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I began writing my course audit for AP Biology this week, which is always a fun thing to do. Part of my course description includes a short letter to parents and students at the beginning, so they have glimpse of my philosophy on the class and school. I also looked back at a course audit I had written for AP Chemistry my first year of teaching. The dissonance shocked me. This is from 2009:

Teachers, Students, and Our Roles

You will not succeed in this course if you become merely an observer. Learning does not happen by being a spectator. You, as the student, are expected to take your education seriously and to be responsible for your own learning. Your success will correlate directly to the amount of time and effort you put into your studies of chemistry outside of class.

At this stage in life, you are called to be a student. Time management will be essential in your success not only in this class but also in all your studies. This is not the only class you are taking. If you need help in setting up a “time budget,” you may see me to set up a study schedule to help structure your time and foster good habits.

My job, as the teacher, is to facilitate your learning through instruction in class as well as outside of class if you need extra support. Throughout this year, I will provide you with experiences that are meant to engage you intellectually and that will help you broaden your knowledge of chemistry. One way to maximize your success is to have open communication between one another. As we progress through the course, I need feedback from you as to how the material is being presented so we can maximize class time and ultimately enhance your understanding.

It is also my job as the teacher to design effective assessments of your learning. Exams, quizzes, and labs will help me make evaluations of your success in the class. Quizzes will be given twice in each chapter and a test will be given after every 2 chapters. All tests are cumulative and timed.

All of this is good information and important, but it is very condescending (to me) and really does not portray a very inviting class. Here is my letter for 2012:

Teachers, Students, and School

The world is changing. Simply memorizing facts is no longer appreciable in a digital world, where information is available any time, any where. This fundamentally changes the roles of students, teachers, and schools.

As a teacher, it is my job to help provide a starting point for your learning. I will be available to help answer questions, but it is also my job to ask even more questions. Biology is the study of history and science, but it is also the study of the world around us, which requires questioning and experimentation.

As a student, you are expected to fail. We learn by making mistakes. I will push you to make mistakes, but I will also support your learning as you evaluate those mistakes. You are expected to persevere and continue to make progress. Learning opportunities for multiple styles will be provided, which will allow you to craft your learning experience in AP Biology.

School will be a place of collaboration. While in class, you will be working in small focus groups that will in turn support one another through each unit. These groups will help you develop time-management and collaboration skills that are essential after your formal schooling is over. While in class, you will have the option to structure your learning time based around lab investigations, research, or application projects. We will focus on real-world uses of the information you are collecting and reshaping into something useful. Community outreach will be encouraged as part of the course.

I am already excited about next year.

I have made a few changes in my chemistry class recently that came more out of pragmatic necessity than anything else, but these changes have caused me to revisit grading…again.

Ultimately, what caused my change was the expectation of having three graded assignments put into the grade book each week. That’s three for every student, every week, for every class. With 110 students, that would be 330 graded assignments every seven days. Without visiting the fact that so many assignments dilutes grades to nothingness and that I have more to be worrying about than finding three assignments to grade, I began searching for a way to (somewhat) meet this expectation.

I use modified standards-based grading in chemistry. Students are assessed on their ability to perform a task around a certain concept. So, I do not grade worksheets or menial assignments because again, they are not necessarily true reflections of what the student can actually do with the material. Stemming from that idea, I began asking students to self-assess on a scale of zero to five, with a “zero” meaning they have not visited that concept yet, and a “five” meaning they can teach their peers.

Without making a big deal of it, I would enter that self-assessment into the grade book. The next day I would go back around and ask each student to re-assess their learning. If it went up, that was good. They were making progress and moving in the right direction. If it stayed the same or even went down (after attempting a quiz on worksheet), I would pull them aside and provide direct instruction. I would then enter their second (or third) assessment into the book. The grades are always in flux and (I feel) represent their learning more accurately. Now, the process is done using a Google Document filled out as they learn so I don’t have to run around the room so much. As part of their assessment, they also have to list evidences they can provide to prove their ability.

