Week 11 reflections

Two weeks until Thanksgiving Break!

Let's see, this week we worked on Unit J, which is solving three-variable systems of equations with matrices.  Students have a love/hate relationship with matrices.  I try to constantly remind the students that the only way to get better at them is with time and practice.  So, we still have two days of matrices left and then applying those skills to partial fraction decomposition.  Sound fun?  (I'm sure to my non-math readers you are thrilled right now!).

I did something a little different with the first day of matrices.  It's how I've done it the last 2 years as well, but I'm not sure I'm happy with it.  Students watch the intro video at home, which basically goes over the vocabulary, set-up, general process, etc for matrices.  It does work through one example while explaining that, but it's really just background info.  (On another note, this is I think the only video I left as one long chunk of 15 minutes, because it's not really a pause/take notes type of video.  I asked my students for feedback and while many of them said it was just fine the way it was, the general consensus was to split it up into three parts based on the three pages of the SSS packet it goes over.  That will be an easy fix for next year.  I appreciate the student feedback!).

So, what I then do in class is go over two matrix examples (yes it takes 50 minutes to do 2 examples whole class).  Like I said, this is the way I've done it the last several years.  I figure as one perk it does give those students who really want that traditional classroom one day of normalcy.  However, I really wasn't happy with it this year. At the end of the day, besides having a headache from talking more in one day than I have all year to a large group, I just didn't feel it was the best use of the face to face time I had with my kids.  Now, I still believe the vocab/background video was important... and they definitely aren't ready to work on matrices on their own that first day.  But, why not record those two examples on video and let the students use their devices or our class iPods to watch them by themselves or in small groups at their own pace?  With me walking around to clarify, students would still be able to get their questions on a very tough concept answered immediately, but those students who "got it" don't have to wait around and sit there bored.

I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before, but I really think that is what I'm going to do next year.  My philosophy of how class time should be spent is continuing to shift and whole-class teacher-directed lecture is definitely not my way to go.

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I'm continuing to work on the WSQ chat time of class and am really happy with how they are going this year compared to last year.  Now, as I've mentioned previously, Peer Instruction has become one of my best friends.  As one of my students said in their weekly reflection,

The beloved peer instructions
I<3peerinstructions4ever

 However, we don't do that every day.  On other days, students have some sort of "task" to complete for their discussion to hold them accountable.  This week, it was as simple as:

• Mon - Concept 1 - linear systems. Peer Instruction
• Tues - Concept 2 - non-linear systems. Peer Instruction
• Wed - 1st day of matrices.  I gave them a system in row-echelon form and with no other instructions, told them to solve for the ordered triple answer and describe their process using as many vocabulary words as possible from the previous night.
• Thurs - 2nd day of matrices - Students were given a system and told to solve it using RREF in their calculator.  The purpose of this discussion was to make sure students knew how to use their graphing calculator to solve systems.
• Fri - 3rd day of matrices - Students were given a system to solve and the timer started.  Answer key was at the U and students saw how quickly they could correctly solve a matrix.  This was less a WSQ chat as a warm-up activity/formative assessment for individual students.

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The second grading period ends Friday (we have 6 week grading periods), and I have seen tremendous progress in my students with re-assessments and simply turning in missing work! I finally had to resort to consequences for missing work (our school has a progressive discipline program in place for missing assignments) and that sure motivated the students.  Red (missing) assignments and 0's in the gradebook started disappearing very quickly!  This also means students' grades went up a lot.  I guess they just didn't understand how much little assignments can affect their grade.

I am happy to say that I have 1/2 the number of F's in my struggling 5th period class as I did the first grading period.  Yay for them!

I sent home "Good news texts" to any parents who had given me their number (from my teaching Google Voice number).  That was fun for me and fun for them.  I wish I had all the parents, but not everyone texts and not everyone said it was okay... One student's favorite part of the week?

Reassessing on Unit I and getting an A. My mom was so proud when she told me about the good news text!

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I still send out the weekly survey for reflection and feedback.  I only get between 3-5 responses (out of 105) a week, but it's still good.  I'll send out a more formal one come the end of the semester.

One of the questions I asked this week was about which activities help them the most in class and why.  Here was one student's response:

Video lessons: I can pause, rewatch, skip ahead to see if I got the correct answers.
SSS packets: goes hand in hand with video lessons, very helpful tool.
PQ problems: they help me see if I truly understood the concept and if I didn't, I could always ask for help since the PQ problems are on the quiz, and those problems are going to be on test.
WSQ chat activities: allows a chance to clear things up
"U" small groups: if there's something little you need help with like how to properly use your calculator you can get a quick little tutorial

 

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On a side note, I tried a little peer instruction with my 6th period Algebra 1 class on Thursday.  It actually went (fairly) well.  It helped to get students out of their seats and helping each other.  A lot more monitoring for off task behavior and a much tighter timeline between questions is needed since they are much more immature and unfocused, but still a positive activity to try again.

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We've got a 4 day week, a 5 day week, and then a week off for Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for the opportunity to share, and for my PLN, especially the CheeseBucket Posse of Cheryl, Andrew, and Karl, who have been there for me through thick and thin, especially right around this time last year.  Love you guys!

Week 8 - I love Peer Instruction!

Seriously, I do!  It really has made the WSQ chat time of class so much more valuable and focused than anything I've done in years past.  (I posted about it a few weeks ago here).  The students really seem to enjoy it as well, and find it very beneficial.

One thing I tried out this week (we did Peer Instruction on Thursday and Friday this week) was purposely picking problems that went one step beyond what I taught on the video.  This helped to challenge every student and provided for some great conversation both as a class and in groups.

I also feel it provides a little bit of that teacher-instruction that some of my students are still craving as I'm weaning them off the traditional classroom.  (Even though in peer instruction, I am really not doing any instruction myself, I'm simply putting the problem on the screen, timing them, and asking for votes... but for some reason just having me lead the activity makes them feel like "old times")  Keep them happy = they work harder for you!

When I put a problem up on the screen, I always give between 2-3 minutes for students to answer them individually.  When I ask for answers, there are several options, and what I do with each option.  The second part of this peer instruction time takes another 2-4 minutes, depending on the problem.

• All the students (or all but 2-3) get it right - I tell the students who still don't quite get it to put a * by it, and when the WSQ chat is over they will come to the U and I will go over it with them.
• 10 or so kids don't get it right - We review the problem orally as a class, which provides those kids a little more time to finish (sometimes they don't have it right because they need more time), and gives them that hint they need.  If they still don't quite get it, they will come to the U after the WSQ chat time.
• 1/2 the class doesn't get it right - All the students who get it right stand up, and go help somebody who is sitting.  Once that student understands, they also stand up and go find somebody to help.  Once everyone, or all but 2-3 students, are standing, I ask them to return to their seats. Same as before, if a student still doesn't quite get it, they are asked to put a * and come to the U.
• Only 6-10 kids get it right - The students who got it right stand up and each of them go to a table or 1/2 of a table and work with a small group of students.  Once students get the right answer, they stand up and join in on the helping.
• Nobody gets it right - I begin the problem on the board and clarify some misunderstandings or misconceptions that I sense they are having.  I don't solve it all the way, but give them another minute or two after I've done the first few steps.  We then "vote" again and see where we are at.

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• I did have a student who wanted to try the "flipped" "flipped classroom".  Meaning, because of her schedule, she wanted to watch the videos in class and do the practice at home.  I was more than willing to have her try it out if she thought it would help.  She did for a couple of days and then I noticed her working back with the group.  She said that she found it to actually be more time consuming and would rather do it the "real" flipped classroom way.  I'm glad she had the opportunity to experience that, sometimes I think our students need to experience both ways so they can see the benefits of the flipped classroom.

