Backflips and Blenders: How and Why to Flip Your Classroom
I remember the first time someone told me about flipped classrooms. They told me that you teach students without actually being with the students, and then they told me about a blended model where you're teaching on the screen while also wandering around helping students, and I was like, "WHAT IS THIS BLACK MAGIC?!"
I was really intimidated for a long time. It seemed impossible. It sounded like it was going to take hours of work, lots of gear, a small film crew, a Hermione-esque time-turner, etc. What I learned is that I was making everything more complicated than it needed to be.
Flipping your lessons really is a simple concept at its core. The problem was that I didn't understand the core concept, and at a very simple level, I didn't understand the definitions of those terms.
What is a Flipped Lesson?
A traditional lesson model involves direct instruction in class and then practice/application generally at home. Flipping a lesson is exactly what it sounds like: you provide instruction at home and practice during class.
What is a Blended Lesson?
A blended lesson simply means that you use a combination of online resources in conjunction with a more "brick and mortar" approach. This often means you do both the videos and the practice in class.
Once I understood the simplicity of these concepts, I felt much more confident to approach them. However, I still had a few misconceptions about flipped or blended models.
Misconception #1: You have to record yourself teaching the lesson.
You absolutely can, but you don't have to. YouTube has thousands of resources that you can use. In addition, I found that I really enjoy creating animated videos. I have no abilities when it comes to actually animating anything (it took me like four hours to make a line move in Adobe After Effects), so I just use sites like Moovly or PowToon to make them. It takes a little while, but once they're there, you always have them.
Misconception #2: Every student needs to have a device.
It obviously helps, but you can operate under a blended model without constant access to devices. One option is to not do it every day. Even for classrooms with constant access to devices, I would still recommend that you don't do it every day. You could reserve the computer lab once a week, and that could be your blended lesson day. You also can have students view the videos as a group and then do the practice with pen and paper. While that may not sound like what we picture a blended classroom being like, it definitely is!
Misconception #3: It takes more time.
Okay, I have to be honest - it does take more time at first. The setup is a little more involved than a traditional lesson plan. However, you end up saving time in the long run. I have found that I spend less time addressing behavior problems because I'm not stopping an entire lesson for everyone if I have to address something. Also, when students have access to these instructional videos, the simple reteaching pieces of basic concepts don't have to necessarily be done by you. You can point students back to the videos.
Once I got past those misconceptions, I had to figure out what was going to help me be successful in flipping my lessons. This was not exactly a painless process. I think I found every bump along the way and even added a few of my own. Through it all, here are the most important things I learned.
Tip #1: Don't assume anything.
Accountability is key in any sort of flipped or blended lesson. Simply having students watch something on YouTube won't tell you whether or not they actually watched it. Here are a couple of the most useful tools I've used to ensure that students watch the videos:
Tip #4: Start small.
Flip one lesson. Choose a basic concept from an upcoming unit and just try it. If it doesn't work, that's how we learn and grow.
Even if you've never tried either model before, there's no better time than now! Find a video, develop a method of accountability, and then just see what happens. I've found that this shift has really helped me turn into, as they say, the guide on the side instead of the sage on the stage, and teaching is just more enjoyable when you're next to students helping them instead of in front of them lecturing.
Other tips, ideas, or thoughts? Leave them in the comments below.
(I just had to put this here because I think of it every time I hear "black magic.")
I was really intimidated for a long time. It seemed impossible. It sounded like it was going to take hours of work, lots of gear, a small film crew, a Hermione-esque time-turner, etc. What I learned is that I was making everything more complicated than it needed to be.
Flipping your lessons really is a simple concept at its core. The problem was that I didn't understand the core concept, and at a very simple level, I didn't understand the definitions of those terms.
What is a Flipped Lesson?
A traditional lesson model involves direct instruction in class and then practice/application generally at home. Flipping a lesson is exactly what it sounds like: you provide instruction at home and practice during class.
What is a Blended Lesson?
A blended lesson simply means that you use a combination of online resources in conjunction with a more "brick and mortar" approach. This often means you do both the videos and the practice in class.
