An Improvement in Feedback

Timely, efficient feedback is an area I consistently find challenging. I believe I have improved over the years, but I could often be so much better.

A flipped classroom obviously allows for better feedback. I am with students as they work with content, and I am able to give frequent, verbal feedback as I walk around and watch students work.

I struggle with stuff I take up. Things I would like to look at, make comments on, and return to students. The turn-around on these things is seldom quick enough to make a difference. And students aren't keen on reading comments I've written on something they completed yesterday (or...before yesterday).

I want them to learn from feedback. I want them to be able to try and try again until they get something right.

A few weeks ago I had a mini A-Ha.

I gave a warm-up on material from previous days' content. When students finished they were to let me check their work. If everything was correct, they moved on to the next thing in the day's agenda (I love self-paced days, and kids do, too). If they missed anything, I returned the paper to them, and they continued to work.

My feedback got more specific the more I returned to a student. At first, I told them which problems they missed. The next time, I would give them something more specific about where they were missing a problem. Eventually, we might have some one-on-one instruction about difficulties they were having.

Students worked until they got everything correct.

They received immediate, meaningful feedback.

They acted on the feedback. Immediately.

I've used the process a few times since then, and I like it. Students are improving at finding their mistakes. They are developing perseverance. I think the process helps with stress levels, as they know they can work with problems until they get them right. I am able to give lots of high-fives as students conquer a problem that is giving them difficulties.

The only issue I saw is that one issue that permeates every aspect of what I would like to accomplish in class: time. A few students (not many) have spent most of the class on a few problems and not had a lot of time with the new material for the day. It hasn't been a deal-breaker, but it is something I will have to continue to look at and see if there's something I can do to make it better.

Overall, though, I like this way of delivering feedback. Anytime I can tell students right NOW what they need to work on, and they can work on those things right NOW, students will make progress and deepen their learning.

May I Go to the Bathroom?

OK...so this is not a typical classroom blog post.

It's not about flipped lessons or classroom activities or student reflections.

It's about trips to the bathroom.

For as long as I can remember (at least since I've been teaching at the Junior High; I don't remember what I did when I taught at the High School) I have given students "bathroom" or "hall" passes. Three a grading period.

Use them for whatever you need - go to the restroom, get something left in a locker or other classroom, as a tardy pass - and if you don't use them, I'll give you up to ten points on a test at the end of the grading period.

I think the passes served the purpose I intended. Students - for the most part - didn't leave class unnecessarily. They thought twice before asking to leave. Ten points on a test is not an exorbitant amount; it would often bump those 79s or 89s to the next letter grade.

They weren't perfect, though. For some students, the passes "burned a hole in their pockets." They would use them up within the first two weeks of the grading period and then beg me the rest of the grading period to leave the room.

Getting the passes ready for students (I gave them three paper passes to keep up with) each grading period was a pain.

It began to bother me that I was giving points for something that had nothing to do with what a student learned. I justified it by telling myself students who never left my room must be learning at least ten points worth of stuff that those who left my room didn't, but...really?!?

And then there was the nagging question: shouldn't a kid who needs to go to the bathroom be allowed to go to the bathroom?

I began to consider dropping my hall pass policy.

But...what if kids abused my lack of bathroom structure?!?!?

I decided to take the risk.

Do you need to go to the restroom? Go.

Do you need to run between classes to get something you forgot? Go.

Are you a couple of seconds late to class? Welcome.

Are kids constantly in and out of my room? No. In fact, even WITH hall passes, I could always tell that a lesson was failing to hook kids if requests to go to the bathroom spiked. When class time is enjoyable for kids, they don't ask to leave the room.

There are a couple of kids who ask to use the restroom several times a week, but they don't seem to be abusing the fact that I let them go. I figure I'm the teacher who doesn't require a pass to go, so they ask.

I had one girl who was being consistently late to class. I talked to her about it, and she's now on time.

It's interesting to me that the type of kid who would burn his passes quickly and then still ask to go (yes, there was a type) rarely asks to go at all.