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• I took one of my class periods to the Mac Lab this week to do some guided instruction on watching videos.  Yes, we are over 2 months into the school year, but this class period still seems to be struggling.  I have half the class with A's and B's, and the other half with D's and F's.  Never had a Math Analysis class like this before, but I needed to find a way to help support them.  After a conversation with our principal, I thought a day in the lab might help them with some of their struggles.  Thankfully, Wednesday was the PSAT day and a "catchup" day in class so they didn't actually miss out on a day of something new.
• I projected the video on the big screen and had all the students open up the Sophia tutorial and WSQ form on their computer.  We talked about a few things:
• Be "FIT" when watching videos (see my FAQ page for details on that)
• Preview the WSQ questions before watching the video.  The guiding questions I choose are supposed to be the "Big Idea" behind the lesson.  I was greatly surprised to find only about 5 of my 36 students actually look at the questions before watching, which means they spend a great deal of time after the video trying to think back through what they learned and don't watch with a purpose.
• With that, answering the questions/writing the summary throughout watching the lesson as they pull together key ideas and see the "Big Idea"
• How to appropriately pause, rewind, and take notes.  I have structured times for them to pause, "Just Pause It" comes on, but there are also times when a big callout comes on the screen, or when I say a key phrase from one of the guiding WSQ questions... again, I was surprised to find so many of my students did not actively pay attention or pause during those times.
• How to attempt the secret questions.  The WSQ we did together had two parts, so we watch the first part together, and then they watched the second part on their own computers.  In between, they were to attempt one of the secret questions.  I was surprised to find a student working on the first secret question TWENTY  MINUTES after we ended the video!!  I reminded the students that the secret questions were to measure their progress and let them know what sort of questions they needed to ask the next day.  If they don't understand it, they are to write how far they got, where they got stuck, etc (NOT "IDK" THOUGH!!).  Then, they are to MOVE ON!  Again, I was surprised that even though I've mentioned this many times, students were making their lives harder by  not following my instructions.

• Students responded well to the activity.  Here is what they said:
• The lab idea was awesome but I doubt we will be doing that often. I still liked doing my homework there, I didn't need the extra help but I'm sure the other kids appreciated it.
• Hello Mrs. Kirch :) Today went good. I liked being in the computer lab and it was beneficial because I saw if the way I watched the wsq's was correct or not.
• Hi, Mrs. Kirch. I think today's class was actually very helpful. Before, i would just watch the videos without knowing what the summary questions were. So, i would often have to refer back to the videos while doing my summary questions. This will save me some time. :) Also, I think being in the computer lab is good every now and then because we can go over the material together.
• I liked it! It felt really productive, and it helped me notice the "important" things in the videos the first time watching them.
• i thought today's class was pretty decent but i still prefer to going at my pace (sorry children) in class. Being in the computer lab once in a while is fine though to get people caught up (???) in how to understand WSQ's and how to watch your videos. 

• I did find it interesting that two students directly told me in person that they liked the lab activity better because they like it when I teach them myself in person.  I was really confused because I purposely DID NOT do any teaching beyond the video that day.  I was just there to pause it, remind them to write things down, rewind the video, and model good viewing habits for them.  But somehow, just my presence in the room seems to make it feel different for some students. I talked about that with them, and told them that when they are watching it on their own, they just need to act like I am there with them in the room telling them when to pause it and think about things.  I'm not sure what else to say though...

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• Since the PSAT took all the juniors outside of class, my 1st period class had ten students (seniors and sophomores).  They just had a work day, and then I chatted with them for about 10 minutes about how the class is going.  I mainly asked them the big question: "Am I asking too much of you?  Am I making this class too difficult for you?".  That is the complaint I hear the most because I require the students to do concept quizzes, blog posts, use technology, etc - all things the other Math Analysis classes don't have to do.  But, I do them because I feel that they help students to learn and master the material, and to go deeper with it in terms of understanding the content and seeing the connections among the material throughout the year.
• The answer that those students overwhelmingly had was that yes, my class is tough - but it helps them to learn and they've gotten used to it now.  That was encouraging to hear on my end :)
• I asked them what they most time consuming part was, and they said it was typing up the WSQ after watching the lesson.  This led me to talk about guided summaries vs. open summaries and why I made the change to mostly guided summaries.  They agreed that the guided summaries help them to focus on what the important ideas are.
• One change I made based on that conversation was for their blog posts, they usually have to write 2 paragraphs - "What is this problem about" and "What is the trickiest part of this problem?".  I took away the first paragraph because they basically answer that question in the course of solving the problem on video or in their picture worked out step by step, so it was just one extra task for them to do.  I figure, if it's not hugely important to me and it relieves a little stress on their side, I don't mind modifying or adjusting it.

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• Reflection and feedback from this week (I send out this weekly survey, and get about 4-5 responses a week)
• I am now more used to the flipped classroom and not as frustrated as I was in the beginning of the year.
• It's better, but I'm still bad at the material even when I give my effort. It gets frustrating, but it's definitely easier to get used to even though I tend to fall behind in retaining all the concepts.
• The Mac room. It was mostly simply because most of us had already been finished with one of the concepts and as a student I know most people don't like watching educational videos at home but correct me if I'm wrong. It was interesting and a good day. I just love it when a teacher just explains everything to us orally and as a group like a regular class would.
• Thank you Mrs. Kirch for all the patience and understanding you demonstrate towards us cheesebuckets. I think this kind of classroom and atmosphere is just what I needed this year.  
• Material is extremely easy for me and I easily learn it. The computer lab activity helped me greatly by allowing me more fun time at my house. 
  
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say 7. The peer learning? I think it's called helps me best because it provides that one-on-one teaching and if you don't understand how to work out a problem, there are usually several others who also don't understand it and it isn't as embarrassing to admit. And then the U sessions right after if you still don't completely understand are very helpful. 
• It's still hard for me, but I like doing the WSQ chats because I know on the spot what I'm doing wrong or right

Week 7 - students seem to be adjusted; good results continuing!

This was an insane but really good week.  

This was the first full unit after my "integrity" speech with my Math Analysis students, and I continually tried to emphasize "Do the work to learn and master the material, not to get the signature and the points."  I think it went fairly well.  I'm obviously concerned that students won't be able to self-evaluate very well at this point and will end up doing poorly on the test.  But, I think that lesson is best learned through experience.

They did have another test this week (Unit G) and did AMAZING!  See pie charts of my class results here.  It was a pretty tough test on analyzing the parts of rational functions, but students all said they thought it was easier than they expected because of the practice they did.

Looking at how my students have been performing this year, the last two units (F and G) have been VERY good. Units A-D were review units that they did over the summer, and E was our first "real" unit.  I chatted with one of my classes about it and they made a conjecture that F and G have been better because they were more adjusted to the flipped classroom at that point.  E was tough because it was the first real unit and they were still trying to figure out what to expect in my class.  Hopefully that conjecture is true and it will continue!

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On Wednesday I had the privilege of presenting at Chapman University in one of their Teacher Ed classes about Flipped Learning.  It was awesome to see so many passionate and excited teachers with so many great questions about the flipped classroom and its implementation.

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Speaking of presentations, I've got a lot coming up!  Please feel free to sign up and join me (both are FREE!):

1. Flipped Learning in Math and the Common Core - Webinar presented by EdWeb.Net and the Flipped Learning Network
2. Flipping with Kirch - Webinar presented by Sophia.org

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I wrote in a previous post about my explorations with Peer Instruction as a part of my WSQ chats (thanks to Troy Faulkner for commenting about his recent appearance on Jon Bergmann's podcast "The Flip Side" talking about Peer Instruction, find it here!).  I also tried a modified version of what I described on Friday.  Instead of doing it whole-class, each student was given a half-sheet of paper with 7 problems on it (w/ multiple choice answers).  They were given 2 minutes to solve them all (they were quick and easy log problems).  At the end of the two minutes, they all had to put their pencils down.  I had each group choose a group leader, whose basic role was to lead the group in going over the answers and then explaining the right answers to anyone who did not get it right.  I then went around and checked their "scores" and checked in with any student who didn't get 7/7.  I thought it was a nice change to the whole-class peer instruction method I've been using.

I came up with a tentative could-be inquiry activity for using the properties of logs to develop the properties for expanding and condensing logs.  It's too late to use as an inquiry this year (students are watching the video this weekend going over the laws), but I'm going to use it as a WSQ chat activity on Monday instead.  You can see the worksheet I made here.  We'll see how it goes.  I want students to see that using the properties they already know (converting from logarithmic to exponential form, change of base formula, etc) they can actual derive the product, quotient, and power properties used in expanding and condensing.

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I've talked over my ideas for flipping my "Course 1" (algebra 1) Common Core course with another teacher and think I have some better ideas for what I want to do.  Now I just have to find the time to record the videos!  Basically, I want to take any of the mini direct instruction lessons that are needed and put those on videos for students to watch during class time on our iPods or laptops.  I have enough devices for students to do this in partners (which I would pick for them, of course).  Then, instead of spending 15-25 minutes going over the instructions, directions, basics, etc, students could watch a 5 minute video which they could speed up or slow down to meet their needs.  I just feel like it is not effective at all standing up front delivering that instruction, even though I have smaller classes this year (35 and 28, respectively).  It goes against everything in my teaching philosophy.  However, there is still some instruction needed so I have to find a better way.  I will definitely blog as I am able to get started with it, which I really hope is soon...

