Reflections on Week 11 (Crazy but More Than Satisfied...)

I think I was psychic last week when I said Crazy-Ville was coming. This week was absolutely crazy and I'm exhausted.  However, I am SO SATISFIED (I guess even more than satisfied) with what I saw from my students this week!


What I saw this week was phenomenal.  


If you walked into my Math Analysis classroom on Wednesday, you would probably wonder "what the heck is going on here?".  Out of my 37 students, I had about 15 in my classroom, 15 in the lounge behind my classroom, and the rest in the classroom next door since that teacher was on prep.  At one point, I stood in the middle of the three locations (I could stand in one place and see into both classrooms and the lounge) and just took a quick glance around and my jaw dropped.  Talk about student engagement!  Talk about students doing the learning!  Talk about a student-centered classroom!  


Several teachers did walk through during 6th period because they were on their conference period and decided to just walk by some of the partner groups and listen in.  They came by the next day and said "What your students were doing was awesome!  They were talking through the math and using math vocabulary, critiquing each other and their strategies, talking through mistakes, thinking out loud, and just plain looking excited about doing math!"


All Reflections from This Year can be Found Here. 

*Each week, I spend some time personally reflecting on the week - what I did, what worked, what didn't, what I liked, what I didn't, etc.  I try to organize my reflections in a similar manner each week, since they do get pretty long: (1) Math Analysis; (2) Algebra; (3) Sharing and Collaboration; (4) Other Thoughts; (5) Running lists (Things I've heard this week that I love; Characteristics and qualities of my flipped classroom that I want to keep; Changes I've made this week that I like; Ideas I'm still contemplating and experimenting with).  I hope these reflections give you insight into my classroom and give you some ideas to try in your own flipped classroom.  I appreciate any comments, feedback, ideas, and follow-ups that you provide, so please comment and join in on the conversation! 

For those of you who read my weekly reflections consistently, you will notice a change this week compared to the past.  These posts will be shorter with links to more detailed external posts on specific topics.  I was finding (for myself) that it was hard for me to go back and find a previous post on a specific topic because it was hidden among a huge weekly reflection.  So, hopefully this will alleviate that problem.

Other posts from this week:
1. Brainstorming and thinking about next year/ how to present #flipclass to students and parents from Day 1 before relationships are built. Would still love your comments! Post here.
2. A Day in the Life of Students Creating Videos - a quick 360 of my classroom when all the students are creating their own content via short student-created videos of problems.  Post here.
3. Student-created videos overkill - my learning experience about going overboard in using student-created videos :) Post here.
4. Dealing with students starting to slack off and coming to class unprepared as the year winds down and gets crazy.  Post here.
5. Link to all student-created videos here.

Math Analysis

This section includes: 

1. Student Created Videos

2. Online WSQs

3. General reflections for the week

This week's big focus was on student-created videos (hence the reason most of my posts from this week were all about that!).  I think it is so great in so many ways - if you haven't tried it, you should.  Right now, my biggest use of them is as a formative assessment tool. Students still receive the initial instruction by me.  In class, they work through problems and discuss issues with their groups.  Once they understand the material, then they make the video.

For Unit S this week, I made the students come up with their own problems for the videos.  This required them to think about what constraints and information they needed to provide in order to make sure the problem would work out.  At first (or course), when I told them this, there were groans and complaints because it would make them think and work harder!!  But, it ended up turning out really well.  Here are some student comments from this week's reflection.

Question 1: The student-created videos are supposed to replace the quizzes.  Do the videos take MORE, LESS, OR ABOUT THE SAME amount of time as taking a quiz on the concept?  Compare and contrast the benefits of taking quizzes vs. making videos.  Which do you prefer, or are there times for both?

• I think it takes the same amount of time, unless it's the last day and everyone needs a recording device, in which case it takes longer.  It requires more work however, because it makes us explain the problems, but I think it helps me understand it more.  The benefit of of the video is better understanding but the con of it is the feedback may not be instant like quizzes.  It's also harder to redo compared to quizzes.
• The videos took about the same amount of time as taking a quiz on the concept. I like making the videos more, because on the quizzes, we don't necessarily get feedback on what we did wrong. On the videos, though, we do get feedback, since the videos are made available to all the math analysis classes. I also like making the videos, because it ensures that we understand the concepts, since we have to give a thorough explanation on how we solved it. I prefer making the videos. 
• i think the Videos take a little bit more time than taking a quiz because we have to come up with the problem as well as solve, and a quiz we just need to solve. i think there are times for both,  i enjoyed doing the videos and felt like i remembered thinks better because we had to explain and understand how we got the answer not just mindlessly solved it. 