I wasn't able to give the "You have your hall passes" answer when kids asked for extra credit (but they are still allowed to correct and redo most of their graded assignments, so I still don't give extra credit), but I feel better knowing my grades continue to be a more accurate reflection of what my students know, not how compliant they are.

So...I did away with hall passes, and my middle school classroom didn't fall apart.

Whodathunkit?

The (continuing) Evolution of Grading

Happy End-of-Spring Break!

I've had a great break with some much-needed brain rest. I got a few things done around the house and a nice chunk of National Board Certification renewal work accomplished.

I feel ready to tackle the last nine (YIKES! The school year is almost DONE!) weeks of the school year.

Before the break, I had a mini-breakthrough with grades in my classroom.

I've blogged about grading before. Most of my grading conundrums have continued since that post.

I don't grade everything. Much of what we do in class is practice, and I don't want to put a grade on practice. Many things we do are hard to quantify with a grade. When I give a grade for something, I want that grade to mean something. I want a grade to communicate what a student knows, not how compliant he/she is. As a result, I give relatively (or comparatively) few "effort" grades.

Thanks to my flipped classroom and the amount of time I spend with students as they work, formative assessment is ongoing. I don't necessarily need an end-of-class "exit slip" to know where my students are or what I need to do the next day.

My ideal world would not include grades.

But, unfortunately (or, fortunately), this is not Mickie's world with everyone else getting to live in it.

I have district requirements for the number of grades I must record each grading period. I have requirements for what percentage "tests" and "daily grades" must count.

And so, I grade.

But I continue to struggle with WHAT to grade. Summative tests are easy. But the stuff between the summative tests has confounded me for a few years, given how my classroom has changed.

A few weeks ago, a lightbulb came on.

I need some sort of check after each standard. Something more specific than the intuitive feelings I have after working with my students in class. Something that would give me more information about individual students that I might otherwise miss.

The check doesn't have to be long or hard to grade. It doesn't have to be a worksheet of 25 problems (ugh - for students AND me). It can be a few carefully chosen problems that let me know if students are able to do what they need to be able to do.

So, after every standard - or part of a standard - I give a "quick check." They happen every 2 or 3 days. They're similar to an exit slip, but they can occur at the end of a class period or the beginning of the next class period. They're usually three to five questions. I give them in whatever form works best for the standard, whether that is digital or paper. And they usually count between 10 and 20 points ("daily" points). They're easy to grade.

I like the idea and have no idea why I didn't think of it sooner. I'm getting regular daily grades that reflect students' knowledge.

A couple of things I need to work out:

Turnaround - for these to be effective and result in STUDENTS knowing what they do and don't understand - and take steps to improve their understanding - I will need to have each Quick Check graded and returned before the next Quick Check. They are NOT long or hard to grade; I just need to make immediate feedback on the checks a priority.

Redos - I have a broad retake and redo policy. Typically, for daily grades, students correct what they missed on an assignment and turn the corrections in to be re-graded. With the Quick Checks only being worth a few points and only having a few questions, I'm not sure corrections by themselves are the way to go for a student to improve their score on the checks. I'm thinking students correct the Quick Check and I have a second check ready for them to take, similar to a retest.

This actually moves me a little closer to standards-based grading.

The Quick Checks also work well with self-pacing, which I continue to try to develop in my classroom.

Sometimes I'm slow. But I'm thankful for the eventual "a-ha"s that come after I mentally struggle with an aspect of my classroom I desire to change.

UNRELATED to this post on my grading breakthrough and a shameless self-plug:

I was THRILLED to get to talk with my flipped classroom hero, Crystal Kirch, as a "Flipped Educator Spotlight" for the Flipped Learning Network. I had a hard time not turning into a complete fan-girl.

The interview is 20 minutes, and I completely understand that your time is precious, and 20 minutes is a long time to listen to someone talk about her classroom. But one of my favorite things to do is share my flipped journey, so here is the link if you'd like to see any or all of the interview. I haven't tried it, yet, but the posts says to go to YouTube to click on Time Tags and see only the portions of the interview that might interest you.

A Matter of Trust

Let me start by saying it's been a GREAT week!