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Some student comments from this week's reflection and feedback survey:

• The year so far is going great and I have adapted well to the flipped classroom. I even think I like it better than a traditional classroom.
• It is starting to get easier for me, know that I have gotten use to the flipped classroom.
• The year in the beginning was hard because I wasn't used to the flipped classroom but since I now have adjusted it really does help. 
• The best part of the week was being able to work on the assignments in class and being able to not only ask others for help, but give them help and answering their questions because it helps both of us. 
• My favorite part was taking the test and knowing that I was prepared for it. 
• The best part of the week was learning the chants for unit G which really helped for the test.

Week 6 Reflection

Week 6. I can hardly remember the last 6 days!  Sleep deprivation is not so good on the brain - how do our students do it?  My body is so well trained that no matter how exhausted I am, I still wake up between 4:45 and 5am, even on the weekends.  Oh, for a good night's sleep!

Things are going well.  The "Today in Class" that I started 2 weeks ago is still going well. I didn't monitor it as well this week since we started a crazy unit, but it is still a good accountability tool.

We had an "integrity check" on Tuesday for their Unit F WSQ charts.  They took their test on Tuesday, which by the way they did AMAZING on... out of 107 students I only had 7 (? I think) fail.  Most students got A's and B's, and it was a pretty tough test, in my opinion.  Anyways, I am having students peer sign off their WSQ charts this year.  That way I don't waste my time signing charts - I focus on actually helping them.  It also gives them more responsibility for managing their work and their time.  Well, as I suspected (but I let it go on for the whole unit), students were lying and just signing off WSQ charts whether or not the work was completed.  They weren't showing each other their work, they were just hurriedly signing off multiple boxes at once to "get the points".  Well, after I ripped up their charts in front of them and assigned all of them after school detention (yes, it was crazy, but 90 of the 107 showed up; 9 students were excused because I checked through their work and they were actually honest), we had a chat about integrity, but also the purpose of their work.  My students are so used to doing the work to get points and to avoid consequence.  I want them to realize that the work I give them is for their own good and for their practice.  I told them that if they don't need to do all the practice I assign, that is fine... but they better pass the test!  I gave them an incentive - if they don't complete all the "assigned work" but still get an 85% or higher on the unit test, they will receive that % in place of their "assignment completion" score in the gradebook.  Practice work is only worth 5% in the gradebook anyways - basically nothing - but if a student doesn't finish the assignments because they don't need to, I don't want them wasting their time doing work just to get it done and get the points.  Once they feel they've mastered it, move on!  We will see how that goes...
The big point of that discussion was why I have them peer sign off, why they are assigned the work, and the purpose of the work.  And...the big lesson was don't sign something off if it's not complete - that's not living with integrity.

A few quotes from my current students on their weekly opportunity to give me feedback and reflect:

• The best part of the week was class bonding time when everyone had to stand up and put their arms up like a robot. I love to see how Mrs. Kirch is always so busy and always trying to be their for her students in EVERY single class. I love the way how she treats us and lets us get started on our class work very early and when you're done with that. Everything else shouldn't be as hard.
• I love this class, although i not much of a singer/ dancer the songs and activities help me remember keys points in the concepts, and I find this very helpful.
• The best part of this week was working in our groups helping each other out.
• Class time-The work is generally easy and I don't necessarily feel rushed when working
• My grade shot up after a reassessment.
• Learning in how to make a video and uploading it to your blog
• favorite part was the "today in class..." work sheets, it keeps me organized and sets a goal for the day 
• to keep up the good work mrs. kirch! i am transitioning well in mrs kirch's class
• I am getting into the motion of how a flipped classroom works, however the blogs and videos are confusing and I also cannot keep up with all the acronyms that are used in the classroom.
• Hmm your doing a better job at explaining problems with the class, the year is starting to take it course and by that I mean that I'm finally getting used to my classes and the flipped classroom is getting more comfortable the more I use it
• Its hard im not going to lie especially when im used to just being given the work. I still honestly would love to have a regular classroom but I like the flexibility with all my other classes. Thanks for helping me adjust. with time it will get easier.
• Its a lot different than what I am normally accustomed to, I may struggle a bit throughout the year but I will try to move along with the class as best as I can. The flipped classroom is way different but I am slowly getting used to it, as well as all of the other technology that comes with the class.

On the other end of the spectrum, I'm getting closer to an idea of how I can implement flipped learning in my Algebra 1/Course 1 Common Core course.  I'm too exhausted to explain now, but I'll blog about it as I try it!

12-13 1st semester student feedback: "Overall Student Feedback"

Response totals from my 159 students this year.  This includes BOTH Math Analysis Honors (11th-12th graders) as well as Algebra 1 CP (9th-10th graders).  I did not separate the results.  (Updated on February 16th, 2013)

To see the links to all survey question responses, please go here.

The percentage of students in "Always" and "Most of the Time" increased from my mid-survey (70 students) check (57% to 65%).  Some changes I have implemented this semester with the discussions:

• Writing "new" discussion questions based on WSQ responses from previous night.  Students didn't like having to re-discuss the same questions they already went over.  So, if there was one question that most people were confused on, that goes back on the list to discuss in class, but otherwise I try to come up with some HOTter (Higher-Order Thinking) questions for them to discuss with my assistance as needed.
• Re-instating "time limits" for discussions.  This next week I will start using the visible timer on screen as well (have to figure out logistics as I have the questions on the screen and can't project the time as well...)
• For my Algebra 1 students, I am holding them accountable to actually taking notes from the discussion on lined paper.  I'm hoping this re-engages some of the students to participating since I will be checking.

The percentage of "Always" decreased from 61% to 48%... and it makes sense, since the students who generally do what they are supposed to on time (hence they always watch the videos on time) also did the survey on time :)

The percentage of students in the top two categories decreased from 94% of responses to 89%.  Still, these are tremendous responses.  Only 12 students who are "not really trying" and 6 in the other category, which basically means they wrote me a narrative reason instead of selecting the choices.  Here are some of the "other" comments:

• Depends on how much homework I have in each class. If I have little, I focus my attention to Chem and Math
• I put in a huge effort to catch up, thank you!
• I'm not really trying but I promise 2nd semester will be good :)
• Senioritis 
• Some days i try and others I'm to tired.

While a student's self-evaluation is important, there's also a lot of learning and training that needs to happen for my students to reach their potential.  I still have not figured out how to truly hold them accountable for quality responses on their WSQs, something I didn't encounter as much last year because they were handwritten and I didn't really read them closely every day.  Since they are in the Google Form now, I can read them as much or as little as I want.  

One thing that has helped my Algebra 1 students is providing them with sentence frames to start their responses with.  However, a lot of the responses are rushed, don't really answer the guided summary questions, and miss the point.  

It makes me wonder sometimes when I ask a question that was basically the main point of the video and they didn't get it right - did they really not get it, was it not taught clearly, or were they just not paying attention?

These percentages have stayed about the same, and this is where I want them to be.  I'm going to have those students who don't really need my help.  26% is pretty high, it would be nice to break it down by class, but that will take a little time I don't have nice for in this post tonight :).  

I did break the "I'm not really trying" down by class and it was even - 8 MA and 9 Alg1 (although I do have 30 more MA students than Alg1).

I'm still not that satisfied with class time in Algebra 1 right now.  Math Analysis - for the most part I love it.  My kids are having great discussions and I love the few different real-life and inquiry activities I have been able to incorporate in the last few units.  I'm looking forward to continuing to build more into the lessons as the years go on!  Math Analysis is not without it's trials, however.  I have found that students still need structure, guidance, and deadlines.  I have really had to figure out the balance between freedom and responsibility (hence my post titled that...).  But, all in all they are really coming along, adjusting, and working hard.

Algebra 1...another story.  At this point in the year, I feel like routines should be in place.  Well, they are... but I mean that students should have the routines figured out.  Many of them do, but enough of them still don't to drive me crazy.  Finally, with permission from my admin, I separated the kids out and the "distracting" students that never really work are off to the side and all the students in groups are ones that focus and do their best (still heterogenous grade-wise though).  If a student in a group is not working or following directions, they are moved to the side for the day.  The next day they get another try.  We are only 3 days in, but it's been going okay.  I've had a few students from the "side" tell me that they actually like working better by themselves - what a great discovery for them and me! :)  We will see how this continues to go...