Question 2: The student created videos are supposed to also serve as a TOOL for other students to refer to.  How often have you watched the videos created by your classmates?  Are they helpful?  If not, why?

• i have watched them when we are given the take home test. they are helpful but i think we should get a list that have all the problems and who did them because if we are looking for a problem with a specific set up we have to go through all of them in order to find the example we need. does it make sense? i dont know how to explain what im trying to say! 
• I've watched the videos created by my classmates from time to time. I find that they do help, especially if they are similar to the ones on the PQ or PT. 
• I actually haven't watched any of the student related videos because I only watch your videos.

Question 3: This unit, you had to find your own problems to make a video for.  Was this process useful or beneficial for you as a student? Explain why or why not.

• I think it was kind of useful in that we had to make up problems but usually it was just a modification of one already solved, so it was really just more practice.
• This process was very beneficial because we got to practice and learn from our own mistakes, especially if the problem was written incorrectly.  For example, my partner and I made a mistake with our right triangle, and this warned me to not make the same mistake again.  Writing our own problems allowed us to think ahead to see if the problem would work out the way we want it to which helped us process the steps to solve the problem in our head.  If the problem did not turn out the way we planned, we still got practice.
• Although it was a bit more time consuming, I would say that it was beneficial for me as a student. It made us think more about the potential problems that there were, and the many ways that we could solve for it. 

In addition, this week we continued doing "Online WSQs".  Here are a few samples from Unit S and Unit T. (The WSQ is the last step in each playlist). I feel like I was able to utilize the online WSQ Google Forms spreadsheet a lot better this week.  Every day, I came into class with an idea of where the misconceptions were.  I did a little whole-class intro based on the questions that showed up over and over again before I had them get into their groups for the WSQ discussion.  One night, I even made a quick Educreations screencast trying to clarify something that I already (at 7pm at night) had almost every student asking about.  While it didn't answer every question, it allowed students one more "answer" before coming to class.

As I've mentioned before, students are given the link to view the spreadsheet after submitting their response.  My goal in this is (1) They check their answer to the "secret question" to see if they got it right - and hopefully try to correct if not! (2) Read what other questions students have and get thinking about them - and hopefully realize that everyone has confusions and it's okay to not "get it' right away! (3) Read other students' answers to the questions I posed so basically the concept is explained to them again in other students' words. 

In addition to the normal 2-4 "Guided Summary" questions I give the students, I also always ask them
#5 Finish this sentence:  The part I understood the most was...
#6 Finish this sentence:  The part I am still confused about is...


They also type their HOT question (and answer if they know it), but it gives me the chance to type in an answer to their question THAT NIGHT.  I still have concerns that not every student is viewing or utilizing the spreadsheet, and that students who may open the spreadsheet don't actually look at it after I answer their question (they look, close the link, I answer the question later that night, and they never look back). 

My biggest question for students was how they felt about the Online WSQ, if it was more useful than fully handwritten, and if they actually utilize the spreadsheet. 

How do you utilize the Online WSQ spreadsheet?  How is the Online WSQ process going in general, now that you've had a few weeks?  Any suggestions for improvement?

• I think the online WSQ is good so far but sometimes, questions are confusing (like the question on Unit T intro about how sin/cos is positive/negative and how it applies to tangent).  Even so, I like it better because I type faster but there are more questions and is more work than a normal WSQ.
• I love the spreadsheet!  At first I forgot to write down my hot question and answer, but usually I was able to recall what I had typed the previous night.  I especially like the color-coding system because it points out exactly what needs to be talked about.  The placement of some things were confusing, such as the key for the color-coding, but I think that's pretty much fixed now since everyone knows what it is.
• The online WSQ spreadsheet is very helpful, because when I look at some of the other responses, it clarifies any lingering questions that I had. I would say that the online WSQ is going great, and it really helps. 

General reflections for the week. Overall, even though this week was overwhelming and stressful with the overkill of student-created videos, it was a really good week. I liked that I was still able to do a little bit of "traditional" mini-lessons (one day I went over a whole problem with the class as an intro, the other days I reviewed the Online WSQ as a whole class to guide them along), but the majority of the class period was focused on individual student needs.

Something I feel like I haven't been doing a very good job on the last few weeks is the small group teaching for students who need another "mini-lesson".  I think the student-created videos made life a little crazy for that, but I am hoping to start doing that again.  Sometimes I think some students need it, but they are still too shy to ask for it.  I need to do a better job of gauging that. 