It's been a challenging school year to this point, and the weeks before Thanksgiving Break were a struggle. I've ended more days than I can count feeling ineffective. I admit I expected this week, as students returned from Thanksgiving and looked ahead to Christmas, to be just as challenging.

My students have put forth great effort this week, and it's been one of those weeks where things have seemed a little smoother and easier.

I'm thankful for the positive week. And making a "note to self" to remember this week when the next rough patch hits.

What I really want to talk about, though, is trust. Trust in my students.

I was talking with a colleague this week, and I theorized that every teacher is somewhat of a control freak. It's MY classroom and MY students, and I want things to go (and be done) MY way.

Flipping my Algebra 1 classes two years ago was the beginning of me giving up some control. Of me trusting my students.

Moving direct instruction into the control of my students led to changes in my classroom (wow, that's an understatement!).

Students were given choices of activities. Students were allowed to work together more than ever before.

Then I began to notice I was allowing students more control in how they approached problems. To use strategies that made sense to them.

(Incidentally, just this week I was looking at a student's work and I heard myself saying, "Well...that's OK, but what I really want you to see is _______ and do it this way." No, no, no, Mrs. Gibbs! *smacks own hand*)

I confess to being slower to trust my (inclusion) Pre-Algebra students. When we first moved to Common Core-based standards, my thought was, "There's no way! These kids have so many difficulties and challenges, and you want me to teach them to do WHAT?!?!"

So I baby-stepped them through things, confident there was no way they would understand as deeply as they were supposed to understand. I would tell them what I wanted them know and hope a few of them got it.

Then this year I began an in-earnest in-class flip. I began to notice that my Pre-Algebra classes were still much, much quieter than my Algebra 1 classes (read: boring!). They were still working largely individually.

I decided they needed the opportunity to work together just as much as my Algebra 1 students. They needed to talk and learn from each other.

Could I trust them to stay on task? Could I trust them to choose who to work with?

The short answer: Yes.

I used to hate "group work." It was often a waste of time and such a management nightmare. I didn't trust my students, so I never gave them sufficient opportunity to show me that they could do what I needed them to do.

Now, working together - in Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 - is just how my class runs.  I am often amazed (and always do a little internal happy-dance) as I circulate around my room and hear mostly mathematical discourse. Yes, they are teenagers and need redirection from time-to-time, but most of the time there is a nice "hum" of engaged activity.

The other area I am trusting my students more is content. I admit to many times not going deep enough out of fear. Out of lack of trust.

This is too hard.

They won't get this.

I will have to give them every answer.

This will be a headache.

This year - with both groups - I've been giving my students tasks and seeing what they can do with them. Sure, Pre-Algebra needs more scaffolding than Algebra 1, but I am learning they are perfectly capable of going deep.

There are still questions. I spend class periods moving from group to group having conversations. I ask lots of questions. I smile and encourage and walk away (boy, that's hard!).

But students try. They think. They make connections. They learn.

I have spent years complaining about students being "lazy thinkers." Nothing is more frustrating than giving students a task and them seeming paralyzed.

How do you Number 1? Number 2? I don't get it!

Yes, students still have to be taught and encouraged to find joy in the struggle, but I was thinking recently that I am hearing much less of these statements this year.

Is it this year's group of students?

Or is it me? Was I the reason my students were lazy thinkers?

Was it simply a matter of trust?

What are Students Saying? - First Grading Period Reflections

As I've often said, I like giving students regular opportunities to reflect. I've had a goal for some time to gather student reflections at the end of each unit. That has not become a reality, yet, but there are few points of the school year in which I make sure I ask some reflection questions: the end of the first grading period, the end of the first semester, and the end of the year.

Believe it or not, it's the end of the first grading period.

I love Google Forms for student reflections. I can ask multiple choice questions and short answer questions and easily see responses and trends. I also save lots of paper. :)

I used a survey I used at the end of the first grading period last year that I called "The Goldilocks Survey." There were five multiple choice questions addressing such areas as how the class has been going, course difficulty, class structure, student-teacher interaction, and (self-perceived) student effort in which the answers were some variation of "too much," "too little," or "just right."