What does this mean? Aside from meeting an expectation, I have not seen students take advantage of this tool, either in the discussion or in the Google Doc. They are assessing candidly and using concrete evidence to back up their score. What I’ve also noticed is that their scores are what I would have assigned if I were the one doing the scoring.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/intrepidteacher/status/174122976936075265″]

How do you show trust and respect to your students? If we are not constantly thinking about our grading policies, we are more and more likely to hurt their innate desire to learn. What can you do differently to involve them in the grading that happens in your class?

Student engagement is proportional to their investment in the class. We can complain that all students and parents seem to care about these days is the number next to their name. Try to work on encouraging investment by letting go of the habit or drive to be in total control of those grades. As students feel more empowered, they will become more engaged in their learning.

I was given a unique opportunity today to join our local NPR host on a show entitled The Trend. The first half of today’s show was about new classroom models popping up around the city and I was invited to represent the flipped classroom. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity.

Two other teachers joined me from school. Erinn Jankowski and her co-teacher Heath Harrington run a pilot program called the Center for Community Outreach (CFCO). Their purpose is to have high school seniors working with local non-profit organizations on a wide variety of projects. It really is an amazing class and you can read about it here if you’re interested in learning more about it.

It was a great time talking on the program about the flipped classroom and how we need to adjust our teaching philosophy to allow student choice and autonomy.

I was proud to represent the teachers that are working so hard to provide better education opportunities for students across the country. If you would like to hear more about the flipped class and Erinn’s CFCO, you can listen to the entire show online.

With the discussion about the Flipped Classroom gaining steam globally, I thought it was about time we begin to connect in real time.

I emailed Jon, Aaron, Ramsey, Dan, and Phil and we are excited to announce that the first-ever FlipChat will be held on Monday, March 5 at 8PM EST.

We wanted to do this for a few reasons. First, the Flipped Classroom NING is a great way to connect with others, but it doesn’t facilitate whole-group discussion easily. Also, you need to wait between posting a question and hearing a response. Twitter will help alleviate that waiting period. Initial questions can be answered in real time, and then further discussion can continue on the NING in the following days.

Second, if you are on the fence about flipping, this is a chance to get real-life flipped class teacher advice or thoughts. We all know the process can be daunting, so this is your chance to connect and build a strong PLN centered on flipped classes.

Third, we all know there are common problems that arise in any flipped classroom. A Twitter chat will allow us to collaborate weekly on these issues and attempt to come to a group-informed decision on how to tackle these instructional goals.

Like I said before, we are very excited to get this going. The collaboration has been great on the hashtag, so we’re excited to build on that momentum. Watch for updates on topics and resource links, and mark it on your calendar using the Google button below so you don’t forget!

We have a saying in the science department here: students lack mental stamina. They are faced with problems, and instead of working together to find an answer, they give up entirely. “This is too hard” and “I don’t know, so I’m not going to do it” are frequent responses when I assign something that requires thought. It takes a lot patience to work with repeat offenders, but I have to strike that perfect balance between gentleness and a firm disposition.

That is not an easy task for me.

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A non-negotiable in my class is that students move toward independent learning and thinking. I love to see the struggle on a student’s face as they put their frontal lobe through a workout to solve a problem. The light bulb coming on is one of the most satisfying things that can happen during my day. What really makes me nervous, though, is when the bulb dims and flirts with extinguishing permanently.

I think a flipped class accentuates this problem. I present the class with information, and they are responsible for its consumption. A video to watch, an article to read, maybe some notes to take. To move to deeper thought, I have found (with my students) that building a basis for discussion is preferable to throwing them in headfirst. After that initial stage, we can move into the fun stuff…debates, discussions, videos, writing, creating.

I do not know if there is a term for what I am experiencing now…maybe active reluctance is the best way to put it. Some are choosing not to adequately consume the initial information, and they are having a very hard time making the deeper connections. That turns into frustration and resentment, which has turned out to be a toxic feeling. I found today, right before a quiz, that about half of one of my classes does not feel like I am doing my job, which was a tough blow. Again, a gentle, but firm response was needed.

I still gave the quiz. I understand frustration, and I understand that my class is totally different than every other class they take.

I also understand that our choices have consequences. I did not bring the issue up after the quiz…it would not have helped ebb the frustration. Glancing through the papers, the majority of them looked okay, so I still have to decide how I will address their concerns next week.

