Flipping your classroom is one of the most innovative and exciting movements in education today. And it can be an amazing experience for you and your students.
Now, some of you may be asking what does it even mean to flip a classroom and why would you want to? When you flip your classroom, your students are receiving the introduction of a lesson or concept the night before the actual lesson. They might watch a video or visit a website that introduces how to carry out a new math computation, introduce new vocabulary, take notes etc.
In this style of education, your students are receiving content before they ever arrive bright eyed and bushy tail in your classroom. Ideally, your students are coming to class with an, “at minimum,” application level knowledge of the content you will be teaching.
Sounds marvelous, right? Well, some days it is. And some days, I want to bang my head on the wall. J After a year of flipping my classroom, let me share a few things I have learned.
Tip # 1 Pre-Assess Before You Assign
I will confess this is my first year in third grade. (All my other time was spent in self contained fifth grade classrooms.) I remember reading the standards and thinking piece of cake! I got this! (Cue brushing dirt off shoulder and general teaching studliness.) (Several weeks later…) Wait! What do you mean you don’t know how to write a complete sentence? You don’t know how to subtract across zeroes? Who was supposed to teach… Oh wait! Me! Oy!
I learned very quickly to never assume my students know how to do something. And this very much applies to logging onto computers, note taking, or math! So take my advice, pre-assess! (And do it without the pesky word problems for now.)
Tip #2 Model, Model, Model
We spend a great deal of time in the classroom modeling how to solve math problems, previewing text, using scientific equipment, etc. You MUST model how to use the computer, Ipad, etc. for your students. (Most students know how to play games on technology, that’s pretty much it.)
Take it from me; the quality of work produced on flipped assignments will depend on how well the process has been modeled for them. You want them to take notes. Be sure to teach them how you want the notes written AND show them where to place them afterwards. You want them to write a summary of the video they just watched? Model and be clear on your expectations about what a summary entails.
Tip # 3 Creating videos is a learning curve.
When I am creating videos, I use QuickTime player on my Mac and Cam studios on my Dell. I like to screencast as opposed to filming myself. I am a little camera shy, and I tend to make my videos in my pjs. :) Creating videos can be time consuming. So give yourself time and grace. Don’t try to create five videos a week. It’s not going to happen. If it does, you probably won’t like the quality of videos you’re turning out.
Tip # 4 There are great resources out there. Use them!
But be sure to tailor them to your purposes. What does that mean? Don’t just assign your students videos to watch for the sake of sending them an assignment. If the video defines vocabulary you want them to know. Give your students an activity to go with it (make flash cards, draw a cartoon, etc.).
Here are some of my favorite resources:
Reading/ELA- Studyzone, Youtube, Learnzillion, Education Galaxy, Read/Write/Think
Math- Study Jams Learnzillion, IXL, Education Galaxy
Science- Study Jams, Sheppard Software
So, there you have it. Clear as mud, right? So, what do you think of flipping your classroom? Do you have any strategies that work? Any questions? (Anyone?)
Now, some of you may be asking what does it even mean to flip a classroom and why would you want to? When you flip your classroom, your students are receiving the introduction of a lesson or concept the night before the actual lesson. They might watch a video or visit a website that introduces how to carry out a new math computation, introduce new vocabulary, take notes etc.
In this style of education, your students are receiving content before they ever arrive bright eyed and bushy tail in your classroom. Ideally, your students are coming to class with an, “at minimum,” application level knowledge of the content you will be teaching.
Sounds marvelous, right? Well, some days it is. And some days, I want to bang my head on the wall. J After a year of flipping my classroom, let me share a few things I have learned.
Tip # 1 Pre-Assess Before You Assign
I will confess this is my first year in third grade. (All my other time was spent in self contained fifth grade classrooms.) I remember reading the standards and thinking piece of cake! I got this! (Cue brushing dirt off shoulder and general teaching studliness.) (Several weeks later…) Wait! What do you mean you don’t know how to write a complete sentence? You don’t know how to subtract across zeroes? Who was supposed to teach… Oh wait! Me! Oy!
I learned very quickly to never assume my students know how to do something. And this very much applies to logging onto computers, note taking, or math! So take my advice, pre-assess! (And do it without the pesky word problems for now.)
Tip #2 Model, Model, Model
We spend a great deal of time in the classroom modeling how to solve math problems, previewing text, using scientific equipment, etc. You MUST model how to use the computer, Ipad, etc. for your students. (Most students know how to play games on technology, that’s pretty much it.)
Take it from me; the quality of work produced on flipped assignments will depend on how well the process has been modeled for them. You want them to take notes. Be sure to teach them how you want the notes written AND show them where to place them afterwards. You want them to write a summary of the video they just watched? Model and be clear on your expectations about what a summary entails.
Tip # 3 Creating videos is a learning curve.
When I am creating videos, I use QuickTime player on my Mac and Cam studios on my Dell. I like to screencast as opposed to filming myself. I am a little camera shy, and I tend to make my videos in my pjs. :) Creating videos can be time consuming. So give yourself time and grace. Don’t try to create five videos a week. It’s not going to happen. If it does, you probably won’t like the quality of videos you’re turning out.
Tip # 4 There are great resources out there. Use them!
But be sure to tailor them to your purposes. What does that mean? Don’t just assign your students videos to watch for the sake of sending them an assignment. If the video defines vocabulary you want them to know. Give your students an activity to go with it (make flash cards, draw a cartoon, etc.).
Here are some of my favorite resources:
Reading/ELA- Studyzone, Youtube, Learnzillion, Education Galaxy, Read/Write/Think
Math- Study Jams Learnzillion, IXL, Education Galaxy
Science- Study Jams, Sheppard Software
So, there you have it. Clear as mud, right? So, what do you think of flipping your classroom? Do you have any strategies that work? Any questions? (Anyone?)