The three short answer questions asked students to describe something they enjoyed about the class, something about the class they would change, and anything else they would like me to know.

I questioned Algebra 1 kids and Pre-Algebra kids separately, so I could see responses of kids in the same course together and notice any trends for a particular course.

Most of the responses to the multiple choice questions fell overwhelmingly in the "just right" category. I was thrilled to see a large percentage (almost 40%) of my Pre-Algebra kids say that the class was going "better than expected."

I haven't done a specific survey about flipped lessons this year - I might do a short one when we return from Fall Break - but videos were mentioned frequently as a favorite part of the class for both Algebra 1 (videos for homework) and Pre-Algebra (in-class videos).

Students appreciate light homework loads.

The aspect of the class brought up the most and that has me doing the most thinking is group work.

What do you like about the class? Group/partner work
What would you change about the class? Group/partner work

I have become a huge believer in partner work. I found several years ago that students are much more focused and accomplish so much more with a partner as opposed to groups of 4. With a partner, there is less hiding and letting two or three other people do your work for you.

I was reminded this past week that groups of three or four are not as successful as partners.

On the survey, my Pre-Algebra kids asked for more partner work. I agree. I had an "a-ha" several weeks ago that my Pre-Algebra kids were not getting enough opportunities to work and talk together. I've made it a point to give them more of those opportunities.

Several students in the survey mentioned how helpful it was to discuss their thinking with someone else. One student likes that they have a partner to ask for help if I am busy.

A few students talked about how groups are selected. I've been giving students more choice in who they work with. But occasionally I pick the groups. Sometimes I allow students to work alone, if that's their preference.

All of these aspects were alluded to in the responses to the survey questions.

Some students want me to pick groups/partners less often. I am a (developing) believer in student choice (I have made great strides), but I believe it's important that students learn to work with a variety of personalities and not just their peer group (I am reminded, though, of teachers' reactions when we are made to "mix it up" and sit with someone different in a meeting).

Some students never want to work with someone else. My heart hurts for my introverted students who would rather crawl under their desk than work with somebody. I do feel it's important they learn to work with others; it is unlikely anyone will go through life and not have to work with another person.

Some students feel alone in class; this makes me sad. I've seen those kids who are excluded when students are allowed to choose who they work with. I appreciate the kids who make an effort to include them.

I think a balance of all the options - sometimes I pick their partner, sometimes they pick their partner, sometimes they are allowed to work alone - is necessary to keep most everyone happy most of the time.

I find that's true with most things in the classroom. Keep things mixed up, and don't ever do something the same way every time.

I might give my "Partner Preference" survey when we start the second grading period (have I mentioned how much I like Google Forms). That way I can lend a little bit of structure plus choice to our work with partners.

Overall, I believe students have had a positive experience in my classroom to start the school year. I think we've laid a good foundation, and I can't wait to see the growth - in them and me - as we continue to work through the 8th Grade.

The In-Class Flip and the Magic

Since flipping my Algebra 1 classes two years ago, I have tried to figure out how to successfully flip my Pre-Algebra classes.

My Pre-Algebra kids are different from my "pre-AP" Algebra 1 kids. Less confident, less motivated, many of them trying to be successful despite learning disabilities and obstacles at home.

I decided early on that watching videos at home would not work for my Pre-Algebra kids. I tend to not give these kids homework, anyway. And if a large percentage of them enter class having not watched a video (usually only 1 or 2, if any, of my Algebra 1 kids don't watch a video), it would make each day's class difficult and stressful...for them AND me.

So I've been contemplating an in-class flip with them for over a year, but I wasn't sure how to organize it. Some in-class flippers use stations, but I wasn't sure how that would look for me.

I did a few in-class videos with last year's Pre-Algebra group, but I started late in the first semester. After the pretty successful "flipped review," I no longer made any videos for Pre-Algebra second semester. I'm not exactly sure why I didn't; it just didn't seem to click with that group, or I had too many other things going on, or all of the above.