Happy with these results, but my question still is... how can I make sure those students who need more help get the help they need?

I have noticed that students don't see the benefit to the writing part of the WSQ at this point.  However, I know they are developing their writing skills and communicating mathematically.  In addition, the written WSQ is really three things:

1) an accountability tool for me to see who has really watched it;

2) a tool that guides the discussion and tells me what I want the students to talk about and lets me know if we need to go over something as a whole class;

3) a processing tool for the students to think about the material, even if sometimes they feel like they are "spitting it back out", they have to understand it a little in order to do that clearly and concisely. 

After seeing these results, I really thought through "What's the Point" of the assignments I give my students.  I realized that while the purpose was clear to me, it wasn't always clear to my students.  This really applies to the "student videos" part.  Some of those numbers are skewed because my Alg1 students only did 1 student video in the semester and it was a little messy because of the technology and then we didn't really talk about them.  So, about 15 of those 55 responses were from Alg1 students and I don't really feel like that accurately depicts the situation.  For Math Analysis, I really took their thoughts seriously and went over in class WHY we do certain things... What is the purpose of the videos? (not for "extra practice" for them, as they thought - but as a form of assessment.  Once they heard this, a lot of lightbulbs turned on).  What is the purpose of the quizzes?  What is the purpose of the WSQ at home and then in class?  It was really a great conversation and reminds me that I need to do that more at the beginning of the year and whenever I introduce something new. 

Reflections on Week 17 (Previews of End-Of-Year Survey))

We have 9 more days of school.  My seniors have 4 more days of school.  It is hard to believe it is the end of the year.

This is what I LOVE about the end of the year:

• The prospects of not waking up to an alarm clock for two months
• Getting to plan for a whole new group of students in August!
• Getting to start fresh and try new things!
• Cleaning and organizing the junk that has accumulated over the last 9-10 months

This is what I HATE about the end of the year:

• Dealing with senioritis, especially since I teach a class where no seniors ever need my class to graduate so it is their lowest priority
• Feeling like there's still more I could do to work with these kids, but being out of time and handing them off to the next teacher hoping they won't lose everything they've learned from me (referring to non-math things here)
• Saying goodbye to a group of students who I've really grown close to and bonded with

This week:
No School Monday
Department Collaboration Day Tuesday
Delayed Start Wednesday (short days)
One Regular Day Thursday
Modified (minimum) day Friday

So, I pretty much had one normal day with my students again this week...  
I am really feeling the affects of being pulled out of my classroom so much this year.  I have missed a month of school this year - and NONE of them were sick days. 
I have tried to still expect the same out of my students the last three weeks, but it has been insane since I have missed 3 of the last 8 school days, and out of the 5 days I have been there, 4 have been short/weird schedule days. 
Although I love the flipped classroom in terms of my students can still continue through the content, I cannot depend on a sub to fully maintain the environment of my classroom - especially at this point in the year when students are so ready for summer and they struggle to stay focused and work even when I am there.

My End of the Year survey responses will be finished by the end of this week, but here are some previews!  I'll be doing more detailed summaries and blog posts in a couple of weeks with all of the responses.

What part of the Flipped Classroom this last year was most beneficial to you as a student? (will have these answers on video once interviews are done being filmed - I can't wait to hear these straight from the student's mouth!)

• I think the most beneficial part of flipped classroom was not having to spend more than an hour on homework at home, since in class you finish it in less then an hour
• When i watch the video it felt like a one on one lesson so that really helped. I got to pause and go back whenever i needed to. 
• The flipped classroom benefited me this past year by changing my mental idea of learning. In learning I think of how the teachers are responsible for teaching the lesson everyday and if lesson is not taught because the teacher is absent well that leaves the students to be behind on learning and has to be crammed later in the year. But in a flipped classroom you have a pre-made video ready for you before hand and you have a lesson everyday so you have no one to blame but yourself if you miss a video. 
• The best part of a flipped classroom is having the option to go back and relearn a topic if i need to. This would definitely be the time we get to spend in class working independently and in groups. I get a majority of my questions answered there and Mrs. Kirch is always very personally and willing to help; the best part is that she actually has the time to help out individually.
• The most beneficial part for me as a student was that I got more help on my homework in class where I need it, instead of not needing it at home, where I learn the lesson.
• I think that being able to collaborate with my classmates has been one of the best parts of flipped classroom. The most beneficial thing for me about flipped classroom is that it helped to understand things better.
• As a student I would have to say the WSQs because it would make you reflect on what you had just learned in the videos.The videos at home and the discussions we had in class about last nights video.
• Being able to re-watch the lesson and being able to have out teacher helping me individually on a problem in class instead of coming in after school or before school.
• The Flipped Classroom made me a lot more responsible. As a student, i was able to experience a really busy schedule as their was a video to watch, notes to take, and a summary to fill out every single night. There was no way you could finish "math" homework the period before class since you need a device to watch the videos.
• The most beneficial part about the flipped classroom was being able to ask my teacher for help in class. In a normal class you normally can't ask several questions because you have to get through the entire lesson plan before the period ends. In flipped classroom, you can ask for help and usually can get one to one time with the teacher, which is good because you can learn at your own pace. 
• The part of the Flipped Classroom this past year that was most beneficial to me as a student would definitely be being able to receive extra help in class. As a senior in a predominately junior class it was also helpful to have 36 other people who could help me with homework during class since it's often difficult to find people outside of class who could help me. 
• The part that was most beneficial for me was that when i didn't get a concept i can just keep watching the video at my own rate of learning instead of being in a class at everybody else's pace.
• Being able to work with a group in class to be able to understand the video better.
• I liked the new setting, and this placed a positive attitude on my education especially during a tough and stressful junior year.  I liked this new setup because I gave it a chance, and I found it beneficial in learning and in relieving some stress at the end of the day.
• The most beneficial part of the flipped classroom this past year or so was being able to re-watch or rewind the videos. It gave me a better feeling of the concept as I knew what was important and it helped me get a better understanding being able to actually go back and analyze the concept.
• The part that was beneficial to the flipped classroom was being able to understand each concept in depth with the wsq. The wsq helped answered some unanswered questions that I did not get, It also helps to have the power to rewatch the videos in order to master them.
• The part that was most beneficial to me as a student is that it required me to take responsibility for my own learning. 
• Overall getting to know a new option or method of learning and exploring it in a way that actually helped me learn and gave me the power to dictate my education.
• The part that was most beneficial to me as a student was that the video was always available. That let us reference it as many times as possible in case we needed to review it. 
• It made me way more organized with my homework and class assignments.
• Watching the video beforehand in order to be prepared to learn the next day. it also makes us better students because we can help others if they don't understand the concept.
• Watching the videos obviously. At first in traditional i was a bit behind because Mrs. Kirch went really fast we learned something new each day whether it was easy or very difficult. So, being able to re-watch videos was helpful. 
• The part of watching videos at home w/ out distractions. Also, helping people out, and taking quizzes and getting them graded soon. It teaches you to be responsible for the work you get done.
• The most beneficial part of the flipped classroom is the ability to receive help from peers and the teacher during the class period.
• The abundance of resources and the ability to watch past concepts when i needed a refresher. 
• The most beneficial part of the Flipped Classroom is being in group in class and having classmates help me with the problems that I didn't quite understand the night before.
• Being able to receive help from Mrs. Kirch as well as other students.
• The part of the flipped classroom this last year that was most beneficial to me as a student was that if I forgot or didn't really understand a concept, I could rewatch the videos to help me clarify my misconceptions.
• I believe that the videos we had to make on our own, teaching how to do a certain problem helped to review the concept more. We had to learn how to do the problems and be able to explain it, so it was more practice for us and for those who watched them as well. 
• It was really the same just instead of 45 minute lessons in school you'll get 10 maybe 20  at home and it was beneficial to me because I kept getting less in trouble with homework incomplete
• The most beneficial thing for me was the wsq chart. In reality i did not want to get a homework card so i had the motivation to get my work done on time. Also if i wanted to work ahead it told me exactly what i needed to do. 
• The most beneficial thing to me would be that there was an easier way to bond with my classmates over being able to talk about the problem. Also, anyone can be a teacher once a topic is learned. 
• The part that was most beneficial to me was that the videos were very elaborate,  and i noticed a big change in my learning experience compared to my freshman and sophomore math classes.
• The part where you had us do most of our work with a group and you gave us everything in a way so that we learned how to be independent 
• Doing the homework in class. Just like I explained in the previous question. It helped me from going from a D average in math to a B
• The part that was most beneficial to me was that I got to communicate with my group members about the assignments. At home, it's pretty hard to get help especially since there's no one to get help from really.
• Definitely working at my own pace has helped me since at times i find classes to be too slow and i quickly lose interest or too fast and i give up. Also the summary at the end allows me to assess what i just learned and think about it. 
• The part that was most beneficial was that all the assignments for the next few weeks was always displayed. This allowed me to get ahead of the class by working on the assignments for later days. I could spend time in class helping other students since I would have already learned their current concept.
• I think the online submissions really worked because they ensured that we understood and paid attention to the key aspects of the concept. Whereas in the summary, we just wrote down what we thought was important, the online wsq made sure that we understood all the terms and points that were mentioned in the video. It also made sure that we understood how to solve the problems (since we had to submit our secret question answers). 
• The most beneficial part about the Flipped Classroom to me was that we had more one on one time with teacher.  Also, it helped me take responsibility for my own learning.
• The most beneficial was not going home with a lot of homework. And all the help we got with the problems in class. It helped a lot
• The part that was the most beneficial for me was the lessons at home because i was out of class most of the time playing sports and this happened every season and i was missing  a lot of class. Before the flipped classroom i would miss lessons and go on my own time which was pretty hard. With the lessons you can miss class and still be on the same track as everyone else.
• Flipped classroom made me realize that i am responsible for my own learning, and its up to me to succeed in a class where i have all the resources available to me . 
• Learning without being pressured of the teacher going too fast

