Flipping Out!

By Mike Brewer

Late in October or 1012, my principal came to me and asked me to consider flipping my 4/5 combo class. At the time it was already a challenge and the thought of adding one more dynamic to my room was overwhelming. However after speaking to several teachers that were already flipping their classrooms for math I decided I would look into it a little further.

The idea of having students watch me teach the lesson from the comfort of their own home on the computer the night before the work would take place in the classroom seemed intriguing. I knew from my own experience with this type of learning that it can make the learning process more user-friendly. The more I thought about the idea the more excited I became. With a little reluctance, I began to make the arrangements to flip my classroom when we returned from the Christmas holiday. I spent many hours and several full days prior to break getting materials and more importantly the letters that would go out to parents explaining my rationale for Flipping ready to go.

I knew that in order to make this happen I would need the buy in of my parents. The funny thing was my student’s bought in right away. The biggest reason they mentioned was that now they wouldn’t have any regular math homework. I explained to them that they would still have homework to do but it would be more listening, rather than actual hands on homework. The parents were skeptical, but were willing to try it based on the excitement of their children.

Before going out on break I spent a few days explaining to my students exactly what I wanted them to do with each video and how a video would make the learning process work more in their favor. They were excited to learn that they could freely go back and forth during the lesson to make sure they understood the material. There was however some apprehension about filling out the WSQV (Watch, Summarize, Ask a Question, and Verification) form, but that concern quickly disappeared as we discussed the importance of the form.

It’s been two months since the program was instituted and the feedback has been more positive than negative. The students seem to really like the ability to watch the lesson on their computer the night before and for the most part have been coming to class prepared. They have confided in me that they prefer to watch a video that I have personally made rather than a video from Khan Academy or another educator. Parents seem to have been the biggest surprise so far. They love the videos because a lot of them are watching the videos with their children, which in turn, is helping them understand the material as well.

I will say that the flipping process does demand a bit more work in the beginning, but the idea of being able to use some of the videos already made this year for upcoming years does help with the workload.  Students tell me that they have enjoyed the process because it provides them more one-on-one time with me during class. Even though I was “Flipping Out” in the beginning, my students and I have really “Flipped” over this new way of learning and teaching.