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I want to be someone’s hero. I am completely comfortable saying that I hope to inspire one person over the course of my career. But, I am realizing more and more that we have a significant responsibility to be both a hero and a villain. One cannot exist without the other. The growth of a hero is spurned by the actions of a villain.

I make choices every day that could upset some learners. But, it is also my responsibility to turn around and make it into a positive learning experience, and that is what I am experiencing now. As we run out of days in the school year, I will continue to push their young minds. That means I will have to make some unpopular decisions. I can take solace in the knowledge that there is a bigger goal in place. One quiz will not make or break a school year, even though it feels like it at the time. I just pray I have enough wisdom to show that to my students.

In the spirit of full disclosure, this has been a discouraging week for me. Students are antsy and in need of a break. I am fighting some old battles with kids refusing to think or show interest in anything at all. I am also working with issues professionally I did not expect to have. Education news coming in each day shows glimmers of hope, but is tough to stomach in the current system.

But, despite the bad news and the “I can’t” thoughts earlier this week, I can choose to think differently.

I can…

– work hard every day to make sure I give my students multiple opportunities to learn.

– persevere and do what is right for my students when culture pushes back.

– demonstrate positive redirection when I fail.

– collaborate with students and other teachers to find solutions to problems.

– teach students to think critically about the world and about their beliefs.

– choose to keep my head high and continue to improve rather than wallow in self-pity.

We can choose to work with what we have an do our absolute best for our kids. Or, we can kick the stone on the path with our heads down and give in.

I choose the former.

Ever since the State of the Union address on January 24th, I have seen more blog posts and articles on STEM than I have in a very, very long time. The problem is, they’re all focusing on the wrong thing.

I feel like I’m channeling Michael Doyle and even Dan Meyer today, but it really is getting to the point where the nation’s science, math, technology, and engineering teachers need to speak up more and let policymakers know that they aren’t allowing us to teach anymore.

Science can’t be “taught.” I can tell kids how chromosomes randomly separate into sperm and eggs that eventually might become a living organism, but that takes so much away from the magic of seeing how diverse life is when the two meet. I am required to teach how to find the probability of what the results of a cross will be, but you cannot cage life into a Punnett square. But, by law, that’s what I have to do. I’m evaluated on it. My students are evaluated on it. But, in reality, they aren’t being evaluated on what they know about science.

Science is living. Science is making observations, asking questions, and then finding what seems to be a good explanation for what you saw. Science is communal. They need time to debate, to discuss, and to troubleshoot. Otherwise, we’re just teaching letters and numbers now and that’s our science scores are so low.

Science has become artificial, and just like artificial grass, the burn hurts much more when you fall down.

I read a post from Jeff Utecht just ten minutes ago which got me into this thought. He wrote about helping a teacher flip her history classroom:

I’ve been fielding a lot of questions lately about how to do a flipped classroom. I do my best to guide and show different resources, but when it really comes down to it, you need to do what makes sense for your classes. If it involves video lectures, then we can make lectures. If it involves a research project, then we can design a project. What it comes down to is the fact that students are taking responsibility for their learning. I can help you scaffold and plan for it, but I don’t know your class or your school’s culture.

All this to say: sometimes teachers do the same thing. I have led sessions where people want to what exactly they need to do to have a flipped class. I tell them the same thing I tell my students: there is no one right answer. It depends on your class, purpose, and learning culture.

True learning comes from exploration, risk-taking, assessment, and reflection. Let’s work on stepping out of our old habits and start embracing and emulating that model with our students.

Teachers are planners, in case you didn’t know. We like to plan units weeks ahead of time, plan for technology or behavior issues, and even plan for what our ideal classroom will look like in the future.

Sometimes, we plan so much, that we tend to only see the ideal, which can lead to discouragement and disenfranchisement in teaching.

Personally, I think about re-purposing my classroom. I don’t like tables and chairs. I like couches. I like standing desks. I like varied floor space. Every learner is different, so to teach to different needs, we should have different spaces for learning.

Sometimes I get caught up in the future of teaching and I miss the needs of learners now. Always be reflective and always be working to form a better system. But, be careful not to dream at the expense of your students today.