What will you miss the most? What did you enjoy the most? #flipclass student thoughts

I asked this question on my Week 15 Reflection - What part of this class do you think you will miss the most?  Which part have you enjoyed the most this year?

• Flipped classroom and working with others it.
• I think i will miss the songs and chants and i enjoyed the SSS and flipped classroom videos.
• I will miss being able to see everyone. The part I enjoyed the most was the friendships I made in this class due to flipped classroom.
• i think the part I'll miss is having those videos on youtube.
• At first those songs were not my friends but i think about it and i actually liked them :).. catchy and they had a purpose, very educational "
• Being able to do the homework in class, and being able to sit wherever we want as long as its with someone you know you can get your work done!
• I love our seats. We all work together and help each other to finish our work. :) Overall, I've enjoyed that this class has been experiencing new things. We get to do stuff that other classes here at [our high school] don't normally get to do.
• I think I will miss the open quizzes the most.
• The part i enjoyed the most this year was learning that not everything will be easy. Also learning that "if its important to you you will find a way, if its not you will find an excuse."
• i enjoyed being able to watch the video and understanding everything much better.
• I think i will miss being able to actually do my homework in class rather than at home, I enjoyed being a guinea pig in your process of flipped class rooms
• The part of the class I will miss most and the part that i enjoyed is WSQ-ing with our groups.
• I will miss getting ahead and I enjoyed seeing my mom be proud of me for once

What is a Flipped Classroom? My students define in their words...

It is always interesting for me to hear my students' opinions on things... that is why I have a "reflection" for them to complete every week during the semester (completely optional, but I do offer some participation points - ugh, I even hate saying that, but it's true...it's one way to have them do something that doesn't really benefit them in any way)

I usually get between 10-30 responses in a given week (out of 180 students), but many weeks I will put repeat questions on there so I will gt a broader set of answers as students choose to do the reflections one week and not the other.

I will continue to update this post as the responses come in.

We all have our own definitions of the flipped classroom... trying to find just the right words to make this amazing, transformational, learning process make sense to someone else in just a few concise sentences (which I honestly think is impossible to fully convey exactly what a flipped classroom is in words...).  I have come up with several different definitions over the course of the semester, and I don't even think I have one that I really like yet.  They all seem to be missing something.

So, I wanted to ask my students what THEIR definition was. 

 I had several purposes in doing this:

1. I wanted them to think about what it was we are really doing this semester.

2. I want to get ideas to formulate my own definition :)

3. I want to see if what I THINK I am conveying to them is actually getting across!!

Here are their definitions... some are rather simplistic, but some are REALLY GOOD... (I've put the ones I really like in BLUE)

• A flipped classroom is learning new stuff at home and doing homework in class, getting the help you need with the ones you don't understand.

• A flipped classroom is where a classroom is taught, so to speak, at home by watching videos of all their lessons while they take notes. When they come to class, they work on what they would've originally worked on at home, worksheets with problems and stuff like that. The teacher is there the whole time answering questions, helping someone with a problem, to make sure they understand each lesson.

• Flipped classroom is to get help in class and get help on videos.

• A flipped classroom is the other way around than a regular classroom. You learn the Concepts at home at come ready to work. You can watch the videos at your own pace if you dont get something or you get stuck on something you can go back at rewind the video or watch more examples of it.

• A flipped classroom is a different method of learning at home in a video and doing homework and other things during classroom. I think it's two different focuses at one time but there also all together.

• A flipped class room is when you watch a new lesson at home on your computer and then go to class and practice it with the help of Mrs. Kirch and your group.

• A Flipped Classroom is that instead of learning the lesson in the class you are going to learn it in the video and you can see it over and over again

• A flipped classroom is a class for homework and home for class work.

• A Flipped Classroom is one where students learn at home and then do homework in class but overall, is not much of a change from normal classrooms as sometimes students are required to read at home to do work later in class- essentially the same thing.

• Watching the video at home and doing the homework in class.

• A flipped classroom is a teaching method in which the students are in charge of learning the lesson at home, and bring any questions that they have to class the next day. After discussing them, they do their assigned homework in class.

• A flipped classroom is watching the normal "class lesson" at home and doing the "homework" in class, learning at home while cooperating and solving problems in class.

• A Flipped Classroom is when a student has material at home and has to teach the material to himself or learn the material through an online aid which clears up the classroom time for discussion and activities.

• A flipped classroom is when we do the home things in school for example homework and we do school things at home for example lessons. I honestly think that things done in class will be the complete opposite.

• A Flipped Classroom is a student's own responsibility to take charge on their education.

• A flipped classroom is where students take the initiative and learn the lesson. This process is similar to college and will prepare the student for future classes.

• A Flipped Classroom is a place where students take responsibility for their own education.  The students watch the videos, the students take notes, and the students ask questions if they do not understand something.  The students also reflect on what they have learned and can discuss challenging concepts with classmates instead of relying on the teacher for everything.

• A flipped classroom is when you watch a video for homework on a lesson. The next day you come into class and work on the classwork and get help on the lesson.

Biggest Benefit of the Flipped Classroom...

I asked this question of my students:

What has been the biggest BENEFIT for you as a student of doing the Flipped Classroom?

• The flipped classroom has helped me enormously. Last year, it was really hard because I didn't get how to do the problems. This year, I know how to do them.  I get to interact with others who help me on the problems that I get stuck on.

• When we learn things in class it tends to take longer, I catch on to certain concepts fast so it helps when I'm allowed to skip ahead and go at my own pace.

• It gave me a chance to learn in a different way that i wouldn't assume I would enjoy, but I did. The flipped classroom has benefited me by giving me a different perspective towards teachers and the way they teach and giving me a greater respect for them and what they do.

• As a person I feel that it has helped me because I learn how to work on my time better. 

• It adds more responsibility to the student, and it builds self-sufficiency since your own grade is on the line. Also, it provides numerous resources to help us on the work (links to outside sources, videos, other practice problems). 

• Being able to learn at my own pace and being able to handle integrity and responsibility for my own work and most importantly learning how to manage my time

• It has benefited me as a person because I became a little more independent because i am responsible for learning my own material. If I choose not to, then i am missing out on a whole lesson.

Should I "jump right in" next year?

One of the biggest questions I have for myself is HOW I am going to introduce the flipped classroom to my students next year.

Should I just jump right in from day one and start flipping lessons the first week, just expecting students to come on board and figure it out?

 Or, should I slowly get them used to it, transitioning them from traditional to a fully flipped class?

