Here is an updated letter I will be sending home to parents at the beginning of the school year about what my flipped classroom looks like. It is edited from an earlier version (January 2012) and is still under construction.
Dear Parents,
Your child has an exciting year of math coming up in my classroom! Things will be a little different in your student’s math class
than you may be used to. We will be implementing a teaching model
known widely around the world as the “flipped classroom”. What is a “flipped classroom”?
Please take a few moments to watch the presentation I have put together
for you, which can be found at http://prezi.com/8wuzpv14scke/flipped-classroom-instructions/ .
In
short, a “flipped classroom” switches around the traditional order of
teaching with the purpose of creating a more in depth and supportive
environment in the classroom when the teacher is present and able to
help students. It allows for students to receive a more individualized
math education, thus resulting in them understanding the content at a
higher and deeper level than before. In addition, it challenges students
to learn how to take charge of their learning, becoming resourceful
learners. Lastly, it provides time for more discussion and questioning
during class time, helping students to become reflective communicators
and to think more deeply about the subject.
What does homework look like now?
For
homework, students will be required to watch video lectures created by
me, where I will teach them the lesson and give examples in the same way
they would receive it in class. However, because the students are
watching the lessons on video, they can pause, rewind, or re-watch any
segments of the video at any time. This allows students to learn at
their own pace and become more self-directed, having to know when they
need to go back over a certain concept they did not fully grasp the
first time it was explained.
Each lesson is specifically designed to be
around 5 to 15 minutes long, which should take your child between 15-30 minutes to watch, take notes, and reflect on what they learned.
These videos can be accessed at
www.youtube.com/crystalkirch for home viewing, on SchoolTube for school
viewing, or students can get the videos on a flash drive in order to
watch them without internet access. All direct links are also accessible
at the class website, www.edmodo.com . Because the videos are online,
they can be accessed on any internet-capable device, such as a cell
phone. Videos can also be uploaded to iTunes from a flash drive and
synced with a student’s iPod to watch offline. Other options are also
available by request, such as getting the videos on DVD to watch on a TV
instead of a computer. If you have concerns about your child having access to the videos, please let me know and I will make accommodations.
While watching the videos,
students are taking notes of important concepts and examples in
their SSS packets that are provided for them. When they are done
watching the video, they write a summary of the concept they learned
about. This summary will sometimes be a paragraph, but other times will be answering questions I have posed to them to think about and answer. The quality and depth of their summary informs me of how much
they truly understood what they watched and what misconceptions they may
have that need to be further explained. After the summary, students
write at least one question regarding the content. This may be a
question that they do not know how to answer and need explained, or it
may be a question that they do know the answer to, but is an important
piece of the concept from the video. Students are challenged to make
their questions “HOT” questions (“Higher Order Thinking” questions) and
have been provided with question starters on Edmodo to help deepen their
thinking.
This process is called a “WSQ” (pronounced wisk), and stands
for “Watch – Summary – Question”. Underclassmen (9th-10th graders) are
also required to add a “V”erification portion to their “WSQ” (making it a
“WSQV”, pronounced wis-quiv) where a parent or guardian signs their
summary and question, along with the time frame in which the student
watched the video. Upperclassmen (11th-12th graders) parents can request
that their students be put on a required “WSQV” contract if their
students need more monitoring in finishing the homework.
There
will still be a few nights where homework will look like regular
“homework”... students will be doing review worksheets and practice
problems. This generally occurs the few nights before a test. However,
now students have access to the lesson online and can re-watch it if
they don’t remember how to do the problems assigned in the homework.
What does classwork look like now?
When
students come into class, we begin by reviewing their “WSQ’s” in a
variety of ways. We may go over a few samples as a class, or
students may discuss either in partners or in small
groups. This time allows the class to refresh their memory on what was
watched last night as well as to clarify anything that was not clear
during the video lesson. We also go over the questions that students
have asked either as a whole class or in small groups. Similarly, we may go over a few problems as a class, but
most often students work in their small groups and get assistance from me in a smaller group as needed.
After the
“WSQ” portion of class is over, students work in small groups on a set
of practice problems or activities to help them practice and develop
full understanding of the concept. Students are encouraged to work with
each other and help each other out and are constantly reminded that one
of the ways they can really find out if they understand a concept is by
explaining it to someone else. I am constantly walking around from group
to group, helping explain things and clarifying confusing parts.
In
the “flipped classroom” model, students still take short quizzes on each
concept a few times a week and still practice learning concepts by using
the songs and chants I have developed. In addition, there is still the
opportunity for whole-class teaching and review if the large group needs
to go back over a concept. However, most of the teaching is now focused
on smaller groups of students who need help on certain concepts,
leading to fully differentiated instruction and support.