How did this week go for you?  What was the BEST part of the flipped class?  Why? What part did you not like or enjoy as much? Why?

• I thought this week was okay but the video making was a little hectic.  Even so, we made it through and this week turned out well so far.  I like the little homework problems, which was the best part because it didn't take so long to do.
• This week was pretty hectic and whatnot, because we had to finish filming all the videos. But that was our fault, since we sort of waited till the last minute. The best part of the flipped classroom was learning the concepts, while spending time with Amy! The only part I didn't like was that I had to do my PQ's late because of the time spent doing the videos in class. Also, I forgot to get my WSQ chart signed off for half the week. :'(
• this week seemed a little hectic with the whole videos and pushing everything a day. The best part of the flipped class was when you worked out i believe it was 2 problems with the class. i thought it was the best part because i miss traditional classroom and thought it was fun to learn like that.

Algebra 1

This section includes: 
1. Group interview
2. Low-low students

This week I  really focused on the "Group interviews" for Algebra 1.  Sometimes when I have them do their "5 minute WSQs", I'm not really sure (even though they are discussing the math) that they are getting the correct answers and helping each other on the right path.  I spent about 3-5 minutes with each group this week and chose a couple of key questions from their guided summary to probe them about.  I was able to check for initial understanding as well as ask probing questions and questions about how things are connected.  Depending on the group, I could differentiate the level of questions I was asking to challenge them appropriately.  All students were held accountable for answering and they could not get their charts off until their group "passed".  

What this looked like in some cases was that I asked each individual student a question and they had to answer it themselves.  If they couldn't answer it, I would go away and allow them to discuss it as a group.  But, when I came back, that same student had to be able to answer the question without the help from the group.  I found this to be very effective. A student couldn't get away with saying "I don't know" or "I don't remember" and then have a group member jump in with the right answer.  It was also fun to see other group members get excited and want to answer the question that their friend got asked, but they had to stay quiet and let their friend try to answer first.  I love seeing that excitement :). 

I continued doing "group interviews" this week before signing your WSQ charts.  How do they help you?  Are they beneficial?  How could they improve?

• It helps me listen to the other students answers and questions that they ask.  The group interviews lets us have the chance to talk to the teacher and ask any questions that we have.      
• I like group interviews because it gives Mrs. Kirch a chance to see if we know about the concept.  Also, she asks questions so that she could make sure we watched the video an did our homework correctly.  
• They help me because i get to remember and actually learn it, they are beneficial because there helpful.
• I think they are going pretty well, i can memorize the songs and chants better now.....i think they are beneficial, i think they can improve if while we were doing the "group interviews" if we could get our question answered maybe...

Last week I had a concern about what to do with my "Low-low students".  Well, this week I pulled five of them aside and we started going back to Chapter 1, working on basic algebra operations that they still have not mastered.  I created some "speed tests" where they can compete against each other to try to get the most right in a short amount of time once they have practiced a little on their own.  They seem to like the competition and it's nice to be able to reward them for little successes.  My student with a 2% (basically truant and hasn't done anything) has actually been going to school for the last 3 weeks, and he got 20/20 on an addition/subtraction speed test in LESS than one minute!  Yes, that may seem like a 3rd grade activity, but hey, he is feeling successful in a math class that he has failed everything all year.  Baby steps!

Sharing and Collaboration


I have two webinars coming up in the new few weeks - one on May 1st for a group of teachers in Sacramento and one on May 9th for anyone through Sophia.org.  I will post the link to register for the Sophia webinar when I get it.  I hope you will be able to join in!  Both webinars will be an "intro" to the flipped classroom for teachers who are interested in learning more about it and hearing about how I run my flipped classroom.


If you haven't checked out my Blogroll on the right hand side of other flipping teachers, do so! It is only through sharing and community that we learn and grow!  Also, be sure to use #flipclass on twitter to join in the conversation.  If you are a "flipper" and  a "blogger" and don't see your blog on the right, please let me know. I would love to follow you and read up on your experiences!

Every Monday there is a #flipclass chat on Twitter (8pm EST).  Check it out and join in.  Connect with @bennettscience to find out more.

Other Thoughts

I had my monthly Math Department Chair meeting this week and we had a presentation by the County Department of Education on Common Core State Standards that are going to start being implemented in the next school year.  The presenter went over the "Standards for Mathematical Practice" that we need to start considering in our teaching even now.

As we read through these, the one thing that came to mind is having a flipped classroom has enabled me to "meet" these expectations in a way that my traditional classroom never did.  