I’ve had a crazy week. On Tuesday and Thursday I worked with Brett Clark and Brian Bobbitt sharing the Flipped Classroom with almost 100 teachers and administrators across the district. It was an insane couple of days, but everything came together (including a student panel…they were awesome) and I think everyone that participated learned something new.

I got home on Thursday night and spent some time reflecting on my use of video this year in relation to last year and how it has expanded into something much more than delivering instruction. The power of video on the internet is much, much greater than delivery of content.

I use a flipped classroom and a core tenet of what I do is use online video to deliver direct instruction to my students. But, this isn’t good enough. At the end of the day, they’re still consuming more information than they’re putting out on the web.

My goal for the remainder of the semester is to not only use video for instruction, but use video for connections. I want my kids to be responsive to what they watch online. I want them to think critically about what they see and then turn around and respond to it. We have blogs set up, and those will also be a major component of the process.

I feel like this is a major turning point in my teaching. I know that reflection and creation is important, but it has been an ancillary goal rather than the central idea to my teaching. I know I can’t expect this to happen overnight, but I’m excited about the learning ahead.

I think this is my first ever politically-based post. But, I feel so strongly about it, I couldn’t think of a better way to share my thoughts on the subject.

If you are a user of the Internet, you need to know about SOPA and PIPA. The United States Congress is in the process of debating bills that are meant to stop the proliferation of pirated material being distributed on the web. The bills, as written, give power to corporations and even the government to make a claim that a website is sharing copyrighted material. That website then has 5 days to respond by either shutting down or removing the material. If they don’t, then affiliated websites (such as search engines) can be pulled into the mix through litigation that would essentially stop the offending site from showing up in searches.

Why is this a big deal? Because SOPA and PIPA are, in essence, censorship bills. There is no due process once a claim has been made and there is no appeal process. Ultimately, the companies with the most money will be able to shut down competitors at will through legal costs and proceedings.

Multiple sites are blacking out service to demonstrate the possible effects if these bills are passed. Please take a moment today to sign the petition at Google and write a short letter to your state representatives.

I saw this commercial over the weekend:

I think this commercial shows two classrooms. One class uses computers as worksheets. The second uses computers for what they were meant to do…create content to share with other people.

Which computer would fit better in your classes?

It is a new year and a new semester for us and I’ve been thinking a lot about the Flipped Classroom and what role it plays in my teaching. While I don’t necessarily share that it is a fundamental shift in teaching methods (yes, I know the videos are direct instruction), I do think the Flipped Classroom shifts education paradigms.

American education policy (testing) focuses on the teacher being a fact-dispensing robot and students as empty vessels that need to be filled. The whole idea of a Flipped Classroom is that the students and teachers are switching responsibilities. I am no longer a disseminator of knowledge and students are no longer receptacles of information. Learning is active and collaborative rather than passive and directive.

The paradigm shift isn’t the fact that I’m recording lectures. It is the shift in thinking that students need to have opportunities to drive their own learning. They need opportunities to work with their peers and struggle together. I am also now “allowed” to make mistakes with the students. The role of teaching in a Flipped Classroom has shifted entirely. I still provide direction in terms of the curriculum, but the methods to get from A to B are now in the hands of the students.

The paradigm shift needs to be driven by teachers, not politicians or bankbooks. We need to be willing to give up old habits and adapt each of our classrooms and schools to meet the current needs of our learners. The Flipped Classroom is how I’ve done that for my kids…how will you meet your student’s needs?

The year ends today and I’ve spent some of this Christmas break looking at old pictures. I came across this picture from our trip to Vietnam in 2010:

It got me thinking about a couple of different things regarding teaching and growing as a learner.

The first thing that strikes me is no matter how much I try, I cannot work alone. This home is isolated yes, but they can still connect with others by hopping into the boat and sailing off.

Unfortunately, education is turning into a more and more isolated profession for a myriad of reasons, one of those being technology integration. Doors are staying closed, poor practice is continuing, and collaboration is waning in many schools. Professional development is losing value and relevance in many schools, which is driving people to web resources like Twitter.

(Keep in mind, this is simply my observation. I know not all schools are in this situation, but I think we can agree that it isn’t difficult to find at least one colleague that feels that way about teaching.)