Before I say what I am thinking right now, I wanted to share what my students had to say.  I asked them this question:

How should I present "Flipped Classroom" to my students next year?  Jump in from day 1? Slowly teach them how it works?  What do you think would be best?



From My Algebra 1 Students:

• I think you should slowly teach them how the flipped classroom works because if you do it on the first day, they will get overwhelmed and it will be confusing to them. This is a hard decision because I think both ideas are good. If you jump in on the first day, it will help breaking the habit of the regular classroom. Also, the students might be excited to be doing something new.
• I think you should tell them about it on day one but begin it after school has been going on for a while. Show them the difference and they will most likely like it better because they can go at their own pace. Not only that you will be able to see who can take responsibility for their own actions.
• Show them some of your videos from this year to give them an idea of what to expect and slowly teach how it works.
• Yes from day 1 so by the end of the year they can keep up with the program. 
• Talk to them what is a flipped classroom and tell them the purpose of the flipped classroom. You can show them examples on your computer or take them to the lab and show them on school tube.
• I would tell them like you told us. only because it helped. BUT you should also teach them more on how to do it. (watch the video, do the W.S.Q)

From My Math Analysis Honors Students:

• In all honesty the best, I feel, to do would be to slowly teach them how it works for Algebra classes but for M.A.H classes jump right into it and give them a little explanation on how it works.
• I think you should just teach Flipped Classroom like it is the normal thing to do because that way, there is no transition, just something they would feel is normal.
• Slowly teach them how it works. Its a huge change.
• I think you should jump in from Day 1, but go through the process with them each day, just so they know exactly what to do. I think it'll be easier that way, because the videos and WSQ have gotten much more easier and simpler to do than our old methods (summary in notebook). 
• Teach them how it works explain procedures and be flexible for about the first week but from then on you can't give much room so that they stick to the schedule and so they can be accustomed to the new system as quickly as possible.
• I think you showed slowly teach them about flipped classroom because they might not be used to a flipped classroom being taught traditionally the previous year. You should slowly enforce the flipped classroom by giving them the easy concepts to do at home and so they get used to being taught through a video.
• I would say jump in from day 1 and teach/introduce "Flipped Classroom" there. That would be best, I think, because it gives them no reason to compare traditional to flipped. Personally, I have been comparing my experience from your traditional to our flipped teachings. If you had started flipped right from the start, I would be more aboard (It's because I liked your traditional teaching).
• Slowly teach them how it works. The first few units do not require a flipped classroom; therefore, it would be more beneficial for them to get used to the idea that they will be using this system from that point on out.
• I think it would be best to slowly introduce the "flipped classroom" so that students get used to the idea the way we did. I think it helped us get used to the idea of a flipped classroom and to learn the different things required of us.

Right now, I am thinking about jumping right in.  The comments in RED above are the ones that really resonate with me.  The expectations would be in the syllabus and from day 1, students would understand what this class would be like and what they need to do.   There would be no comparison to traditional, and all the routines and procedures taught at the beginning of the year would be in line with the Flipped Classroom.

With that, I would start the year with a lot of modeling and training - more for my Algebra 1 kids than for my Math Analysis kids.  I need to model HOW to watch a video and learn from it, how to take good notes, how to write a good summary, how to ask a good question, how to participate in "5 minute WSQ chats", how to manage their time in class, how to self-evaluate and know when they are ready to assess and move on, etc... lots and lots of modeling!

I'm hoping to not change as much next year as I did this year.  Because this was all new to me, I did keep trying new ideas, tweaking things, etc. this year, which did cause some confusion (on the part of me as well as the students) and some frustration.  While I do want to continue to tweak and adjust next year to best meet my students' needs, I am hoping to have a better idea of what I want to do and how I want it to look so my students don't get so overwhelmed with constant changes to the system.

I'm thinking things of doing things like this to teach/model:
1. Watching a video on the projector together as a class.
2. Taking the class to the computer lab and having the students watch them during class time while I walk around to monitor, model, and guide students.
3. Modeling WSQ chats similarly to how I did at the beginning of the year this year.

From the beginning of the year, I want to start:
1. Involving parents and gaining their support by having students call home when they do not show up to class prepared. [Idea from Tom below: Create a student/parent contract that clearly outlines the expectations for all involved - teacher, student, and parent].
2. Trying to figure out schedule-wise how to avoid assigning videos on the weekend.  Or, really emphasizing the fact that students need to be responsible, plan ahead, and work at their own pace.  Just because I suggest that a certain video be watched a certain night doesn't mean that video can't be watched ahead of time if the student doesn't want to watch a video one night due to any reason.

Do you have any thoughts, tips, or advice?  Please share in the comments!

Math Analysis Student Thoughts on #flipclass (part 2) - 7.5 months in

The following are responses to the survey I gave to my Math Analysis students after approximately 7.5 months of flipping my class (first 3 months was "disorganized" flipping, the last 4.5 months have been more focused/structured on what I really want my flipped class to look like). 

The survey was given via Google Forms.  I had 69 of my 72 students complete the survey.

After each question are just a few personal reflections and thoughts that came to mind when I considered the results.

See the closed-ended responses from my students in the first part of the post here: 

See my Algebra 1 responses here:  Closed-ended    Open-ended

 

 

What have you liked best about the “Flipped Classroom” this year?   (a lot of repeats, but I left them all in and bolded ones that really stood out to me)