Once I understood the simplicity of these concepts, I felt much more confident to approach them. However, I still had a few misconceptions about flipped or blended models.
Misconception #1: You have to record yourself teaching the lesson.
You absolutely can, but you don't have to. YouTube has thousands of resources that you can use. In addition, I found that I really enjoy creating animated videos. I have no abilities when it comes to actually animating anything (it took me like four hours to make a line move in Adobe After Effects), so I just use sites like Moovly or PowToon to make them. It takes a little while, but once they're there, you always have them.
Misconception #2: Every student needs to have a device.
It obviously helps, but you can operate under a blended model without constant access to devices. One option is to not do it every day. Even for classrooms with constant access to devices, I would still recommend that you don't do it every day. You could reserve the computer lab once a week, and that could be your blended lesson day. You also can have students view the videos as a group and then do the practice with pen and paper. While that may not sound like what we picture a blended classroom being like, it definitely is!
Misconception #3: It takes more time.
Okay, I have to be honest - it does take more time at first. The setup is a little more involved than a traditional lesson plan. However, you end up saving time in the long run. I have found that I spend less time addressing behavior problems because I'm not stopping an entire lesson for everyone if I have to address something. Also, when students have access to these instructional videos, the simple reteaching pieces of basic concepts don't have to necessarily be done by you. You can point students back to the videos.
Once I got past those misconceptions, I had to figure out what was going to help me be successful in flipping my lessons. This was not exactly a painless process. I think I found every bump along the way and even added a few of my own. Through it all, here are the most important things I learned.
Tip #1: Don't assume anything.
Accountability is key in any sort of flipped or blended lesson. Simply having students watch something on YouTube won't tell you whether or not they actually watched it. Here are a couple of the most useful tools I've used to ensure that students watch the videos:
- Google Forms - you can embed the videos into a Google Form and include questions as a quick check at the end. The downside is that students can answer the questions without watching the video.
- PlayPosit - this site allows you to import YouTube videos and add questions for students to answer during the video. It also tracks the percentage of the video the students have watched.
Tip #2: Apply the information in the video ASAP.
If the homework was to watch the video, start class with an activity that requires them to use the information in the video. If they are watching the video in class, let them use their new information immediately after. The last thing you want to do is just have them watch a video and then just move on. They'll begin to realize that the videos don't matter. I've found that using stations as a way to help students apply the information they learned in multiple ways and in multiple contexts can be really useful.
Tip #3: Focus on classroom culture above all else.
This step is often overlooked. It takes time to develop an environment where flipped or blended learning models are really successful. Students have to learn the behavioral skills necessary to keep themselves on task. They need to learn how to be fairly self-directed when it comes to learning. They also really need to understand and embrace norms when it comes to responsible technology use in the classroom. Is my class perfect? Nope. Are we working on it? Yep. Is it getting better? Much.
If the homework was to watch the video, start class with an activity that requires them to use the information in the video. If they are watching the video in class, let them use their new information immediately after. The last thing you want to do is just have them watch a video and then just move on. They'll begin to realize that the videos don't matter. I've found that using stations as a way to help students apply the information they learned in multiple ways and in multiple contexts can be really useful.
Tip #3: Focus on classroom culture above all else.
This step is often overlooked. It takes time to develop an environment where flipped or blended learning models are really successful. Students have to learn the behavioral skills necessary to keep themselves on task. They need to learn how to be fairly self-directed when it comes to learning. They also really need to understand and embrace norms when it comes to responsible technology use in the classroom. Is my class perfect? Nope. Are we working on it? Yep. Is it getting better? Much.
Tip #4: Start small.
Flip one lesson. Choose a basic concept from an upcoming unit and just try it. If it doesn't work, that's how we learn and grow.
Even if you've never tried either model before, there's no better time than now! Find a video, develop a method of accountability, and then just see what happens. I've found that this shift has really helped me turn into, as they say, the guide on the side instead of the sage on the stage, and teaching is just more enjoyable when you're next to students helping them instead of in front of them lecturing.
Other tips, ideas, or thoughts? Leave them in the comments below.
