Two Sides of this Shiny Coin...

I had a parent email tonight that was a bit discouraging. Her son is very disorganized and is just a typical middle school boy. I love the kid, but his student skills need work. So she was very frustrated that I was making them go online for homework. She gave me a piece of her mind about how difficult it was and told me that she fully expected me to give him time in class to watch the video and take his notes.

I responded that of course he would be able to use class time to do the homework, but I also took a few moments to correct her misunderstandings of what was expected. I also informed her that he would miss out on the extra practice that the rest of the class would get.

You see, the class before, he hadn't done his homework either. I let him a watch it in class, but the rest of the class played a practice game based on a popular tv show. He kept looking longingly at the groups as they were cheering each other on and clarifying simple mistakes that their teammates were making. And my heart hurt for him because THIS is the real learning that can take place with a flipped classroom. It's the practice above and beyond what I could have fit into the class period without flipping and the students teaching and learning from each other! And he wanted to take part, but had sabotaged himself...

I wish I could explain this to mom in a way that would help her see that this rough transition is worth the trouble. I know it's new and learning a new system can be frustrating, but the payoff would be that this boy would love his math class and would be excited to see what we do next and would be successful! *sigh*

 

In other news, I was encouraged as I was reading over the summary responses for my two flipped classes. Overall, they are understanding the concepts well and are getting better at articulating the concepts with their writing. There are a couple who are struggling and they know they are struggling. They asked great questions in their summary and tomorrow, I will pull them aside for a small group lesson to clarify a couple of things. I feel empowered to really meet my students where they are. Not just in lip service, but in actual responsive planning and teaching. It's just more evidence for myself of why I'm doing this and why I believe it's an amazing way to structure a math class.

 

So...whether you are encouraged or challenged, I'll say to you as I say to myself...keep calm and flip on.

A

 

2014-15 Reflection #1: Flipping Out...

So...I'm a 2.5 weeks into the school year and my flipped classes are taking their first tests today while I reflect.  This year is my first foray into the world of flipping and I'm totally in love.  For those who aren't familiar with the flipped classroom, it's a method of teaching where the students watch a video lecture and take notes at home and the majority of their practice and application is done at school with the support of the teacher and their peers.  After doing tons of research over the summer, I asked Crystal Kirch if I could use her format and she graciously agreed.  You can find all of her info here.  I've loved the structure and foundation that it's provided me to get started since I'd never done anything like this before.  I'll be tweaking it to fit my personal style as I go and realize what works for me and what doesn't.

Things I'm crazy about:

- Quizlet.  The students LOVE racing each other and practice over and over and over.  It's been fun to watch them ENJOY their math practice.

- Having the MAP problems numbered continuously makes it easy to "grade" their homework for completion.  Ch 1a had 200 points - 1 for each problem (190) and then 2 pts per concept for notes.  They had to really leave a lot blank to lower their grade.  A couple of them did get a B or a C on this for their weekly homework grade, but I still felt that it was appropriate for them.  Most got As, even if their packet wasn't perfect.  I like that it's a grade for how much they practiced, which is exactly what a homework grade should be.

- Every. Single. Student. Passed the first test!  I'm so stoked about this.  I want them to be confident and really feel in their soul that they CAN do this stuff so starting out with such a great overall performance is exciting.  The class average grade for the first test was 79.9% which I think is really great.  WAY better than my tests from last year which were a bit all over the place.

- A couple of students had a hard time getting started with the homework.  Checking it each day (on a checklist, not for a grade) helped me to know who needed a phone call to home, but I didn't hold them accountable until test day.  I had a few students who really worked hard to get caught up after faltering initially.  I was very proud of them and I think they were quite proud of themselves which is even better.

- My tests last year took FOREVER.  This year, they were done with the test in 30-ish minutes!  This means I can either give them a test on a regular (non-block) day, or I can give them longer tests with more questions which means their grade will be even more accurate.  I love that I have options.

Things I'm not crazy about:

- I'm not really sure where to put their summary and HOT question grades in.  I'm thinking I can check these 2 things each day and then give them as a participation grade since that's largely what our work the next day in class is built around.  What are your thoughts?

