Reverse Learning

The independent learning element of the flipped classroom and the formative assessment element of mastery are features which may cause alarm in certain cultures (this word can, and should, be interpreted in many ways here).  So when some of my students started showing interest in moving to another science option I was not completely surprised by these thoughts.  I immediately asked for a meeting with my own admin team (whom I am quite sure also wanted to speak to me about this issue).   I admit that I did have an unjustified niggling fear that at the culmination of this meeting I would be asked to go back to the old ways.  Yet I also recognise that my school has always been supportive of innovative educational processes as long as it is well considered and has the best outcome for the students at the core.  As people who have read this blog previously I hope it has been made clear that I really do believe in the pedagogical benefits of the flipped classroom.  As it turns out my admin were determined to find out about what was actually going on in my classroom and having clarified carefully considered steps towards finding a solution which would help move everyone forward.

This whole process has made me reflect on the process from both my own perspective and that of my students which I hope will be beneficial to all.  However the underlying message of this post is that we should always take the opportunity to pay thanks to those people who support good education practice even if it is not the norm.  Thank you my admin team.

Now I need to go back in time a few days to the moment I received an e-mail from admin informing me that 3 members of my standard level physics class are considering switching to biology.  A panic set in and I started to reflect on my own notes from the class

1) I got my first clear feedback about a video I had set for viewing, the feedback was a student found the accent difficult to use.  This is a good sign indicating involvement in the process and will stimulate the production of my first own video (more about this in the future)

2) One student has not completed any of the mastery questions and several seem to have got stuck on the basic speed and acceleration questions.  I really need to make it clear that there is not a requirement to complete these tasks sequentially and in reality they have two years to reach mastery in all areas.  I will contact those students and recommend attending my after-school support session on Thursday’s.

3) Students had shown concerns about finding time to complete internal assessment (IA) work.  I need to help students appreciate that IA runs parallel to the course and students can manage their own time to complete tasks but must remember that doing it promptly keeps it fresh in their minds.

The students in question arranged to visit the biology class for a lesson and the teacher very supportively made an effort to interview the students who were considering moving classes to get to the route of their motivation.  The key points made were:

1) They like physics but are concerned about the future demands of the course

2) They are unsure as to how the increased pressure from other classes would impact the requirements of the flipped classroom (e.g. future time management issues)

He also noted that Biology and Physics are very different sciences with knowledge retention at the heart of Biology and problem solving at the heart of Physics.

Before meeting with my admin team, I further analysed the situation and felt some further issues were at play:

1)    Students are not used to the expectations of independent learning

2)    The acceptance of failure in achieving mastery is a new experience for many

3)    The initial topic of mechanics does not initially contain that much new content so students will not be able to fully appreciate the learning benefits of this process

The outcome: An open discussion facilitated by admin took place in my class to help both sides better understand their own learning needs. From this I will now be better supporting my students by:

1) Creating a required learning checklist, which I will create from the course syllabus, to support each stage of independent learning

2) End each lesson with further instructions on what is required from the next stage of independent learning

3) Start each lesson with a few minutes discussing any issues which arose from the independent learning to help recreate the group element of learning which some felt they missed.

So I will put these ideas into practice and will keep you all informed about my own trails and tribulations with the flipped classroom.

I am happy with the internal mechanics of a flipped classroom and as I have discussed elsewhere I am working on helping the students recognise that this is a powerful tool for their education.  My second greatest fear is a parental backlash.  So I decided to go on the offensive and take the concept to the parents.

The parents (specific to class)

I wanted to the parents of my standard level Physics class to be well informed about the different teaching and learning strategy being utilised in my classroom.  Furthermore, I wanted them to appreciate that this method has their sons or daughters at the heart but that this also requires for them to take on this responsibility.  I also felt by opening up the mastery records page on the school portal it provides a useful insight for parents with respect to their child’s progression (and having a mother/father be able to monitor and push/ motivate my students to get stuff done is no bad thing either).  With this in mind I sent the following letter to the relevant parents.

Flipped Classroom Introduction

As it happens I have yet to have any responses.  I am not sure if this indicates that I was successfully clear and informative or that the parents are just not that worried.  Either way I felt it was the right start to any further conversations I might have to have with certain parents.

Parents (in general)

At my request “Learning styles and the flipped classroom” was added to the back to school night presentation night.  Now I recognise that this is not the most rock n’ roll of session titles – not including words such as exceptional learner or advice on how to handle a teenager.  With this in mind I expected at most 4 or 5 people to each of my two sessions.  As it turns out I had 16+ people in both sessions (more than the exceptional learner sessions which I expected to be a sell out but not as much as “mathematics in the context of NIST” which turned out to be a surprise draw.

You can take a look at the related prezi – Learning styles and the flipped classroom (if you are that kind of learner) but as I have not added a live audio soundtrack I will try and explain the different phases of the presentation.

Phase 1 – Introduction and self reflection

Having introduced myself I started the session by asking participants to identify their own preferred learning style from visual, auditory and kinaesthetic and to sit at an allocated table.  I commented that it was interesting how everyone had aligned themselves into the allocated boxes in such a quiet orderly fashion.  Maybe it was that as adults they are now really aware of what is their preferred learning style or maybe the situation did not provide an opportunity for discussion.  However, I felt that no one here had completely done themselves justice by sitting in a box and that in reality a map of the learning styles which best work for each individual would actually be a constantly evolving (dependent on a number of external factors) 3D shape.

Phase 2 – Our students are wise

I explained that I had recently asked a similar question to my year 11 science class who were about to start a teaching to learn unit on waves and that the response was fascinating.  I was able to sit back and am taken back at the various nuances they discuss.  Our students are aware of how best they learn and one of the key reasons for this is that the MYP has approaches to learning at its heart.  Which in turn prepares our students for the increased demands of the IB Diploma.

Phase 3 – How you and I learnt maybe did not perfectly work for us

Considering the preferred learning styles we have each identified how did they suite an academic lecture situation?

Phase 4 – There is a new way

To emphasize the fact that, through the internet, we have now have access to great educational resources I show the Sal Khan TED Talk, “Let’s use video to reinvent education”, which both explains the ideas of the flipped classroom and the ideas of mastery.

Phase 5 – My classroom

I explain how I have set up my own classroom – a typical classroom with students interacting (and with me focused on student support) but with an additional set of resources available through the class portal site designed to help all the learners present.  

Phase 6 – Mastery

Mastery will be displayed in my own class using the excellent Mind on Physics resource and is designed to help students identify where they need greater support from me and keep track of their own progression within the class itself.

Phase 7 – Know your child and help them know themselves

Talk to your child about their learning styles and what they study at school.  If they can do this then it is a great start.  If not then they may need your help on this journey.

Again the feedback from parents was positive but in a way that appeared they were more pleased to be let inside how different types of teaching and learning are taking place.

I think that both of the steps – the introductory letter and the back to school night presentation – have helped keep the parental community informed.  I think it is surprises which people respond badly to, so with that in mind I am happy that I have taken the chance to plant some seeds.