Since this is a year-end post, I might as well throw in a new year prediction. The last few years have seen incredible advances in technology and connectivity. The connections I made in 2011 are invaluable to me and I am still returning to Twitter for inspiration and collaboration. I don’t think the value of those connections is waning at all. I’ve found some amazing people that formed the foundation of my PLN, and I feel fortunate that others feel the same way about me as I’m added to theirs. Connections are continuing, but my network for change is still limited.

I think 2012 will be the year of local collaboration. I know collaboration happens frequently in schools, but I think 2012 will show an explosion of local, “grassroots” growth and development. Rather than working as individuals to connect with others digitally, I think schools will begin connecting different groups across the world and then bring that group’s expertise to bear in their locale.

However, local collaboration isn’t going to take place of its own accord. There need to be local leaders willing to step out and take risks. Stephen Harris, principal of Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning said it well in a recent Connected Principals blog post: “Do then think.” Don’t take blind risks, but plan for intentional, meaningful change in schools and then work together with the people around you to make it happen. I can discuss change in my school with friends across the world on Twitter, but when it comes down to it, change won’t happen without the help of colleagues across the hall.

2011 was fantastic, and I’m excited about beginning 2012. Take a risk and connect with someone in you building to find ways to make progress in your buildings. If we all work hard at home, we might see the broad change we’ve been talking about for so long.

As the year winds down, I find myself thinking frequently about all the change I’ve gone through. This post doesn’t have a particular theme or any real deep insights…more of a year-in-review.

— This time last year, I was in Thailand riding an elephant. It was probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had and I think about it frequently. If anyone ever asks you to go to Thailand, stop what you are doing, and get on the airplane. You won’t regret it.

— I feel very blessed to have a home in the United States, but some days (many days) I do wish I lived a simpler life. Having the opportunity to travel within Asia really gave me perspective on how much I take for granted. I’m much more aware of the luxuries I have access to and I try and share that with my students, but it is very hard to communicate that feeling to others.

— Moving back to the US from abroad had more culture shock involved than moving abroad from the US.

— The power of connections through social media cannot be ignored. I searched for work for six months before connecting with Brett Clark in Evansville, IN. He contacted me to Skype into a learning session on the Flipped Classroom and it ended up being an interview for my current position. For that, I am extremely thankful.

— American public schools are in need of innovators and our students need people that care about more than standardized test scores. Learning has been killed by testing and I refuse to let the status quo proliferate in my classroom.

— Sometimes the best thing we can do for our schools is be present. We don’t always need to be vocal about making changes. Change happens naturally from practice, not from always being “that guy.” Cause more ripples in the pond…don’t drop bombs all the time.

— I need to celebrate failure as much as (more than?) successes. That is including student failure alongside my own. I have been extremely aware of learning through mistakes lately.

— Learning is important to me, but I need to take times to step back and let my brain rest.

— When I let my brain rest, it usually means my body is working hard. I helped build a garage last weekend and it was great to be outside working with my hands, even though I know nothing about building anything more substantial than a pillow fort.

— My wife and I did homemade Christmas gifts this year and I am thinking about making that the norm rather than a one-time deal. We still bought small gifts for one another, but the bulk of our gift-giving was DIY. I feel much more excited about giving this year than I have in the past.

— Driving between our families’ homes is tiring, but it is so nice to be able to actually drive between homes during the break.

— I have a lot of work coming up once break is over, but that is a full week away. Right now, I am home, with my family, and that is where I need to be.

Take time this year to be present. Don’t just exist in the room, but invest in your parents, your spouse, your kids, or whoever you’re with. Be intentional about looking people in the eye and connecting this year. Focus on the same with your students when we go back to school. But above all: continue to learn, continue to grow.

I recently overheard a conversation in which two teachers were discussing a particular student that came to school and simply “existed.” He didn’t engage, didn’t turn work in, and didn’t seem to have any interest in learning. The conversation ended with: “Why does he even come to school?”

It is easy to jump into teacher mode to answer that question. We see the value in life-long learning and the intrinsic value of education. We know that sometimes, the stuff we learn in school does come back to haunt us. But, many times, much of what we’re teaching kids (the curriculum) won’t come back around, especially in the sciences.

