Chapter 8 is dedicated to the frequently asked questions they receive about flipping the classroom. As you read through the questions, were there any responses that stood out to you or possibly left you hanging? Do you have any further questions that were not listed? This will be great to formulate a list as we will be chatting with Jon Bergmann on January 7th via Google Hangouts!
The requiring students to ask interesting questions every period to show that they have watched the video the night before is a great idea but also I think can cause problems. You have those students who flat out refuse to take part in the any type of discussion and if you count the daily question for a grade that will really hurt that students grade.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the fact that they said they had a 10% failure rate my principal wouldn't like that 10% of the students would fail the class. Their has to be something to improve those stats.
They say that you have to do a 100% buy in this concept I dont think that is true. Students like variety and if they are doing the same thing everyday I think they will get bored of it quickly. I think you can mix this concept in with some of the other teaching methods that we do now and help with keeping a good variety of teaching methods going.
The comments under "What do you do with the kids who don't have access to a computer at home?" caught my eye. I know our students have access to the public library for computer usage but I'm not sure parents of elementary students would get them there, especially if it had to be every night. I don't know if it would be seen as a high priority, amongst everything else they must do.
ReplyDeleteThe suggestion of writing grants is good if you know what you're doing.
I think havng access to the right technology at home could be one of our biggest challenges, particularly for elementary students. Getting 100% of parents on board could be another challenge as well.
I'm very curious to hear how this has worked at the elementary level.
I am with Mike. I don't think I could buy-in 100%. I think our students would tire of it, especially if they were doing this all day long. I don't think it would work best for my Spanish classes. I can see using it for some aspects for the class, but I wouldn't want to use it every day. I like variety and so do my students. I have noticed that my students only do what they feel they are specifically accountable for and even though there are plenty of videos and activities online to improve and enhance their learning, most only do what I am going to check. There is not a limited amount of Spanish to learn, they can always go more in depth. Even though it may help students learn to prioritize, they need to be doing Spanish in my class, not working on something for another class. It is not a priority for them as it is! It may allow to spend more time focussing on communication in Spanish in class.
ReplyDeleteI am not on board with a self-paced program. I remember in the ‘80s when we tried teaching for mastery and never seemed to achieve it. How long do you allow for mastery? It also assumes there is one set path to learning and it has to be laid out in advance. It doesn’t allow flexibility in taking the class in different directions as needs or interests arise. I don’t like the idea of students doing summative assessments at different points in time. It is just too much to keep track of. It is difficult enough, as it is, to maintain integrity in assessments. However, I do like the idea of generating different summative assessments for each student, but realize it takes a lot of time on the front end. I need to determine what the best way for me to do this would be.
As far as leaving learning completely in the hands of the students, I have reservations. Even when they are working on projects, things need to be broken down with checkpoints and accountability, or most don't use their time wisely. Most students need structure. I like the suggestion of students taking notes on videos, which they would have to show me and ask interesting questions. As far as grading and courses, for the most part, we are not set up to function outside of the traditional credit per semester and progressing through the levels a year at a time. If assignments are listed in the gradebook and students are completing assignments on their own schedule, it would really be disconcerting for parents to see a bunch of incomplete assignments. .
The conclusion and questions have given me a lot to think about… including how much thinking and planning would go into implementation. I think I could do a hybrid model, but I am not ready to do a total flip. I would like to see flipped programs in Spanish and how they are set up.
I am particularly interested by Jean's comment above. The students without access to technology have been at the back of my mind each week as we have been completing this book study. I continually found myself wondering about these students, specifically those in the primary grades. We are fortunate in that many parents are willing to help their children succeed in school and many of them find education to be important, but that is not always the case. I find myself worrying about the students who do not see school as important, and who dont have access to technology. I think that there are obvious ways around this (i.e. Technology borrowed from school or donated to the family) but will parents be willing to do this? I think it could be really successful, i just find myself worrying about the few students who don't have the support or the technology.
ReplyDeleteFinally, it really makes me uneasy to read about having a 10% fail rate. I know we have great educators in our district, and none of them want to see this happen. I am sure there are ways to combat this failure rate and to lower that number tremendously. I think that this would be an area in which we would need to collaborate with our peers both vertically and horizontally. Implementing this system is a great idea, and communication is definitely the way to make it work!
I would like to hear him discuss the question of how do you know if students watched your video. Do they still find the student notes they check helpful? Are the notes on GC?
ReplyDeleteFor our MSD VLD plan, can we upload screencastifies onto their device so no internet is needed? I'm assuming on GC? I sent a practice one onto my GC & it seemed to work well.
I'd like to hear him discuss his opinions on if kids learn better with the flipped model.
Great questions. As far as notes and offline videos, those can all be done through Google Classroom. This is the same way we will be doing virtual learning. The students will need to get their items from Classroom first before going home with their device.
DeleteAs with any newer or less familiar method, I think a slow, but steady entry is the best approach. I won't discontinue what I know works best. But I also know that flipping my math class makes sense. Being able to move students at their own pace makes sense, and would allow me more time to spend with the less able math students. I agree with the comment that required technology needs to be downloaded to devices so all students have access to the lessons. I will definitely need some assistance with this. I am a novice with GC, but I really don't see how one can rely on it for students who have no wi-fi at home. Doesn't Google anything require Internet?
ReplyDeleteBeginning this process with one subject sounds much more achievable.