What does a “flipped classroom” require of you as a parent?
The
“flipped classroom” enables you as a parent to be more involved in your
student’s math education. Most parents tend to agree that they do not
remember much from their high school math classes and do not feel they
can support or help their student at all when they are home doing
homework. However, with the “flipped classroom”, there are several very
easy ways you can help your student:
(1) Provide your
student with a quiet place to watch the lecture video (preferably with
headphones to limit distractions) each night. If internet access is not
available at your house, provide your student with the time to stay
after school to watch the video in the school library or my classroom.
(2) Ask your student questions about what they watched and have them read their summary out loud to you.
(3) Read their summary yourself to make sure it sounds complete and makes sense.
(4) Read the question they asked and see if they can answer it.
(5)
Encourage them to take their time while watching the videos, which
means they pause, rewind, or re-watch portions of the video when the
teaching is going too fast or when students need a minute to
make sense of what was taught.
(6)
Watch the videos with them so you can learn along with them and help
them when it comes to doing regular practice at home the night before
the test!
What does a “flipped classroom” require of your student?
In
reality, a “flipped classroom” does not change the fact that students
are expected to go home and do “math homework” for 30-45 minutes a
night. The only thing that is different is the type of “math homework”
that they are doing. Instead of doing mindless practice problems where
they can do the problems without really thinking about them, get stuck
on the problems or do them incorrectly, or simply not do the problems at
all because they think the problems are too difficult, students simply
have to watch a video, take notes, and reflect in a summary and
question. Students are expected to come prepared to class each day with
the background knowledge of each concept, ready to learn it better,
deeper, and faster. Students are not expected to have full mastery of
the content before they arrive in class, although many students will be
at that level.
The “flipped classroom” requires your student to take responsibility for their learning in several ways:
(1)
Students must plan time to watch the video when they are still fully
awake and able to make connections between content. (Before 10pm is
highly suggested).
(2) Students must take initiative to re-watch videos they need to see again.
(3) Students must make sure that if they are absent, they still watch the required videos and come to class prepared.
(4)
Students must make sure that they take initiative to communicate with
me either online or in person if there are issues with watching the
videos. This includes coming and seeing me before school, during
seminar, or during lunch to watch the videos before class begins as
often as possible.
What if your student watches the videos every night but still does not understand the content?
Individualized
or small group tutoring and support is still available for students
before, during, and after the school day. During that time, I can sit
down with them and go over more examples and try to explain it in a
different way. Students can contact me anytime via www.edmodo.com to ask
when I am available, although I generally have a consistent schedule
that is posted in the classroom.
How does the “flipped classroom” work with the Fundamental Structures at [our high school]?
Students
will still be held accountable for completing the “WSQ” on a nightly
basis, just like a regular homework assignment. Failure to do so will
result in the progress discipline policies of the Missed Assignment
Cards (“Homework Cards”). The policies listed below are subject to
change.
• “WSQ” charts (see sample at end of letter) will be
collected on a weekly basis, and students must have a minimum of 60% of
the available points to not receive a homework card. Students will
receive differing amount of points based on if the assignments are
completed on time or late.
• If a student is missing any TWO assignments by the end of the week (this includes Watching, Summary, Question, or corresponding Assignment), they will receive a homework card.
• The assignments that correspond with the WSQ’s should be fully completed by the next class day. Students are given plenty
of class time to finish these assignments working with me and other
classmates; however, if they are off task or absent they will have to
make it up on their own time and make sure it is fully completed before
entering class the next day.
Students will receive
points in the HW/CW category of their grade for each week based on the
percentage they have completed, so it is very important that students
strive to reach 100% of the boxes filled with two points each.
STUDENT NAME: ___________________________________________ PERIOD: _________
[
] I understand the changes that will be taking place and the
expectations for my student. We have internet access at home and
watching the videos nightly should not be a problem.
[ ]
I understand the changes that will be taking place and the expectations
for my student. We do have a computer at home; however, we do not have
consistent internet access at home, so please make accommodations for my
student.
[ ] I understand the changes that will be
taking place and the expectations for my student. We do not have a
computer at home, so please make accommodations for my student.
Parent/Guardian Name: ________________________ Relationship to Student: ____________
Parent Signature: ___________________________________________
Best way to contact me from 8am-2pm during the week
[ ] Email: ____________________________________________________________
[ ] Phone: ____________________________________________________________
Questions, comments, or concerns:
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