How do you spend time with your students during your classes? Are you able to provide individual attention or do you spend your precious time trying to reach everyone all at once? Proponents for Flipped Classrooms believe their pedagogy allows teachers to utilize classroom minutes to reach all students on an individual level. By providing instruction via online videos for students to watch at night, teachers allegedly have more time to work individually with students. When students enter the door of a flipped classroom, they should already be possessing knowledge on a specific topic from viewing videos (created by the teacher) the night before.
The idea for a flipped classroom sounds intriguing. I have listened to teachers present at conferences about how their students thrive in a flipped classroom. There is no doubt in my mind the students in these particular classrooms are learning at intense rates. The positives of flipping a classroom seem fairly obvious: students can watch and re-watch videos as necessary, being absent has less effect on your learning, and applying your knowledge happens in the classroom instead of at home on the kitchen table doing homework. With all that being said, in my position I do not believe the complete flipped classroom model would be beneficial to my students because:
- I teach 6 classes a day to various students in K-5 (read: that's a ton of videos)
- Most of my students do not own their own devices
- The families in my community do not have internet access, unless it's through a phone
- Seeing my students every 4 days is not optimal for carrying over learning
But of course, I am not like every classroom. If I was back teaching in my 5th grade, Catholic school building I would give flipping a classroom a try! Two students who were extremely high in math come to mind. I can imagine the possibilities of flipping math for their benefit!
Giving It A Go
For my video, I used Educreations instead of screen casting. Though Educreations is not new to me, it's been a while since I've used it, unlike the screen casting I do numerous times a year. The topic is digital footprint geared toward my 4th graders. Before you view my video, here is what I learned from my experience:
- Educreations has simple tools, which for me, made life harder. Why can't there just be an undo button instead of erasing everything?
- The video took me 2 tries, the first time my Flash decided it was too late in the night to work.
- I have horrible handwriting and it is intensified using a drawing tool.
- I realized student comments and conversations tend to drive my instruction. Impromptu conversations that arise when discussing digital footprint is something I miss.
- Saving halfway through and trying to view your work is NOT possible (I learned the hard way).
- I can add pictures? Wahoo!
- My 4 minute video took me an hour to create.
- Creating a video for my students to watch instead of giving the same directions over and over would be helpful! For instance, if I hear How is it again that I log onto Google Classroom?" I can point them to a video.
References for pictures in video:
Free Image on Pixabay - Brush, Paint, Art, Colorful. (n.d.). Retrieved April 06, 2017, from https://pixabay.com/p-1318350/?no_redirect
Garcia, D. (2016, January 06). Found an old, chubby Sharpie in the mix. Aficionados will know the difference. #sharpie. Retrieved April 06, 2017, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/gypsyroguescholar/23578214663
(n.d.). Retrieved April 06, 2017, from https://pixabay.com/en/road-start-beginning-intention-368719/
R. (2006, February 14). Retrieved April 06, 2017, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/rufino_uribe/99768345
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI really like your point about student comments and conversations really leading instruction. I have tried a type of flipped class before, mostly just when I am absent, and the students always want me to go through and teach everything again when I get back. Even though it's math, which should be straight forward, I am sure that they benefit from the questions of others and the explanations that happen on the spot. It is also easier to scaffold more if I have students face to face. I can give them a few steps to try before doing a whole problem. I have heard so much positive feedback from my students on the face to face teaching that I have going that it makes be nervous to implement more of a flipped model.
I'm sure it is tough not seeing your students every day. It would be pretty difficult for younger ones to remember to complete an assignment over that time when they are not in class every day. We also have internet connectivity issues. I too see the potential benefits, but I am not completely sold for some of the same issues.
Great thoughts,
-Shannon
I, too, have left video instructions when absent. I typically find the substitute gets more from the video then the students! At least it's helping someone! Thanks for your comments.
DeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteI see you point about how a flipped classroom could benefit those two higher level math students. I completely agree. All of the courses I teach are blended between 10-12 graders of all different levels. The accelerated math classes would be so much easier to apply the flipped classroom to because those kids always do their homework.
You make a good point; it would be very difficult to flip a classroom if students were not willing to put in the time at night. If you did start using a flipped classroom technique in your accelerated class, it would be interesting to see how much content you got through in a year compared to previous years.
DeleteAmanda, I'm so glad to see I am not the only one that thought making the video took a long time! I was also worried about my writing on the computer screen, so I actually wrote out and took pictures of the images I wanted. To create the resources, make, and edit the video it took me about 45 minutes for a 3 minute video. I can see how this would save time in the future because I really only need create it once, but that is a big time commitment up front. For you, this would be a lot of time on videos if you were trying to do one for each class! I wonder if there is another tool that could speed up the process, or if it would get a little quicker with more experience?
ReplyDeleteI would assume one would get quicker with more experience, but it still is a large time commitment in the beginning. To create something of high interest and quality I know I would want pictures and explanations and not just my voice.
DeleteIt reminds me of my first year of teaching where you had to make everything for the first time but after a few years you don't spend quite as much time preparing and planning by using what you already have.
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteIt also took me a long time to create my video, even though I knew the content I wanted to "teach" through my video. I chose to do an Educreations video as well. I find it hard to video myself when it's just me, and I like that you can add images, text, draw on the screen, etc. I have similar issues as you with the traditional flipped classroom, where it isn't feasible for my students to watch videos outside of school. However, I think we can all have our own take on flipping, and find a way for it to work best within our classroom, whether it be at home or in school. Flipped lessons could work well if you are working in small groups, and it allows you to "teach" to a group through video while assisting another group in person. Good luck in your flipping, if it's something you decide to pursue! :)
You make very valid points; using a flipped classroom can take various forms! Thanks for sharing.
DeleteHi Amanda, you have done something wonderful with this video--it's interactive. Immediately after you have given a little information about the topic, you ask the students to DO something. So right away, it sends a message to students to perk up and stay alert. You shouldn't let your mind wander during the video or you might just miss a required task. Amanda it's a very smart way to pull students in and sustain their interest. I'll have remember this. Also, I had a colleagued who used Symbaloo quite a lot. Because I used something else, I never took a closer look at it. I think it might be try it in the future.
ReplyDelete