I am starting my third full year as a teacher who uses the flipped method for instruction. Each year, I get better at this way of teaching. This year, I finally feel as if I have full command of what works best for me and my classroom. As I have started this school year, I have had near 100% of my students watching video lessons. I often hear of teachers who just decide to quit because they don't have "buy-in" from their students and they don't receive support from their parents. It takes patience for this culture change to occur, but stick it out! It's worth it.
Here are five things that account for a successful flipped classroom.
1. Involve parents from the beginning. On the first day of school, I send a letter home to parents to explain what a flipped classroom is, and why I choose to teach through videos at home instead of lectures in the classroom. I also post a video of me explaining this method (check my video out), so that parents can virtually "meet" me. When parents are intimidated about this learning method, I explain to them how I understand that it is vastly different than how we learned, but I assure them that this is a method that works because lessons are more accessible this way.
2. Teach kids how to watch a video for instruction. So often kids don't know how to take notes unless notes are given to them. But, when notes are given to them, they aren't really taking the notes. As I have said before, the KEY to kids learning better through flipped videos is Cornell Notes. Through the use of Cornell Notes, my students learn how to organize their notes, and how to figure out what is useful in their own notes. I always model video notes for them. We watch a video together in class, and I take notes as they take notes. Then, we compare. We talk about the point of taking notes. They look at what their partner has written and they look at what I wrote. We talk about different ways of organizing notes so that we can find the information that we need later on.
3. Give them time. When I first started to flip my classroom, I gave them two nights to get the notes done. Now, I give them at least four nights, often a week. By giving them this much time, I can remind them each day that they have notes due. I usually start with a quick reminder at the beginning of the class period, and I allude to the information that is presented in the upcoming notes. For example, if the grammar point is used in something that we read, I will explain to the students that they will get more information on that topic through the video. Or, I will plead, "You won't understand this topic until you see the video that is due. You really must take good notes on this topic before Thursday!!" Let's face it, students need to be reminded! Because I give them more time to complete the notes, I have few students who don't get the notes completed on time.
4. Use Social Media. You have to get the word out. Kids forget. We all forget things from time to time. We need to be reminded. I use three methods to remind students when videos are due. I send out a text via Remind (formerly Remind 101). Students and parents can sign up for this and it is super simple to use. I also send out a Tweet on Twitter (You can follow me: @mmeburton). Thirdly, I send out a reminder on Edmodo. All three messages are the same, and they all contain a link to the video hosted on Wistia or SchoolTube.
5. Stress the importance. We all want to be successful. We all want to get a handle on what we are learning. With every video, I stress how important it is that they view the video so that they will understand the concept. I stress to them that by not watching the video, they are choosing to be confused and lost in the class. I praise each and everyone of them for watching the videos and completing the notes and I have a discussion with each of those students who didn't watch the video. When we take our notes quiz, I write little notes on the quizzes of those students who didn't watch the video to remind them of the importance of watching the video. And, if someone forgets to take the notes, the next time a video is due, you better bet I am constantly nagging them to get it completed.
As the flipped classroom becomes more of a regular practice in classrooms across the globe, there is more support out there for those teachers who are beginning to get their feet wet. This summer a great book came out to further help teachers. If you are new to this, thinking about getting started or even a seasoned flipped teacher, I suggest that you spend some time with this book. And, I was fortunate enough to contribute one of my ideas to the book!
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