• The flipped classroom is preparing you for college because you have the responsibility of watching the lesson or procrastinating and know nothing.
• I've liked that they are in Youtube and that we can literally play them over and over. We have control over lecture.
• The videos and working with groups
• Getting to watch video's at one's own pace.
• i am able to pause and go back
• Makes the students responsible for their education and forces them to have to put in the time to be able to understand the material .
• That we get to have help on our homework during class, The help we receive in class and that we can get help for our peers
• The fact that at home we can take our time to learn the concepts and have a large amount of resources from which we can get help from.
• The ability to watch videos more than once.
• Be able to go back to the videos later on when we need help.
• I like being able to ask questions in class with my peers and with the teacher.  I also like having the videos available online if I ever need to refer back to them. I like the forms for our online wsqs too, easy to submit
• i really liked watching the videos and learning from it instead of learning during class. that was very helpful especially when it got to really difficult concepts.
• What I like best is that if I don't understand I can rewind the video to see the part again and make sure that I didn't miss anything. I also like that it's there for me to go see later if I ever get a brain fart or just confused.
• The best thing about the "Flipped Classroom" was that it allowed for more interaction, and it offered us more opportunities to get help from others. In class, we could work with our groups and they would help in answering our questions.
• the ability to try what we learned in class
• The thing I have liked best about the flipped classroom is being able to get help on the PQ's in class and also making student videos.
• I have enjoyed the ability to go back and relearn the material by myself and if i didn't get it i could ask questions in class for help.
• I have liked the fact that we can review the video over and over until we understand the concept, but if we do not understand the concept, we can ask the following day for help about the concept with the discussion. If that does not work, we can ask you for help if needed.
• that i get to work with my classmates and we help each other out and explain the concepts to each other in our own words so that we can all understand the material.
• i have liked that we are able to rewatch videos to review or just because we need to watch it one more time.
• What I have liked the most about the flipped classroom is when im stuck in a material or i dont fully understand I can either rewatch it again or ask for help the next day.  What I liked about the flipped classroom is the fact that we are able to watch the videos as much as we need but at times i do wish we did traditional classroom lectures. However I like the fact that we are given more time during class and are able to discuss it with other people.
• We are able to do everything on our time even though not too late managing our own time.
• The fact that class is way more exciting now. Now that I am used to it, I realize that I can just get help from my teacher when I need it., The fact that we can ask for help from our peers and the teacher at the same time.
• I like the fact that I am still able to learn even when i can't be at school, the videos are always useful to me when i need them for review
• just being able to control my pace at learning the material.
• I like the fact that we can rewatch the videos as many times. This helped me a lot during take home tests. Also, I like working in groups during class because my classmates help me understand the concept even though I work at a slow pace, I always manage to understand.
• I liked discussing.
• I like how your learning is put into your own hands. I feel it makes me a more responsible student. It feels like college to me. Like you do your learning when you want as long as its done by the end of the week then your good.
• Class is 'home' so when I get stuck on a problem I have a class full of people and a teacher not just my parent who can't remember everything.
• I liked how the flipped classroom helped me understand and not feel rushed to learn a concept. I was able to take my time and re-watch anything that i did not understand the first time.
• I've liked having videos for help and reference more than for actual learning.
• I like that homework isn't really homework but just watching videos.
• This year I liked that if I did not understand or remember something I could just go back to the Unit videos to go over or review the material again. I also think the summary helps me review the material and organize what I just learned.
• i have liked how the classroom is much more interactive, meaning i get to talk a lot more in class while also having to take more responsibility for my work, it doesn't get boring in class.
• I have liked that we could learn at our own pace at home. I love that we could go back and fastforward when we need to. I like that I could use the videos whenever I need to study and refresh my memory.
• I like that I can be able to do all of this on my time.
• you can always review the material at home if you didn't get the concept the first time
• Easy to manage! On my own time and very convenient!(:
• it allows us to learn on our own time, I like that it allows us to talk in class about what we learned
• I like how the videos explain a lot of things. Before flipped classroom the time where we learned was wasted because I would zone out and not pay attention because it was boring. Now that we have the flipped classroom I think that they are short and to the point. I can learn at my own pace.
• Having it their when ever we needed to go back and look at it.
• got the chance to with with groups and discuss any problems you didn't understand.
• I like the fact that we get to work with one another in groups. It is helpful to learn from others because they might be able to clarify something.
• I liked the videos. They were there for support and it became easier to learn at your own pace.
• The thing I like best about the "Flipped Classroom" this year would be doing PQs in class with my group because I can ask questions and you would have time to answer some questions i would have too.
• i like that we can learn the material before the day which can give us a heads up. and if we don't understand we can always discuss in class to get help.
• Doing the PQs in class instead of at home.
• One thing I've noticed over the past couple years, since I've always been a grade ahead of most people in my math classes, is it's really hard to find someone who can help you with the homework when you don't have any classes with them and with the Flipped Classroom I don't really have to worry about it because I can get all the help during class. I also feel like it has sort of forced us to be independent students, although we're constantly working with those around us it showed us that we don't always need to be asking our teacher, regardless of who it is, for help but that we can figure it out ourselves. Lastly, sort of along the lines of us being more independent, most math classes have to essentially freeze when the teacher is out but with the flipped classroom we know what we have to do and we have all the resources to do what we need.
• What i really liked was that i take responsibility for my learning this year instead of it given to me, and even though i thought this flipped classroom was a joke at first, it helped me learn the material thoroughly and clearly and actually helps me and seniors on our responsibility, preparing us for the future in sort of a way.
• we get to watch lessons at home
• What i liked best about the videos was that they are always there to look back to and that i can learn at my own pace. What i also like about the videos is that if i don't get something, i can rewatch the videos again.
• Being able to work with whoever we think can help us.
• I could take quizzes whenever I wanted to.
• I like that I can catch up and learn the material at my own pace.
• I like doing this because i can always go back to the videos for example when we do our test and we don't remember about the review i just watch the videos and refresh my memory on how to do them.
• Getting to go back and watch the videos if I need more help and being able to pause and rewind the videos.
• just being able to do the work in class
• Just that it has truly put the responsibility on us the student to make sure we're keeping up with what we have to do. I like how the videos do help when reviewing for test like our final exam.
• I like the fact that we have the opportunity to ask for help from our classmates and from Mrs. Kirch if we suddenly come upon a question while working on the PQs.
• the whole concept of it is just different and i like that a lot. i like how the videos are always available to you when you need them, I'm just the one not taking advantage :/
• I have liked how having access to the material from class is on the internet in video format made from other students
• For the fact that we can rewind and skip through out the videos if we misunderstood something or understand it well it enough. We can always go back and learn the lesson again without the teacher being able to reteach it.
• I enjoy the fact that I am able to re watch the lesson if I do not comprehend it the first time around.

What part of the "Flipped Classroom" would you like to see changed for the rest of the year?

Student-made videos

• No more student made videos. Or maybe just as an alternative.
• i actually liked the quizzes because i was able to check my progress and my understanding of the concept on the spot rather than waiting for the videos to be graded.
• I would like to be able to make student videos for all of the concepts but have a video or two due at a certain date and not all of them at once.
• More student videos, less/no more quizzes.

Online WSQ

• the online WSQ is much longer and i dont like that too much going on b/c i do have other classes and time is valuable.  [The only difference between the handwritten WSQ and the online WSQ is that I ask the students to finish the sentences "The part I understood the most is..." and "The part I am still confused about is..."  Everything else is identical, so I'm not sure why this student thinks it is longer.]
• To be honest i found the handwritten summary in our notebook more convenient  then the online WSQ.  [I find it more convenient as well for in class discussions, but student accountability is lacking because I don't read everyone's WSQ every day and a lot of students get in the habit of writing crap down because they know it won't be read.]
• The online wsq's-I preferred handwritten wsq's instead. (the submitting process) or maybe you should start like that from the beginning so it could be a routine and by having to change the way most of us are used too. [Agreed - whatever I decide next year will just be routine and the way it is... I changed way too much stuff around this year]
• The part i would like to see changed is the "online WSQ" because then we would have to write the wsq again or print it out which would waste paper. We can just do the wsq by hand so that we wouldn't have to do additional stuff.
• I would like it to continue they way it is, submitting the WSQ online forces us to actually be thoughtful when it comes to the writing about what we learned and the questions we have. The WSQ online I feel helps me keep myself on track. [My purpose in doing it online!]
• I would like the online wsq to be optional, at least sometimes. I used to watch the videos on my ipod but now I have to use my computer because of the online wsq. [My challenge with requiring it to be submitted online - this is a valid issue because many students watch the videos "offline" and now have to go on a computer to submit]
• I think the online WSQ is just a pain but i like it because you are aware of who did there hw and it a fair process.
• [Thoughts - I could require the online WSQ from the beginning of the year, but for individual situations I could allow them to physically turn in a hard copy instead.  That way the accountability is still there.  Also, if I tell them from the beginning of the year that they must be able to hold a discussion about the questions even without their handwritten answers in front of them, that might force them to think more about the material in a way they will still remember it the next day. ]
  

Class Time

• i would like to do some concepts in class, i think it would be nice to learn in class again, not through videos! (i still like flipped classroom:))
• Not having videos to watch everyday. With some of the more difficult concepts, we should learn them in class., No more videos please :) [This comment comes from one of my constantly complaining students. So, unfortunately, I don't really take many of her complaints to heart.  I don't see how learning the more difficult concepts in class is more helpful because you don't have time to individually grapple and ask questions with it.  I could see introducing the more difficult concepts on video and still planning for more of a whole-class discussion the next day, like I've done several times... but I am really going away from any initial delivery of content during class time.]
• i would like to see more discussion time during class time with the whole class or like going over a problem the first five minutes of class or something like that.  [I've been trying to do a whole-class intro to the lesson, whether that be a mini-discussion or a sample problem, at the beginning of class]

