My Action Plan…finally! Flipping Organic Chemistry….

Note: This photo has nothing to do with my Action Plan, other than the fact I found it the same day that I figured out what my Action Plan was going to be.  It’s me. Sneaking a taste of the cake batter.  Some things never change.

Surprise, surprise.  It’s the 11^th hour and my blog will sneak in right before the deadline.  Some things never change!  I spent a lot of time ruminating over my Action Plan ideas during the holiday, and neither of my ideas were really speaking to me.  So I emptied out my folder filled with the Design Thinking pages from the 2^nd face-to-face and saw a little slip of paper with random notes from a conversation with Bluky, Mike and Christi about flipping strategies.  They offered some fantastic insights and advice which encouraged me to rethink how I approach flipping.

@mrarsenault described how his students use Cornell notes when they are watching the videos he curates.  @msblukyng mulled over the appropriate length and content, taking into consideration how busy Grade 11 and 12 students can get at certain points during the year.  @c_lovrics described how she has had success with a math unit she flipped this year.  Her videos provided and introduction and overview, then followed it up with a short in-class lesson before moving into the activity.

That’s when I realized that this is what I really want to focus on.  I’ve dabbled with flipping for the past four years but have never really committed.  I’ve flipped a class here and there, but I haven’t put in the time to actually plan out and try developing an effective “flipped” culture in my classroom.  I’m a believer in differentiating the teaching and learning in the classroom, but I realize that a menu of options isn’t appetizing unless the choices are actually of high quality.

So my Action Plan will explore:

How can I flip my classroom to foster interest and understanding?

I figure, go big or go home, so I’ve chosen to flip a Grade 12 Chemistry unit.  And not just any unit, but the Organic Chemistry unit (it’s a doozy for most students).  Based on the great ideas and suggestions from Mike, Bluky & Christi, I am going to consider and my answers so far (Disclaimer – I reserve the right to change my answers at any time)!

• Will I make the videos or will I curate high-quality videos created by others?
  • Answer: A combination

• How long should the videos be and what should they cover?
  • Answer: Still working this out (the IB curriculum has changed), but I think I’m going to take Christi’s advice.

• How will my students summarize and organize the key understandings from each video
  • Answer: I like the Cornell notes idea.  I tried it out with one of my other classes to moderate success.

• How will I know that they have watched the videos?
  • Answer: EdPuzzle!

• How will I know that they understand and can apply the key understandings?
  • Answer: Quick “Question of the Day”.  Still deciding between Polleverywhere, Plickers and Socrative.

• What class activities will we do to further student learning?
  • Answer: Still working this one out.  I have a variety of labs, practice problems, and inquiry based activities that I need to sort through.

• How will I know if this is successful?
  • Answer:  This is always most difficult for me.  Getting through the unit in the same (or less) than previous years is important.  My sanity and workload are both important.  Most important, though, is student understanding and interest.  Maybe a survey of some sort?

I know there are many experienced “flippers” in the Cohort21 world so I look forward to hearing great ideas and suggestions, and discussing strategies, successes, and so on at our next F2F.

Ready, set, go!