Category List

Flipping the Classroom Blog

This blog recaps the experiences of two high school teachers and LTF Trainers, Melissa Parma and Robert Gonzales, as they implement the flipped classroom model of teaching. Middle school and high school teachers across the United States can benefit from the strategies that Parma and Gonzales use in their classrooms and present here. Please join the conversation and let us know your thoughts.

 

Melissa: Tweaking the Model


Today I changed up the routine a little by showing one of the videos in class.  I know there are a few students who just haven’t made time to watch any of them, and I wanted them to see how nonthreatening and helpful the information is.  Yesterday, the students “discovered” the rules for exponents in quotients, and the video today firmed up their understanding.  I heard a lot of “Ahhhhh, I see!”  

Having examined their notes from earlier videos, I knew I needed to help them understand what to write down and what they could skip.  For example, when I refer back to something earlier in a video, I usually underline it or draw an arrow pointing to it.  That way the students can follow my reference visually.  They were drawing those arrows and doing that underlining in their own notes!  Taking the time to show a video during class time allowed me to teach them an important online learning academic skill.

The video that they are watching tonight is essential viewing because exponential functions are new for all of these students.  They will tackle the LTF Algebra 1 lesson, “Exponential Functions Exploration” tomorrow in their groups.  This is one of the great benefits of flipping: we can do more exploration, more activities, and more LTF lessons!

A majority of students are learning more and doing better than they were in the traditional routine.  In most cases, the students who are still struggling are those who have serious attendance issues.  These kids could watch the videos and stay on track, but they are not choosing to do so.  I’m going to tackle that issue individually with those students rather than trying to make some systemic change to address the situation.  One step that will help a few of them is to dissolve dysfunctional groups and reassign those students to other groups that have open slots.  I had to do this for one group in one class yesterday, and it has already made a difference for those students academically. 

Now that Algebra 1 is settled and working well, it’s time to turn more attention to the Algebra 2 course and get it flipped, too!

Posted by: Melissa Parma on 1/24/2012
Create a trackback from your own site.

2 Comments

    • Jan 29 2012, 8:51 PM D Young
    • This is amazing! Are the students finding that they prefer this style so that they do have the time to work on the problems in class with help?
    • Jan 30 2012, 11:19 PM Melissa Parma
    • Yes, I think they're on board now. Today I showed them how a flipped classroom without video support would look--lots of pulling info from the textbook--and they are begging for the videos. Had to do something because too many were counting on their peers to have watched carefully. :)
To post a comment, you must be a registered user.

Register   |  Login

Contributors


Melissa Parma has taught in public high schools in Texas and California for 28 years. A native Texan, she graduated from Rice University and did her graduate work in education at Cal State, Los Angeles. With rare exceptions, her teaching assignments have always been either mathematics or physics or both. She is an LTF Math Trainer and manages the online LTF Math Forum, and she currently teaches at an Early College High School in New Braunfels, Texas.


Robert Gonzales is a graduate of the UTeach Program at UT Austin. He has worked in Austin ISD for nine years, taking two years out of the chemistry classroom to be a department chair and instructional coach. He currently teaches chemistry in the Academy for Global Studies, a small learning community within Austin High School affiliated with the Asia Society as part of the International Studies School Network. Gonzales is an LTF Chemistry Trainer.

Recent Posts

Archive

Recent Comments

"Robert I am extremely interested in this concept and would really like to see examples of this, can you post a link to your Weebly? Also in reference to a forum for your students why not a closed group on fb? You can monitors it as the administrator of it. This might be to simple for you but I take pictures of problems I've worked or answers to a study guide and then post them on my class fb. It works for me and my kids love it. " Read more
by Christy Hames on Robert - Musings in May

"Now I know what you meant about the audio files! You did a great job with your flipping presentation this evening, and I appreciate getting to tag along. " Read more
by Melissa Parma on Robert - Musings in May

"Melissa, Thanks for the Ted-Ed link. I am going to explore that more thoroughly in some hotel room this summer. I'm not sure if I'll use the website directly because YouTube is blocked on my campus for students, but I think it could generate some awesome ideas. I love your post because we are in the opposite position. I think I have a better sense of the forest than I do the trees. I'm still figuring out what hashtags are for! ;) #huh? We'll make a great team for our presentation this summer!" Read more
by Robert Gonzales on Melissa: End of Year Thoughts

"Yes, I think they're on board now. Today I showed them how a flipped classroom without video support would look--lots of pulling info from the textbook--and they are begging for the videos. Had to do something because too many were counting on their peers to have watched carefully. :)" Read more
by Melissa Parma on Melissa: Tweaking the Model

"This is amazing! Are the students finding that they prefer this style so that they do have the time to work on the problems in class with help?" Read more
by D Young on Melissa: Tweaking the Model

"That's amazing! Technology can be such an amazing tool in helping kids learn. Maybe you and your students can use your new iPads to check out our weekly math problems (www.mathcounts.org) to solve in the classroom or submit some student videos of your own! " Read more
by MathCounts on Robert - Taking Stock; Finding the Right Solutions

"Looks like we are on the same page! My proposal to get 16 iPads in my classroom was approved. We will be using some screencasting apps to make student videos later in the semester. Stay tuned!" Read more
by Robert Gonzales on Robert - Taking Stock; Finding the Right Solutions

"Engaging students with technology can be a great way to connect students to the lessons, and creating video content for the classroom is an excellent way of doing that! As a non-profit, we are always looking for new ways to excite kids about math and have seen the positive impact of using videos as a teaching tool. The student-created math videos are educational and fun. Maybe your classroom will be the next to get involved in creating content! " Read more
by mathcounts on Robert - Taking Stock; Finding the Right Solutions