 Here they are:  (link to full website here)

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 

4. Model with mathematics. 

5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 

6. Attend to precision. 

7. Look for and make use of structure. 

8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

THINGS I'VE HEARD THIS WEEK THAT I LOVE: 

"So, you need to be careful not to make this mistake because it's what I always do wrong" - from a student recording herself on video

CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITIES OF MY FLIPPED CLASSROOM THAT I WANT TO KEEP (this list is now kept on a separate page here and is updated weekly)

CHANGES I'VE MADE THIS WEEK THAT I LIKE: 

1.  Group interview for Algebra 1 (not brand new)
2.  Timer counting UP for WSQ discussions instead of down

IDEAS I'M STILL CONTEMPLATING & EXPERIMENTING WITH (running list each week with updates):

1. Coming up with a list of "key questions" myself for each concept to have handy to ask students, to have students discuss in groups, and to show students what "good, HOT questions" look like and sound like (modeling)... This will be tied in with the "Guided Summary" I will be starting to try out.  I think this is going to be put off in its entirety until this summer.


2. Begin coming up with activities students can do to apply their knowledge or practice their knowledge in different ways once they get the basics.  Again, this is something I think may just start to happen over the summer or next year since right now it's just crazy.

Thoughts, comments, ideas, your own experiences? Please share!!!

All Reflections from This Year can be Found Here. 

Student-Created Videos Overkill

Lesson Learned.

If you want your students to make their own math videos, that's awesome.  I have loved it and so have my students, for the most part.

It is an AMAZING tool for both students and teachers.  


It is a great way to DIFFERENTIATE content and challenge higher learners while having your lower learners still show proficiency at a lower level. 


 It is a FUN way to use technology in class.  


It creates an ENGAGING environment where all students are actively involved in their learning.  


It is great as an ASSESSMENT tool because students actually have to explain their thought process in a logical way.


However, don't assign them 10 videos (1 problem per video, 1-3minutes long each) in 2 weeks. Even if they do them in partners.

10 videos x 36 sets of partners = 360 videos x average 2:30 each = 900 minutes of teacher watching = 15 hours of grading - some skimming thru the videos and fast forwarding and such = still a heck of a lot of time.

I'm exhausted.

I love the videos, but I'm exhausted.

Don't overkill the student-created videos.  You will torture yourselves and your students.

Lesson Learned.

I'm going to bed :)

p.s. Have I said I'm exhausted enough yet? :)

To see these amazing videos made by my Math Analysis students, go to kirchmathanalysis.blogspot.com and look on the main page. 

A day in the life of students creating videos...

Just wanted to share a quick view what my flipped class looks like on a student-created video day.

 You don't need high tech stuff to have students participating in this activity - one iPad, one DocCam, and lots of digital cameras and cell phones.

 This has been a great way to have my students take responsibility for their learning, to assess them in an informal and non-traditional way, and to have students producing content to share with others.

 To see the videos that have been created this year in my Math Analysis class, go to kirchmathanalysis.blogspot.com

p.s. When you have students make their own videos, prepare for a little bit of craziness.  The first round is a little tough (the land of the unknown!), but students quickly get used to it and enjoy it.  I try to emphasize that these are one-take videos and don't have to be perfect (the content should be correct).  One thing I am learning the hard way this chapter is that I assigned too many concepts for them to make videos for... balance is key :)

Week 9 Student Thoughts: Student-Created Videos

My Math Analysis Honors students began creating their own videos over the last week or so.  They would receive the instruction and in-class practice just like my "normal" flipped classroom, but throughout the course of the week they were required to make three videos for Unit Q.  Here are their thoughts after the whole Unit.  

See samples and other posts on Student-Created Content here.

Question to my Math Analysis students:
Tell me how you feel about the videos (you making the videos with a partner). Did you like them? Not like them (give reasons either way!). Did they help you learn in any way? Were they fun? What was the best part of them? What was the worst part of them? Please explain your answers as much as possible.

At first, students were very hesitant and not that excited about creating the videos.  However, I think these responses speak VOLUMES about the value of having students create their own content.  If I had to list out my purpose and goals for why I am having my students do this, it could be summarized in the words straight from my students' mouths below.  Amazing.  They get it.