I changed my order of topics this year (again, LOL), and we started with equations, which is the content for which I made videos last year. So...let's use those videos this year! Kids were exposed to flipped lessons starting around the third week of school. We discussed how to watch/interact/engage with an educational video.

The kids took to the flipped process right away. Many talked about how they liked the videos over a "normal" lesson. One young man said, "I like the videos; they sort of force you to pay attention."

I'm not ready for a completely asynchronous classroom - I like group and class activities too much - but flipped days have become self-paced days. I give the students what they need to accomplish for the day, which normally includes a video and some practice. Students like that they can watch the lesson at their own pace. They are getting better at asking questions at any point in the video where they are confused. After finishing the video, they have something to immediately begin working on. My partner teacher and I get to work with lots of students one-on-one as they practice.

We flip a couple of days a week, and then the rest of the time we get to do the collaborative activities. We've done speed-math-ing (blog post coming), bingo, scavenger hunts. Students have worked together while doing otherwise-boring skill practice, helping each other, talking math, finding success.

And the magic is happening.

I would say this group has a better understanding of solving equations than almost any of my previous Pre-Algebra groups. Sure, they're making they typical sign errors, but they KNOW the process.

They're talking math. To me. To each other.

Their confidence is high. I have put a couple of equations in front of them, telling them to wait and let us work them together, and I am met with a chorus of, "That looks easy! We can solve that! Let us try it first!" They are often finding and correcting their own errors.

I think a few parents and students are using the videos at home.

Make-up work has become MUCH easier.

I am seeing GROWTH in students. Students who could not solve a two-step equation two weeks ago are finding success with many multi-step equations. Their work looks beautiful (gushing math teacher here). I am seeing beautiful smiles as I praise effort and progress.

I can't claim that the in-class flip has made all the difference. These students have been working with common-core based standards, deeper thinking, and collaborative work for several years, and each year I can tell a positive difference in the mathematical abilities of my students.

But I think the in-class flip is another piece of the puzzle I have been searching for to help grow my developing mathematicians.

#flipclass Flash Blog: The Planning Process

What a great #flipclass topic!

I think I blogged about my planning process for my flipped classroom early on, but I was still so fresh, and I've come a long way since then. I don't know that my planning takes any less time than it did early on, but I am more efficient.

When planning a flipped lesson, I first look at the topic/standard I want to cover on a particular day.

I have made guided notes in SMART for several years, now, so I go to previous notes I have made on the standard.

I modify these already-made notes to make them video-friendly. I add the "I can" stem (that students write in while they watch the video) and the "Questions?" at the end of the notes.

I try to do a week's worth of videos at a time, so I prepare and export several sets of notes at once.

The next part of the planning process is recording videos. That's usually my Thursday afternoon activity. I record 2-4 videos, depending on what the plan is for the next week.

Now the hard part. With direct instruction moved to videos, how do I fill class time?

I begin searching. I know there are those who are not huge fans, but I find the majority of my class activities on Teachers Pay Teachers. Some are free, some I pay for. I am thankful there are teachers who have or make time to create activities I do not have time for. And that there are individuals out there much more creative than I.

I go for scavenger hunts, discoveries, games (review days are almost some sort of game, now), coloring pages.

Sometimes class activity is an in-depth, written response lesson, using a Laying the Foundation lesson or something similar.

For skill-based topics, I like using pages from my "Punchline Algebra" binders, as they provide straightforward practice and are self-checking.

I *love* that I can do so many self-checking activities in my flipped classroom; my students always know if they are on the right track.

And, yes, some days are out of the book. Not often, but if I am ready to take a grade on a topic, I will sometimes use a problem set out of the book.

I try to find 3 things for each lesson, a la Strategic Teaching - Before, During, and After activities. I am not always successful at completing 3 activities, but that's always the goal.

My biggest challenge with planning is timing of activities. From my reading before jumping into a flipped classroom, I knew to expect this. And it is something, even nearing the end of the school year, I struggle with occasionally.

I don't often worry if a planned activity takes too long or doesn't get finished. If students got a good 30-40 minutes practice/application on a topic, I am happy.