So, my question is, who is at fault? Is it the student’s fault for not caring, or is it my fault for poor teaching?

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Why are the mitochondria important? What does it matter to me if plant cells use sunlight to smash carbon dioxide and water into sugars? What is so special about DNA?

These are questions kids ask every day in their heads, and they’re questions we tend to gloss over.

I believe part of the answer to this problem lies in choice. When content is dictated and isolated, we’re taking away opportunities for deeper questions. But, part of changing that paradigm is giving up some control. We have to be okay with kids asking hard questions…even questions we don’t know the answer to. Push learning by taking seemingly unrelated concepts and asking the kids to synthesize and theorize the connections. Celebrate mistakes and failure; encourage collaboration and debate.

We are partially responsible for the disengagement of many kids in our schools. The plow through finals week has been bringing me back to that truth. I keep asking myself why we put kids through a multiple choice test to see what they know. Even essay questions are limited in scope as they still rely on recall of facts.

I would much rather see what they can do. But, that transition is difficult…and scary.

I don’t know the student from the story at the top of the page, but I do have students that are in similar places. Disconnected, irrelevant information isn’t interesting to them…why is that such a surprise? The times I’ve given choice and freedom are when I’ve gotten some great response. I’m still responsible for dragging a few through the mud, but at least they’re more open to letting me drag them.

…or, “The Difference Between a Fad and a Usable, Meaningful Tool is the Teacher.”

I missed #EdChat…again. It’s one of the downsides of living just inside the Central Time Zone border. The 12PM EdChat is during a class, before my lunch hour. The evening EdChat is during the dinner hour, before my work block at home. It’s a no win situation.

It does provide me a chance, though, to scan through the feeds and see some of the comments made during the hour. I can also always go back and read the archive maintained by the amazing Jerry Swiatek. I noticed a couple of tweets immediately this evening when I was catching up concerning the Flipped Classroom, which prompted this post.

I think the flipped classroom is here to stay for a variety of reasons, but I’ll narrow it down to the top three or four I end up discussing most frequently.

1) The Flipped Classroom is more than watching Khan Academy videos at home every night.

This is probably the biggest argument I get against the Flipped Classroom…all we’re doing is moving class time into homework time (I’m not going to get in the homework argument right now). The short answer is yes, we do move instruction to time outside of class, but it is so much more than simply throwing video into the mix. I’m sure that most of the time I’m preaching to the choir on this blog, but we all know that “technology integration” is a much bigger challenge than putting a YouTube video on your class website for kids to watch.

The use of video-as-instruction was best described by my friend, Ramsey Musallam. He says that the purpose of the video is to offset the cognitive load that comes along with learning new material.

There are times where direct instruction (or lecture…you choose) is appropriate for the task you are trying to accomplish (see paragraph 4, about linear regression). We are simply using video to remove that portion of direct instruction. We can then maximize collaboration, interaction, and synthesis of new material or content during class because we aren’t spending 30-40 minutes lecturing at the front.

I teach in an urban district where biology isn’t really important to many of my kids. The flipped classroom helps me increase engagement and interest because they can choose when to do their work. They’ve never been given this choice…they’ve never had the opportunity to set their own schedule (within reason…there is much more than what I’m speaking to at the moment) and because I am trusting them, they are learning about things that matter to them. I truly don’t believe my classes would look the way they do if I were the one driving instruction all day, every day.

2) The Flipped Classroom promotes bad pedagogy.

I agree totally with this statement. I would also argue that traditional classrooms can promote bad pedagogy, but we don’t make a big fuss over those because they’re “tried and tested teachers.” We should always be trying to improve our pedagogy, regardless of what we call our method. The Flipped Classroom does not make you a magical and inspiring teacher…your kids might resent your more for it because you’re pushing them to go beyond the give-and-take education they’ve had up until now.

Looking at the class time we’re opening up by time-shifting content delivery, good teachers will fill it with learning experiences, labs, discussions, problem-solving, assimilation work, and creative work that expands upon and enhances the content. Regardless of the methods, we should be providing those opportunities for learners in our schools. But, we either A) waste time with lecture in class, or B) have the time, but choose to fill it with worksheets because they’re easier.