• I really liked making the videos with my partner. I felt that not only did it help me learn and understand, but i helped someone else understand the problem as well. It helped me learn because there is a difference between being able to do a problem and explaining it, and if you can explain it then you learn the best. I think the worst part was that sometimes in the videos you can hear the other people talking.
• Watching and making the videos did help a lot because first of all we all have a different ways to explain how to do certain problems. Many have their own way of explaining and for example when i did the video with my partner i understood the problem better because we both had our own ways of solving it.
• I felt that doing the videos with a partner was beneficial because if I didn't get one part, they would explain it to me and this would help me. I did like the videos but the thing is that I really don't like listening to my own voice. Yes, the videos did help me learn because when I was stuck on the problems in the SSS for the PQs/PTs, I would refer to the videos. I think the best part of them was having someone walk me through the problems. The worst part of them would be that it was kind of sloppy on the iPad.
• I loved the videos!  They were very fun and we got to go through our classmates' videos instead of having to make Mrs. Kirch make all of the videos by herself.  I liked the videos a lot more than quizzes for this part; quizzes would have been stressful.  The "worst" part wasn't all that bad.  It took a lot of time to get our partner(s) together or to get electronics to work.  For example, my partner and I took awhile trying to get the iPad to take a picture of our work, but it was worthwhile.
• I actually liked making the videos. I felt that it was good review, and we also got to see how it is to be on the other side of the screen. I think I actually prefer videos than the quiz. The videos worked really well for this unit since there were a lot of proofs and such things, so it was not so complicated trying to explain it and working it out on video. 
• I liked making the videos because it helped me understand the problem we had to 'teach'. By doing the videos, I completely had to understand the problem to be able to explain it on the video. Understanding the problem was like teaching it to yourself and it was really helpful to do that especially with help from classmates. The best part of the videos was doing it with a partner and understanding the different ways you could do it (for example, your partner might have a different way than you). The worst part, for me, was explaining the problem because it's always hard for me to explain things even though I may completely understand it in my head.
• Well at first I didn’t like them because I'm not very a techie but it wasn’t so bad. The main thing we must do is stay on top of it b/c if you wait for the last minute then you & your partner can't really work together. Since it was our first time it was a bit messy but I'm sure if we practice more we will get better at it. The best part of them was using you iPad that was fun ha. But it was very useful when trying to solve the answers to some we didn’t understand.

Reflections on Week 8 (Two Thumbs Up!)

https://openclipart.org/image/300px/svg_to_png/
28688/skotan_Thumbs_up_smiley.png

Week 8 of the Spring Semester is now over, and there is only ONE MORE WEEK until Spring Break!  I think we all need it...  It has been a really great week in my Flipped Class.  I am very happy with what I am seeing and the progress my "methods" and "ideas" are making...

All Reflections from This Year can be Found Here. 

*Each week, I spend some time personally reflecting on the week - what I did, what worked, what didn't, what I liked, what I didn't, etc.  I try to organize my reflections in a similar manner each week, since they do get pretty long: (1) Math Analysis; (2) Algebra; (3) Sharing and Collaboration; (4) Other Thoughts; (5) Running lists (Things I've heard this week that I love; Characteristics and qualities of my flipped classroom that I want to keep; Changes I've made this week that I like; Ideas I'm still contemplating and experimenting with).  I hope these reflections give you insight into my classroom and give you some ideas to try in your own flipped classroom.  I appreciate any comments, feedback, ideas, and follow-ups that you provide, so please comment and join in on the conversation! 

Math Analysis

I'm LOVING the growth I am seeing in my  Math Analysis students.  The conversations they are having in their groups are focused and challenging.  Using the "5 minute WSQ" strategy keeps them motivated and gives them a goal to meet.  I love that most of this week, the conversations were still continuing far past when the timer went off. I am able to go around to most every group and check in with them, asking to clarify confusions and to pose follow-up questions.  I love it :)

My Math Analysis students took their Unit P Test this week and data will be updated on the "Flip Data" tab soon.

This segment includes: 

(1) Online WSQs and Playlists

(2) Flipped Classroom Resources

(3) Update on Student Created Videos (week 2!)

(4) Student thoughts from the week

(1) Online WSQs and Playlists

This week I experimented with "Online WSQ's".  Basically, I had a small group of students volunteer to type their WSQ instead of write it.  They did it for two nights in a row, and the Google Forms can be found here and here.