I struggle most when the planned activities are too short and I have more extra time than I want/need. I need to get better at having meaningful fill-in-the-extra-time activities.

I probably enjoy planning now more than I ever have, because I am getting to pick out more interesting, fun, engaging activities than I ever did when each day was me standing at the board talking for 30-40 minutes.

#flipclass Flash Blog: Deep Learning

"What does deep learning look like in your classroom? How has it changed your/students' roles?"

In my classroom, deep learning looks like several things:

 - Students asking questions. Not "What did you just say?" and "How do we do this?" questions, but "What happens if...?" and "What about...?" and "What would this look like for...?"types of questions. Questions that indicate they are making connections and thinking beyond what we are currently discussing.

 - Students teaching each other. When students are able to explain what they know to a peer, I am confident they REALLY know it.

 - Students making application. When students can take a skill and use it in a "real-world" situation, they are able to make even more connections, see the usefulness of what they're learning, and gain a new perspective of the world around them.

This is how my and my students' roles have changed:

 - I am more "alongside" students instead of in front of them. I get to answer questions as they come up. I get to use student questions as conversation starters.

 - Students are more engaged and involved. They are discussing, justifying, and explaining with each other.

 - Students become risk-takers. They feel safe enough to try out a theory or give an explanation, and if it's not exactly correct, they try again.

Flipping my classroom has made all of this easier. One of my favorite aspects - and I seem to say that a lot, LOL - is that I am with students as they think of questions to ask. Students think of things to ask as they struggle with the material. When that struggle used to take place outside of class with traditional homework, I wasn't around for questions, and there wasn't time in class the next day to ask everything that had been thought of. Now students are working with material in the classroom and get to ask right then.

My flipped class has also given me more TIME for deeper learning. And I've found time is the greatest gift of all.

A Shout-Out to my (non-flipped) Pre-Algebra Kids

This blog is titled "Mrs. Gibbs Flips Algebra 1." But I don't teach just 8th grade Algebra 1. I also teach collaborative Pre-Algebra, also an 8th grade class.

And I DON'T flip those classes.

The decision was originally made to help preserve my sanity. I was pretty sure I did not have time to record brand-new videos and learn how to effectively run a flipped classroom for two different preps.

Algebra 1 was where I needed more rearranging of my class time. It was a group of kids I thought would adapt nicely to flipped lessons. It was a good place for me to attempt a flipped classroom, and if I decided that was the way to go, I would eventually flip Pre-Algebra.

Well, I have no doubt flipping my Algebra 1 classes was the way to go, but I've decided to not flip my Pre-Algebra classes (for now, of course).

I have wanted, however, to give those kids and classes a shout-out (since early in the school year). So here it is.

I overhauled my Pre-Algebra classes last year. I began using Interactive Notebooks. I'm not an INB purist, but I have made them work for me. We take notes using foldables and other resources I have found (mostly through Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers). We glue those notes in a spiral notebooks. Those INBs become a huge resource for my students. They learn organization, of course, but they also learn how to use an example they are given to solve a problem they may find challenging. I let them use their INBs on tests. Several have said they are going to keep their INBs and use them as an aid when they get to the high school next year (YEA!).

I "chunk" my Pre-Algebra classes. We talk about/take notes on a concept and do some practice with it. Take notes on another concept and do some practice with it. Most practice is done in class. I test frequently on small amounts of concepts.

Very seldom do these students have homework. The students in these classes either have IEPs or have been identified through scores on standardized assessments as being "at risk" or "below average" or "not meeting standards." They are often not the most motivated students. Whatever they complete in class is usually all that gets done. So, to ensure I see what these kids know - and not just what they are willing to do after the bell rings - we finish and turn work in during class. Sometimes that means it takes more than one day to finish a concept and practice it, but it is worth it to me.

Here are the benefits of my chunked, INB-centered Pre-Algebra classes
 - Student confidence
 - Student morale
 - Relationships

The students in my collaborative classes aren't overwhelmed with out-of-class work (that many of them would be unwilling to do) and aren't getting in trouble (and receiving low grades) for "not completing homework."