General/ Random ideas and thoughts

• I would like to see the WSQ being discussed at the end of the video because it would help us answer the questions. [I could see this being a good thing to do at the end of the video as a summary; although I don't want to answer the questions for them...]
• I think just doing flipped classroom once in a while not all the time I just kind of don't see the point, it's making the class harder than it has to be. [One thing these students don't realize is that we started the flipped classroom right as the material was getting harder.  Units A-D are complete review of Algebra 2, and Units E-I are a partial, but more complex review.  We started the flipped classroom near the end of Unit F.  So, the material was getting harder, naturally, and some students are blaming it being harder on the flipped classroom when instead it's just because of the content.]
• The part would be making the quizzes a thing again it is a good way to prepare for the test.
• I'd like to see a change back into taking quizzes, i feel like those show how much each student knows the best before they take the test. [We didn't do quizzes for Units Q,R,S,T.  I am definitely going back to quizzes for U,V.  Next year I will do quizzes for R and S - they needed it!]
• I think I would like to see the answers for the PQ's and the PT's available online. I'm not sure if they are on Edmodo or not, but nothing showed up when I tried looking for them (to check my work) for some recent units. [They usually are, but I haven't done a great job of making sure this year. Too much on my plate!  One thing I hate about this comment is the fact that this student didn't send me a message to ask for the answer keys - they just looked, didn't find, and gave up. Ask me!]
• have the videos all on one, not split apart [I experimented for Units Q,R,S on having multiple "short" videos instead of one "long" video.  Videos are still 15 minutes max total time.  This will be one of my "end of year" survey questions on how the students felt about it.  There are pros and cons to both ways.]
• I would like to see you actually check the homework. I know that you trust us to do the homework, but it would be more beneficial to us if you would check the homework. [Some days I check, some days I just have the students self-evaluate.  I'd rather them do it for the learning than do it for the "blue signature".  But, I guess they are still teenagers :)]
• Some of the thing is that I think you should do flipped classroom at least 3 times a week and do regular once a while because it gets a little boring watching videos everyday. [This shows that many of my students define the "flipped classroom" as "watching videos" and not for what it is supposed to be.  A huge misconception I need to work on for next year. I don't see how my classroom can be "half-flipped".  Does this mean they have to watch videos EVERY night?  No... they are given a week's worth of material and have until Friday to get it done.  That means, if they wanted, they would only have to watch videos 1-2 nights a week.  But, they choose not to.  A choice I should probably emphasize more next year.]
• I do not find  the question portion of the WSQ useful because sometimes I don't have any important questions to offer. So I end up making a very similar question to the WSQ. Therefore, I think it should be optional or maybe students should be required to write at least 2 questions on the online WSQ every week just in case they choose to not do it all when given the choice. [Like I've mentioned before, I need to do a better job of teaching/modeling the art of question-asking. It's a hugely important skill I want my students to develop]
• I think some questions on the WSQ are kind of hard and I'm not really sure what the answer is so I'm not sure what to fill in. [Good :)  That means our in class discussion will help you :)]
• The Quizzes in class as well as on your own time i feel don't help. I work on pq's all of class time as well as other math assignments and feel there is no time for quizzes. I don't think quizzes help either, i think the primary focus should be pq's then boom test. [A student who needs time management help... I need to find a way to support this, because many students fall into this category.]
• an optional video wsq would be nice because some people learn by talking it out in comparison to simply writing it out [I gave this option earlier in the year and nobody took me up on it.]
• no wsq chart ! only cause i don't do homework and its affecting me,  other than that everything is good. [no comment...]

Nothing to be changed...

• There is nothing that I would change I think they are good how they are.
• There isn't anything to change since things are fine as it is right now.
• I think the flipped classroom is as good as it is.
• Nothing. I like it the way it is.
• Nothing because its already helpful.
• I really don't need anything to change, everything is fine and I am keeping up with the class especially when I'm not in school because of sports. I wouldn't change anything.
• there nothing that i would like to change. only that i would like to have less technical difficulties when watching the videos.
• I wouldn't change a thing.
• The flipped part. Joking aside, it seems pretty good where it is.
• I like everything about the flipped classroom as it is.

What could Mrs. Kirch do for you to help support you more in the "Flipped Classroom"? (some great ideas here!)

• Mrs. Kirch already does too much for the flipped classroom i couldn't think of anything.
• Longer discussion about math related things. Like if someone asks a important question to actually highlight it and talk about in class. Go over examples?
• I think you've done enough
• More wsq questions that make one think.
• For the students have a live chat thing for like 30 min for the students who don't understand a certain concept or part of one
• I think we should have a minimum of a number of problems done by the end of the class in order to ensure that every student stays on task through out the period., Calling home if you didn't watch the videos
• review to the whole class critical parts of a concept no matter how advanced each student is.
• Just go over the concepts to both refresh our memories and clarify. Maybe put a required "challenge" question for each concept that puts all the parts of the concept together. Then work it out in class and see what students did right or did wrong. That way you can see the most common errors. 
• nothing more. what she's doing now is above and beyond the help we need.
• I like how all the videos are organized into playlists.  Please keep that forever and ever! :)
• i think you could just continue the discussions and maybe do more with the whole class. i think songs would be helpful too (for formulas and stuff) :D
• There is nothing that Mrs. Kirch could do, I think she is already doing enough.
• Something that might help would be to add bonus videos of questions that would resembles questions on the test. For example, on the take home tests there were a couple of tricky problems that we didn't necessarily cover in the videos or in class.
• check on how we are doing with the concepts more often
• I would like Mrs. Kirch to add more jokes or fun facts in the videos to make them more funny especially if the videos are long.
• Give more time to learn harder concepts so we can understand it better
• I think what would help support the flipped classroom is checking the homework more in class.
• I think it wold be to try to solve more difficult problems of the concepts because the homework problems aren't as simple as the video ones.
• continue doing the class WSQ discussion at the beginning of class and continue to come around to each table to test us on the material from that night's videos
• i think Mrs. Kirch is doing everything she can to support us in flipped classroom.
• I like the fact that Mrs. Kirch gets a group of people to teach what they dont understand and i wish she would do it more often if possible.
• Do more of the interviews it was a good test.
• I like it the way it is right now. , I think she is doing fine.
• Well there is nothing much to do, I'm doing fine, I'm learning my material. I think Mrs Kirch can open a chat room to ask her questions and so others can see what questions were being asked
• i would like to continue the in class discussions, they help a lot.
• I like take home tests, I think they allow students to use the resources we have available. Also making videos, because they allow others to watch what we learn.
• It would be nice for Mrs. Kirch to do more student videos because they are fun.
• I think that having a walk through of a pq in class for the whole class to work on together would be a good idea. like you asking what we think the next step should be and calling on us the letting us work on the other pqs instead of a group wsq discussion
• I like that Mrs. Kirch has been walking around helping us with the practice problems. It has helped me a lot. Also, I like using the online WSQ and I find it more organized than if I wrote it in my notebook. Last of all, I think the chat session on google are very helpful me. So please continue to create the chat sessions.
• i like the idea of making videos, just try not to make us do so many as to have us come after school and during lunch just to finish them
• I think that maybe we should go straight to our PQs  when going to class. Or maybe also we should at least have like 5 minutes to solve the first  problem on our own and then we could go over it as a class all together. 
• Review problems at the beginning of class.
• i like how when multiple people are having trouble on one part of a concept she forms a little group in class to teach.
• I think you should take more general questions and address them as a whole in class the next day.
• I think that it is going quite well and Mrs. Kirch is doing great with it.
• she's doing everything right
• I think she is doing a WONDERFUL job. I think more teachers should be like her.
• Maybe do one example as a class when we are working on a hard concept, or pull out a group.
• There doesn't seem to be any other things that you help me in. The ideas that you have thought up has help me enough as it is.
• keep having the videos the day before so we can all get to class to really master it and understand it well enough to teach another student.
• I really like the discussion questions better than just summaries because I would often leave out some extremely important pieces but with the questions you created I know exactly what you really want me/us to focus on.
• She could go over at least one more example in class to clear up any frustrations in the lesson
• To call our parents when we dont do the wsq
• Continue walking around the room to make sure we are heading the right way.
• Everything is helpful and everything on the flipped classroom is good enough for me to understand the concepts.
• I think the flipped classrooms are fine the way they are. I am able to understand the concepts the way they are.
• go over problems more often in class when a majority of students don't understand a concept still.
• Have little class sessions more often for some groups that might not have fully understood the process the night before. I find the sessions in class helpful because you are able to go in a slow pace and explain everything thoroughly.
• I like having additional problems done on video for reference. Also, i think its better to keep the video at the maximum of 8 minutes each per video so that we aren't too worn out.
• Mrs. kirch does enough already. Shes an amazing teacher. Anyone would be lucky to have her.
• I would say that she is doing her job very well and the students who want support will always have it
• Can go over and do or give hints on some PQ problems whether we understand it or not. This is will help us have a jumpstart and gain some knowledge of knowing what to do.
• nothing in particular. You're doing a great job!

Any other questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions?

• Your doing a great job Mrs. Kirch. Keep it up. :]
• I like that you address our questions on the online WSQ right away.  Thank you!
• maybe take home tests can be just a little bit shorter hehe :p and I feel like we take A LOT of tests we pretty much take one EVERY week
• I enjoy the take home tests because im not rushed to finish :)
• Great Job with the Flipped classroom :) it has been quite the success
• Using edmodo is great! But sometimes it's very hard to search up specific resources when needed.
• i appreciate the effort you give to make sure we as students understand. which is basically 24/7. i feel like you spend to much time on us that you forget about your husband. so start spending more time with him. :)
• Taking quizzes would improve test scores.
• I like that there are always many resources for us to learn the material.
• yeah mrs. kirch I'm sorry for the student I've shown to be all year.  you don't deserve it and i should of put more effort. your doing a great job at what your doing with the class, probably the best teacher I've ever had.