My Thoughts:

I really liked the online submissions for several reasons:

• I have the chance to read EVERY student's WSQ every night, and provide feedback as needed.  I am not able to do this in class when the WSQs are written in the notebooks, so some students do get away with not necessarily writing much or doing a thoughtful job on the assignment.  The spreadsheets that are created by the Google Forms were made public, so students can log in and see responses to their comments that night and read what their classmates are saying.  The two spreadsheets from this week are here and here.  I am not 100% happy with letting them read what their classmates say BEFORE they submit their own WSQ, but I don't know how to fix that yet.  Any ideas from those of you doing "Online" submissions after watching videos will be greatly appreciated :)
• I can see EXACTLY when the student watched the video and submitted their WSQ, because they are time-stamped down to the second.  It tells me a lot if a student is watching my video at 3am, like one student who submitted their WSQ this week did.
• It requires students to submit the WSQ right after they watched the video since it has to be done online and can't just be carelessly written in their notebook at lunch the next day

I am hesitant about the Online WSQ for the following reasons:

• I don't feel like I can require every student to submit their WSQ online every night, because many students watch it offline.  However, if I don't REQUIRE that the WSQ been done online, I can see many students taking the easy way out and just staying with the written WSQ.  The only way I can counteract this is by requiring the WSQs be turned in, so those that handwrite them are still held accountable to the same standards.  I have heard some teachers (can't remember who, so if it's you, please tell me :)!!) talking about having students submit their WSQ orally like through a Google Voice number or something they could do with a cell phone call instead of needing internet access. I will need to look into that.
• I am concerned about my students' ability to have the deep conversations in class if their notes and summaries aren't in front of them.  

My students' thoughts (6 of the students who tried it this week responded to the survey, full results here).  They really liked it.  They said that it didn't affect their ability to have the deep conversations with their group.  Four of the six said it was BETTER than the written WSQ, the other two said it was THE SAME.  They liked that the videos and WSQ were all embedded in a MentorMob playlist (see sample here and here) because it was easy to follow and they didn't have to look up the videos one by one.

(2) Flipped Classroom Resources
This week I took the opportunity to present additional "Flipped Classroom" resources to my students.  After my "I'm sick of the videos" post last week that has been incredibly popular, I decided to look into additional resources I could provide my students and ways I could encourage them to look for resources for themselves.  I found several additional online resources (more videos, online step-by-step quizzes, etc) provided by our textbook publisher as well as a few other teachers' YouTube Channels that have great videos for Math Analysis.

Next year I will be putting together a list at the beginning of the year of all these resources so students know from the start where they should be looking for help.  There's really no excuse for them not to learn, and there are so many different ways they can learn that they don't have to ever get stuck in a rut and get "sick" of one method or another.

(3) Update on Student Created Videos (week 2!)

I'm LOVING having my students make their own videos, and I can tell that they really are as well.  It is fun and engaging (especially using my iPad!!!) and they don't realize that it is good for their learning as well!  See the tab up top STUDENT CREATED VIDEOS to see all the videos that have been recorded so far.

When I first introduced the idea to my students last week, they weren't necessarily that excited about it.  It was just one more assignment for them to have to do.  I think most of their views have changed and it's something more "fun" now.

The funny thing is how "cool" the iPad is.  Students will wait in line to record their videos on their iPad instead of on their cell phone, iPod, or video camera. Hey, if that gets them excited about making the video because they get to use the iPad, so be it :)

I had three visitors to my class today, including a local Principal and two math teachers. I overheard this conversation between the principal and one of my students that just made me smile :)

Principal: "What are you doing with the camera"
Student: "We are recording ourselves teaching the math problems"
Principal: "What do you do with the videos after that?"
Student: "We give them to Mrs. Kirch and she posts them online so our classmates can watch"
Principal "So you're creating your own content... hmmm" :)

... I think this Principal really understood what was going on and how technology can be integrated successfully in a classroom - that was awesome!

(4) Student thoughts from the week

Every week I ask my students for feedback on how the week went.  See their comments on Week 8 here.

Algebra 1
My Algebra 1 classes are coming along... slowly but surely! I can point out several students in each class that have made A LOT of growth in this last week.  I feel like changing the seating arrangement has made a huge difference in that...

This segment includes:

(1) Who's an expert?
I am doing my best to grade concept quizzes immediately after students take them so they have immediate feedback on their progress and we can catch misconceptions right away.  One of the best things I did this week is what I will call "Who's an expert?"

When a student would come up to me to get their quiz graded and they got the problems wrong, instead of stopping everything and giving him a re-teaching session myself (I generally had 3-4 kids in line at any given time), I just shouted out "Who's a ________ expert?"   For example, "Who's a discriminant expert?"  "Who knows when a graph is skinny, fat, or normal?" Students would shout out and be excited to help their classmates understand the material.