-  Alg 1b seems to be struggling a bit more with the material than 1a.  I wonder if it's tough for them to change from what we did last year for Chapters 1-6.  They are much more consistent with the homework and are prepared and ready for class, but their discussions aren't as deep as 1a for some reason.  Maybe they're afraid of taking risks?  This is such a different way of thinking about math for them.  They are a great group and really want to do what I ask and make me proud so having open-ended conversations about concepts is throwing them for a loop a bit.  Hopefully this will improve over time.

- I wish that the starting out had been smoother.  We did a lot of WSQ-ing in class and then we gradually transitioned to where they were supposed to do it at home, but the number of students who'd done it was inconsistent so there were a few days where it was clunky in class trying to get everyone working in a way that was appropriate for what they'd done the night before.  I DID love that everyone was ALWAYS working - never any down time.  Some were WSQ-ing in class, some where discussing HOT questions, some were practicing with Quizlet.  I think this was just a result of me not knowing what to expect.  Next year, I'll have a poster or something where the students can see what they should be working on based on where they are in the process. 

Ideas for next year:

This will be a running list of things I want to remember as I go along...

- "What should I be doing?" poster for the first few weeks.  As students learn what to do with this method, there will be hurdles and excuses in the beginning.  No matter what happened the night before, I want them to feel confident coming in to class that they can begin working right away even if I can't hold their hand to get them started.


So there you have it.  There are more things rattling around in my brain...more reflections to come.  Please, whether you are an experienced flipper or not, let me know what your thoughts are.  Questions, comments, ideas are so totally welcomed.  

Summer Lovin'

Yeah, ok. So I wasn't all consistent with updating my blog during the school year. Best of intentions and all that. Truthfully, I don't often feel that I have much interesting to report. At this stage, I know that one of my most faithful (non-family) readers is my husband's non-teacher friend who lives in Maryland and I'm pretty sure he's just being supportive. (Don't get me wrong, J. I appreciate it and please keep reading. I value your feedback.)

So here's a just-so-you-know-I'm-still-alive-and-in-love-with-teaching post...

Summer plans. First, lots of beach time with the kids. How have I lived here my whole life and not been totally obsessive about the peaceful, beautiful, totally recharging power of the beach?! Yeah, I have no idea, but let's just say that I am totally making up for lost time.

Secondly, I'll be doing lots of reading. I've already finished Flip Your Classroom by Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams and I'm half-way through Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess.

Seriously great reads. I'm planning to flip my Algebra 1a class next year if my Superintendent says it's ok. I need to prep some materials to do a formal pitch for her soon. I'll post that stuff here for the interweb's approval as soon as I get it done.

As far as teaching like a pirate goes...wow. This guy Burgess is really good at challenging you - like really getting in your a face and making you acknowledge some things - and then at the same time, inspiring you to believe in yourself and equipping you to reach for the next level. I hope to do some reflecting about the neat things happening in my brain with that book.

I'll also be prepping a curriculum for my Consumer Math class next year! Super exciting things happening there - my admin is letting me fly with the standards alone which is so fun because that means I get to flex my creative muscles and design a challenging and engaging learning experience on my own. While I'm VERY excited about this opportunity/challenge, I'm also more than a little bit frightened. Time to put on my big girl panties and see what I'm really made of. I wish I had some Ron Clark confidence. That guy has no fear and just makes amazing things happen. I want to be like him when I grow up.

Which brings me to my next point...I really wish that I had some math teacher friends that I could hang out with and brainstorm with in real life. I need some people who are idealistic like me, experienced enoug to know this job is super tough, but still naive (and brave) enough to really believe we can break the mold. Super-psyched-math-teacher, party of one, is getting a little annoying.

And finally, to anyone who thinks teachers have it easy because we get summers "off"....yeah, that idea is so rediculous I don't even have a clever response to it!! When you love teaching, there is no "off" switch. I eat, sleep, breathe teaching and learning and creating all year round. It's exhausting. And wonderful.

And you wish you were me.

That is all for tonight. Peace out!