I can be a bad teacher regardless of what methods I choose to use. Pedagogy must come first, and the flipped classroom is not excused from that expectation.

3) The Flipped Classroom can’t work for English and Social Studies, so it won’t ever become a major tool.

While I do agree that the flipped class is mostly centered in science and math right now, I do know of many other classes in the humanities (English, history, reading or writing workshop classes, economics) that are using flipped classroom ideas.

Remember, the flipped classroom isn’t a prescribed methodology…it is an ideology that uses technology to expand the classroom and allow more time for inquiry, discussion, debate…fill in the rest for your particular class. It is a choice to offset as much direct instruction in a medium that is appropriate for your learners. That may be videos, it may be articles, it might be a project. It doesn’t matter how it is being done, but rather that it is being done at all.

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Now, back to my title. Notice that the constant in each section above is a teacher that is working hard for their students. We are not replacing the teacher with the soft glow of a computer screen. We are not relegating kids to computer labs and cubicles. The teacher is present and active…a member of the learning community. Rather than being a dispenser of information, the teacher is an active learner with the group. We are there for support and guidance, not as sages or simply another reference. Our questioning and probing should drive deeper understanding and ownership if the content.

Fads come and go because while they’re fun and work to help engagement in the moment, they don’t do much to push learning in the long run. Meaningful change happens when teachers, students, parents, administrators, and other community members come together to support student growth in any form.

The Flipped Classroom isn’t a passing phase…I think it is a middle-ground from 100% lecture-driving instruction to a mix of direct instruction, creative thinking, collaborative learning, and application of content. I am only in my third year of teaching, so I feel extremely fortunate to have found this so early. This is all I know, and it makes sense to me. For those of you that have been teaching for 10, 20, or even 30 years, the Flipped Classroom is a great bridge to more student-led classes.

There is a continually growing network of people from around the world and across all content that are looking for your expertise. Check the Flipped Class Network out and see what is really going on behind the scenes.

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For a longer, more in-depth look at the Flipped Classroom, you can read The Flipped Class Manifest written by myself and others that address the issues above and more.

I co-wrote an article on the flipped classroom with several other outspoken flipped class advocates. It is posted on thedailyriff.com, but I can point you to the original document if you would rather read it there. The authors were:

Myself

Aaron Sams – Twitter

Jon Bergmann – Twitter

Karl Fisch – Twitter

Dan Spencer – Twitter

Troy Cockrum – Twitter

Ramsey Musallam – Twitter

Jerry Overmyer – Twitter

You can read the article here on The Daily Riff.

Before Thanksgiving break, I gave my classes a short evaluation. It was totally anonymous and they were asked about things they liked, things they disliked, and things they would change. To be totally honest, reading the responses was both easy and difficult. Some were good and gave constructive criticism on how to address issues I knew existed. On the other hand, some made (personal?) attacks on my classes and my style of teaching. I know the flipped class is different than any other class, so I didn’t expect glowing evaluations from the kids because it has been a hard year for many of them.

Anyways, I’m not one to commiserate an evaluation, so I addressed issues today in class and apologized for my shortcomings and promised to try to do better for the end of the semester. I found this note from a learner on my desk after school:

Don’t blame yourself for our mistakes. You are making tasks as simple as possible. You are a really good teacher and a lot of students take advantage, I know becuz even I do it. I’m sorry.

*Take Pride*

The person that wrote this is not the one I would have picked to offer an encouraging note to their hardest teacher. Notes like this remind me not to take for granted the impact, positive or negative, I have in a child’s life.

I don’t find my meaning in affirming notes, but they sure do help me remember not to miss the bigger lessons.

I’m trying to capture the small moments each day with short posts. I feel like I glaze over these moments too quickly and I lose out on one of the joys of teaching.

Today, I had a chance to work with a couple of girls really struggling with a concept. I rephrased, remediated, and gave new examples. The frustration was tangible and you could tell they were thinking harder than they’d been asked to in a while.

Then, it broke. The light bulbs went on and the got it. And I mean they got it.

Meaning gets lost in quick answers. I could have easily just told them what to do step-by-step, but at what cost? It is painful to watch and our instincts as teachers tell us to swoop in and save the day. Let the kids struggle sometimes. It’s worth the pain.