I've come to the realization that sometimes students learn best from other students because they can put it into words that are more understandable.  I plan to take full advantage of that.

I also found it's important to make sure to check in with both students (the helper and the helpee) after a couple of minutes to make sure it was explained clearly and correctly.

I blogged about this originally on Monday here.

(2) Update on changing seating arrangements 

Note: I don't really refer to this as "good" and "bad" sides in class, but it is easiest to blog about it that way.  The "good" side gets to work in groups, move around, and pretty much do what they wish as they are working.  The "bad" side side sits in rows and cannot work with whoever they want.  If I catch them talking off task, they lose the privilege to even talk to their classmates for the rest of the period.

I was incredibly nervous about this, but it has probably been one of the best moves I could have made.  There is always controversy over "homogenous" vs. "heterogenous" grouping.  Just because I have split the class up doesn't mean I have ignored that completely.  My "good" side is not all homogenous.  It's not all A and B students. It's students who come to class, do their best, ask questions, and stay focused.  It's students who WANT to learn.  The students on the "bad" side are ones who rarely watch the videos, who are constantly off task, who I constantly have to get re-focused, and who are not making an effort.

I have found that trying to be heterogenous in terms of effort DOES NOT WORK. The dead weight is not pulled up by those around them.  The students around the dead weight are pulled down, annoyed, and frustrated.  

Students have the chance to move to the "good" or "bad" side at any point.  I made a point a few days where students on the "good" side came without their WSQ's complete. I had them pick a seat on the "bad" side in rows for that day and maybe the next day.  Then, if they came prepared, they were able to get their seat back.  I think the point was made pretty well.

Funny thing is: I had a student on the "bad" side all last week, and I felt like she earned her place on the "good" side by coming prepared, staying focused, etc.  I offered her a seat on the "good" side and she kindly turned it down and said "I like working better over here because I stay focused and get more done.  Plus, I like helping those around me on this side that need it".

Here are some interesting comments from the students regarding this.  They are all positive!

• The full week of having our class divided into separate sides of the room has gone well for me. From sitting on the side with desks facing towards, has made me realize that I must stay on task all the time and there is no time to mess around. If i want to make it to the other side where everybody else is at, I have to show that i deserve to be moved. Also, I don't talk as much as I used to when we were in groups, so this helps me actually spend my time wisely. 
• I like the seperated class because it gives me the chance to work with the people that actually do their work. I interact with the classmates asking them questions and getting help from them. I hope we can keep it this way because I like working with people who do their work.
• it's better because we actually get our work done. im on the groups side. and all the people around us can help. its good because we all know eachother and we can ask anyone on the side were on. i like it more like that, even tho most of my friends are on the other side ;( its better for me
• I think this week has been pretty good, I was on the can work side and i tried my best to get all my work done & I pretty much did (: 

(3) Update on "2 minute WSQ"

Students are continuing to show improvement with the "2 minute WSQ".  I like how this has kept them focused and guided, just like it has for Math Analysis.  I think after Spring Break I may increase it to 3 minutes and see how it goes.  I have actually messed around with the time all week to keep it "fresh and fun".  One day we did a "1 minute and 47 second WSQ", the other a "2 minute and 12 second WSQ".  

I am finding myself having to reset the timer less and less because students are staying on task.

Interesting comments from the students here:

• The "2 minute WSQ" has helped me as a student because I get to learn from what my partners learned from the video that was assigned for homework. Also, when I have a question, I can just ask the person sitting next to me. We are always on task and focused on what we're supposed to be doing.  
• The 2 minute wsq has helped me. It's easier to do this instead of reviewing with the whole class because it takes more time. I learned a lot of information from my friend because they asked questions that were important in the concept. When I'm done answering, My classmates and I go and work on one of the problems from the SSS. It will show us if we know the concept. 
• it does help i guess because our groups answer our questions. and since my group is smart it's better for me !! 
• Actually Yes, I think the "2 minute WSQ" has helped me because we tell each other what we learned and don´t waste so much time. & Yes it is easy to stay focused do to the reason that we have 2 minutes so we try to make it use full.  

(4) Update on Student Created Videos
Only a few more students made videos this week because we had a District Benchmark for two days and a pretty hard lesson on Tuesday with the Quadratic Formula. But, they are coming along. I actually let two girls take their concept quiz live with an Educreations screencast.  So, instead of doing the quiz by hand, I gave them the iPad and they had to work it out and explain it step by step (without any previous work being done).