They see what they CAN do. Math has become not-so-scary for many of them. They are experiencing success and are more willing to try whatever I ask them to do. We repeat as a class, particularly before more challenging material, "I can do this! Mrs. Gibbs would not ask me to do anything I could not do."

Relationships are positive. Class is fun (we get to do lots of great activities like scavenger hunts, QR code task cards, Kahoot!, plus students get to frequently cut and glue!). I get to know my students better because they are doing most of their work with me.

I have the same retake/redo policy with my Pre-Algebra classes as my Algebra classes.

Now that I think about it, I see many of the same benefits of my flipped Algebra classes in my non-flipped Pre-Algebra classes.

So, at this point, I don't plan on flipping my Pre-Algebra classes. I am not sure I would see as much compliance in watching videos outside of class as I do with my Algebra 1 students. I have thought about an in-class flip and more self-pacing, but I'm not ready to go there, yet.

But these classes work hard, show great gains, and are becoming confident young mathematicians. And we have a lot of fun in the process.

In-Class #flipclass Assignment

So, it's #flipclass chat night on Twitter, and we have an assignment!

Topic: Where are you stuck in your practice right now? What have you tried in order to get unstuck? What works? What doesn't?


I am not good at blogging on the fly, so this post could be interesting.

Right now I feel a little stuck in planning classroom activities for practicing what students have watched in a video.

We're in a place of learning new skills. Skills that take practice.

But I don't want to assign book page after book page or self-checking worksheet after self-checking worksheet. Yuck. The flipped classroom has significantly lessened the need for traditional book work day after day, and I don't ever want to go back to that.

So...I'm perusing my favorite site, Teachers Pay Teachers, for varying activities to keep students happy and engaged but still mastering skills.

Another thing that helps when I'm stuck with planning meaningful activities is asking the kids. What kind of activities do you like? What don't you like? I learned after a mid-year survey that I also need to ask, "Why?" They surprised me by saying they didn't like classroom scavenger hunts, and when I did some investigation, it's because they don't want to get up and move! What?!?!?

I also like to talk to other math teachers. How have they or how would they approach a topic? I almost always come away from such conversations with good, usable ideas.

What doesn't work when I'm stuck with planning? Getting lazy comfortable. Assigning the same type of activity day after day just because it's easy and I know it gets the job done.

OK...this was the quickest post I've ever written, but it was fun. I realized several days ago I haven't blogged in a few weeks, and I've wanted/needed to get back to it.

Maybe this post will be the jump start I've needed!

EDIT: A few weeks? I haven't blogged since Thanksgiving weekend. Yikes!

A Day in the Life of the Flipped Classroom

So...with direct instruction moved outside of the classroom, what exactly do I do all class period?

The short answer:  all the activities I've never been able to do with my students.

My Pre-AP Algebra 1 students have always been shortchanged when it came to variety in the types of activities they were able to do in class.  There were exceptions, but most days were a seemingly endless cycle of lecture+notes and working problems in the book.  Direct instruction took most of the class period, so the only option for practice was book work or worksheets.

Now, the sky's the limit.  Foldables, scavenger hunts, task cards with QR codes, sorts, cut-n-paste, relays, group work, partner work, and lots and lots of problem-solving.  There are still times of problems out of the book, but I am often able to chunk it into manageable, not-too-boring, small sections of time.

Class is usually broken into three 15-minute parts, give or take a few minutes.  Depending on the activity, we may only do two activities.  There is something on the board for the kids to do when they enter the room.  It may be prep for the day, or it may be some problems allowing students to demonstrate their understanding of the lesson video.  There is usually a "main" activity where students practice and/or apply the day's material.  I like to wrap up the day with some sort of exit slip.

Here are a few pictures of some of the activities we've done over the last several weeks.

Group work, discussion, iPad use

Foldable in the spiral notebook

Laying the Foundation lesson; math+writing

Partner problem-solving

While many of students refuse to say they enjoy math, they will say that math CLASS is enjoyable. Fun, even.

Me? I'm having a blast.