As I reflect on this
past school year, I smile at the thought of my students accepting the challenge
of something different. When I first heard of the 'flipped classroom' in early 2013, I was
excited yet unsure as to how I would proceed with implementation. However, I agreed that In 2014, it is more than appropriate that learning continue to extend beyond the walls of the classroom. With something like this, there is bound to be obstacles that must be overcome. Over the (2013) Summer, I thought about these things and determined that I would flip my class for the 2013-2014 school year. Here is what I learned:
Expectations
When I
decided to dive into the 'flipped classroom', I knew there would be resistance
on the part of students and hesitance on the part of parents. However, as the teacher, it is my job to set reasonable expectations. Expectations aren't limited to the level of the work given. Expectations also concern how the work is completed. As with all expectations, it is important to let those expectations be known and let them stand. I instructed my students that their homework would look a little different than what they have seen before, but it would be completely in line with the curriculum. When I showed my students what their homework looked like and what I expected them to do,
Contingency Plan
Breaking News! There are some students who don't like doing homework. If you are going to flip your classroom
successfully, you must be ready for this. I have 6 desktop computers as well as
3 laptops in my classroom. Don't fret if your school doesn't have these resources. Research states that 70% of teenagers aged 13-17 have smartphones. When students don't do their homework, I instructed them to complete it while I discussed the homework with the rest of the class. This allowed for class to continue even though everyone wasn't at the same point in the journey towards proficiency.
Grades
Many
students are focused on grades in a negative way. As a teacher, it was my
responsibility to refocus my students. In terms of grades,
they were worried
about getting the points associated with an assignment as opposed to acquiring
knowledge on the way to proficiency and beyond.
So, on the day the
assignment was due, I went around the room looking at each assignment. I spend
about 15 seconds on each assignment. I was looking for a solid effort towards
completion of the assignment. If a student told me they didn't understand a question
and so they left it blank, they received full credit. I did this because I knew
that we were going to have a class or small group discussion about the
homework. As a result, the gaps in understanding would be filled.
In an effort to not
mislead you and paint an incorrect picture, there were students who simply
forgot and didn't complete the assignment. They may have started, but didn't
finish. Because of my approach and emphasis on learning rather than point accumulation, students were honest about their failure to meet their responsibility. As a result, they received partial or no credit for the
assignment.
I was able to push
my students (9th Graders) to watch videos as long as 20 minutes. On reflection, I believe that was a little too long for Freshmen. Next year, I will abide by the 1.5 Rule (1.5 X Grade Level). Based on the 1.5 Rule, my videos will be no longer than 13 minutes long (Rounding Down).
The Lab
What I loved about the flipped classroom is the fact that it allows students to complete the "Traditional Homework" under my supervision. After about 2-3 Flipped Assignments, I compiled "Traditional Homework" assignments into one. This was known as a "Lab". Students were able to choose which assignment they completed 1st. They made their own decisions based on their level of understanding of the material. Where there were gaps, I encouraged my students to fill them in by referring to their flipped assignments or even watching the video again. It was amazing to see students make decisions based on their own metacognition.
Methods
I used the program, Camtasia in order to edit my videos. It took me a lot of time to get the lighting correct. I am not 100% happy with the videos only because I am a bit of a perfectionist. However, I have received a lot of positive feedback. First, I created a script of talking points. Next, I began filming. There were most definitely mistakes. On average, it took about an hour total to film a video, edit, and post.
I am curious to hear your experiences and advice. Please comment. Also, here is an example of one of the videos I made during the 2013-2014 school year:
Thanks for reading!