I am contemplating making student created videos a requirement for Chapter 11 after Spring Break, but I'm not sure yet.  I don't feel that I have enough resources (only 1 iPad, and I don't feel 100% comfortable handing over my two video cameras or having them use cell phones in class yet) to make it a requirement.  However, I will continue to keep it an option.  If I can find a way to make it a meaningful assignment where all 115 of my Algebra 1 students could get it done during class time, I might consider it.

(5) Student Thoughts from the week

Every week I ask my students for feedback on how the week went.  See their comments on Week 8 here.

Sharing and Collaboration

Today I had the privilege to host three educators (1 Principal, 2 Teachers) from a nearby high school into my 5th and half of 6th period classes.  It was an amazing experience and the first time I have had visitors for a long period of time (i.e. more than 5-10 minutes) in my Flipped Class.  I asked them for some initial thoughts and reactions, so I will be blogging about that soon.

I am still working on getting all the data collected from my Flipping Teachers Survey... It's been a crazy week (or two, or three) and haven't had time to look through it all and decide how I am going to share it all. I am going to spend time looking at it and sharing during my Spring Break the first week of April...so you have until then :)

If you haven't checked out my Blogroll on the right hand side of other flipping teachers, do so! It is only through sharing and community that we learn and grow!  Also, be sure to use #flipclass on twitter to join in the conversation.  If you are a "flipper" and  a "blogger" and don't see your blog on the right, please let me know. I would love to follow you and read up on your experiences!

Every Monday there is a #flipclass chat on Twitter (8pm EST).  Check it out and join in.  Connect with @bennettscience to find out more.

Other Thoughts

All I can think of this week is that I love Flipping. I can't go back to Traditional Teaching.  Using video as a "time-shift" in instruction has completely changed my classroom.  Thank you amazing Flipping Friends for encouraging and helping me on this journey, and for sharing so much about your experiences!!!

THINGS I'VE HEARD THIS WEEK THAT I LOVE: 

I have had three different teachers (2 math, 1 science) talk to me this week about wanting to start flipping their classes next year.   Can't wait to continue to share and see this grow!

CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITIES OF MY FLIPPED CLASSROOM THAT I WANT TO KEEP (this list is now kept on a separate page here and is updated weekly)

CHANGES I'VE MADE THIS WEEK THAT I LIKE: 

1.  Online WSQ?

IDEAS I'M STILL CONTEMPLATING & EXPERIMENTING WITH (running list each week with updates):

1. Coming up with a list of "key questions" myself for each concept to have handy to ask students, to have students discuss in groups, and to show students what "good, HOT questions" look like and sound like (modeling)... This will be tied in with the "Guided Summary" I will be starting to try out.  I think this is going to be put off in its entirety until this summer.

2. Begin coming up with activities students can do to apply their knowledge or practice their knowledge in different ways once they get the basics.  Again, this is something I think may just start to happen over the summer or next year since right now it's just crazy.

Thoughts, comments, ideas, your own experiences? Please share!!!

All Reflections from This Year can be Found Here. 

Student-Created Videos - Algebra 1 (First time trying)

My students started creating their own videos today!  I had them use the iPad app EduCreations (it’s the simplest one I’ve found that doesn’t require much teaching).  While students were very apprehensive at first, a few of them jumped at the opportunity and I think their excitement will transfer to the other students.  I’ve posted the sample videos from Algebra 1 today here.  I will be posting the videos for all students to view and use on Edmodo.

Like any first attempt, there is room for progress, but I think their first attempts were great.

The "funnest" part of it for the students was being able to use my iPad.  Hey, if that will get them engaged and excited about math, I'll take it!

Any tips or suggestions you have for me that I can pass on to my students as we continue to "try" this out is appreciated.

Student-Created Videos - Math Analysis (First time trying)

Here are some sample videos from the first day I introduced Student-Created Videos to my students in Math Analysis.  They were created using Educreations on my iPad.

For this upcoming unit, all students will be required to make THREE videos (1-3 minutes each) using either my iPad, my Document Camera, their cell phone video camera, or a regular video camera.  I am excited to see how it turns out.

These first samples were three of my students "first tries" since they finished and understood the content pretty quickly.

My goal is that the students make these videos in partners (similar to the first one where it is me and another student).  The other two sample videos are single students, and there is definitely room for improvement (some more than others!).  But, it's a learning experience and I think it's GREAT!

My students' first reactions towards "having" to make videos was not that positive, but I think it was mainly because (1) it's new and (2) it's kind of awkward at first.  I hope after this unit of trying them they will think more highly of it.


(Let me know if the videos don't show up or don't play embedded here... thanks!)