letter indicates how this method will integrate with the homework card system we have in place at school. ("FLIPPED CLASSROOM LETTER updated"). If you would like any more information or details on the Flipped Classroom, please ask as I have a plethora of resources (blogs, articles, videos, etc) that I have collected during my research period.

A letter has already been sent home to all of my Algebra 1 students and has been returned signed by their parent/guardian indicating their access to technology at home (all but a few have computer and internet access at home). Accommodations have been made for all students without full access to technology. The shortened version of that letter is also attached. (this is the one just titled "FLIPPED CLASSROOM LETTER" and does not include as many details).

Thank you for your support - I really appreciate all that you do! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the new method that will be used next semester. I am excited to see positive changes by the end of the semester that will inform me if I should continue using this method of teaching.

Thanks,

Why I am Flipping my Classroom.

I'm not sure when the decision was made. I'm not even sure when I first read about it. All I remember is that one night during the 2010-2011 school year, a student contacted me on our class website www.edmodo.com and said "I'm so confused about how to find our scale for the trig graphs, can you explain it again?". It was hard to explain in words, so I took my digital camera, and holding it above a paper, worked out a quick example and sent it his way. That led to me working out more and more homework problems for students as the year went on and posting them online. The quality of all the videos, honestly, was horrible, as I was holding the camera and trying not to shake too bad as I went over the problem.

I had a solid set of videos for tricky concepts to begin the 2011-2012 school year with. About a month into the school year, I tried a new teaching approach called "Expert Teacher" that pretty much sucked. My students went home completely confused about what they were supposed to learn, so I took a poll on Edmodo and asked "Who would watch a video of Concepts 2 and 3 worked out for you on video?" and got an almost unanimous response. By this time, I had an AverVision Document Camera in my classroom that recorded straight to my Mac, so I recorded the explanations and sent them out to my students.

It must have been at that point that I stumbled across the phrase known widely as "flipped classroom" and proposed to my Math Analysis Honors class if they were interested in trying it out. I would say about 75-80% of the students were excited about it at first. We began by having videos 2-4 days a week (between 8-15 minutes long). However, class time was very unguided and sometimes was not that beneficial. I kept trying to do all these "fun activities" with the students that ended up wasting a lot of class time. I continued to get feedback from the students on how they were feeling - most of them still enjoyed it, but there were a few students who were getting a little tired of it. Several students really had trouble with the fact that it was "different" and struggled to adjust to the change in how their math class was compared to the last 10 years of their educational career.

Another month or so went by and I was very happy with what I was seeing. I saw slightly higher test percentages for several units compared to my previous years' classes. What struck me the most, however, was the students "in the middle" succeeding at such higher levels. I came to the realization that the top students are going to succeed with my videos or not. The lower, unmotivated students are going to show up to class unprepared whether the homework is a problem set or a video. But, the students in the middle (which I would say is 70% of my class) really succeed when they are given the opportunity to learn at their own pace, pause/rewind/re-watch parts of the lesson, and to ask questions in class.

I was so happy with what I was seeing that I proposed the idea to my Algebra 1 class (9th-10th graders), not really knowing what their thoughts would be. They really struggle with completing regular homework and I was to the point of major frustration. Surprisingly, they were actually very excited about it and we did a "test chapter" to see how it would work. While some students still did not watch the video before class, there was definitely a higher rate of "homework" completion.

So, starting second semester 2012 (Jan 31st is the first day), I am fully flipping all of my classes - 3 sections of Algebra 1 and 2 sections of Math Analysis Honors. I have come up with a better idea of what I am looking for and what to do. The purpose of this blog is to have a place to reflect so in June I can look back and decide if this is a change I want to continue to do, and how I can continue to improve it to help my students succeed.