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So what do you do when things don’t go according to plan? I wanted to take part in Cohort21 because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and take my teaching somewhere it hadn’t been yet. Similarly, when we started thinking about Action Plans, I wanted to do that same thing for my students: push them out of their comfort zones, challenge them, have them embrace failure…. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for both of us to experience growth together! Well, as I said, things didn’t go as planned, not even close.
My original Action Plan was designed around the premise of having my students more openly embrace the idea and discomfort of failure. Funny enough, it turned out to be me that had to fully embrace this mindset. My position at Trafalgar changed mid-November and I found my commitment to exploring my Action Plan fall to the waste-side (I’m sorry!) I took on a new position at my school and had to adapt—quickly; I had to find a way to balance a new position with my teaching and I didn’t want to give either less then 100%.
As I learnt the new ropes and found myself pulled in new directions, I wasn’t always able to put the 100% I wanted into my teaching. I needed new approaches. While I had tried ways to conduct a flipped classroom before, I realized now, more then ever, I had to make effectively implementing a flipped classroom a priority. I had to make it work so my students still learnt the curriculum and so that their learning was meaningful. My students, however, wasted
no time telling me how they actually preferred the teacher-centered model and I knew I had my work cutout for me.
I feel I’ve slightly cheated in the Cohort21 game– I changed my Action Plan late in the game. But (yes, I’m trying to justify it!), I’ve realized that is teaching, that is education and, honestly, I feel that’s a crucial element of Cohort21. Things are fluid, things change and we’re constantly reacting. Our students and classes are never the same. We as educators are continually developing and evolving and, well, if we’re not, we’re not doing it right.
To get a better look at my Action Plan, please have a look at my final reflection on the Action Plan process & the Cohort21 experience:
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Hey Amy,
We’ve all felt the push back from students. It’s way easier for them to sit back and disengage and study for a test when the time comes, which is why passive learning is attractive to some students. In times like these it’s important to lean on people in your PLC or your PLN. I am sure @cschindler had your back and I can imagine that changing positions mid-year would be stressful!
Here is a Teacher’s Guide to Flipping the Classroom by Edudemic. http://www.edudemic.com/guides/flipped-classrooms-guide/
What I find is so important with buy-in from students is to talk to them about why this way is better. I bring up the Chunk, Chew and Check – some concepts need additional processing time which is where chunking it and flipping it allows them to chew or process the material, then you can Check for understanding in class and have 2 or 3 activities based on their levels of understanding. Or you can give them license on where they want to go next.
The good news is that you’ve a good community of support around you, and time to explore these possibilities next year. You get to keep your blog, and so share your experience so we can all celebrate your success!
Hi Amy,
Congrats on your openness to change! I think you’re right that it’s what Cohort and education in general is all about. You gotta take it in stride!
With all that change, I feel like you got to some really deep truths in your takeaways. I look forward to seeing how your experiments with flipped classroom tools go. I’d love to touch base, it’s something I’m planning on looking at this summer as part of my action plan, too!
This is, as we say, only the end of the beginning. I’m looking forward to where you go from here and catching up further on Friday.
Laura
Great post, and you’ve discovered one of the key findings: that flipping the classroom is as much about teacher development as it is about student development. We need to develop the skills and minset in our students to engage in this way. One way to do so, is to make the classroom piece that much more compelling for them!
Hi Amy,
This is a great post. I really like that you are open to the peaks and pitfalls of a flipped classroom. 🙂
I too have had a lot of push back from students when I introduce a new pedagogical method. Them, like us, are resistant to change. As long as you have their learning at the forefront of anything you do, you’re doing the right thing!
In a flipped classroom I’ve also used ‘thinking questions’ to start off each class in order to give students some class wide discussion (I think they miss that sometimes). I got the idea from Crystal Kirch’s blog: http://flippingwithkirch.blogspot.ca/
Can’t wait to see what you try next!