Flipping ... Work Smarter Not Harder

My first semester flip is about over and so far it has been a lot of work but it has paid off.  I have a renewed energy for teaching in new ways.  My brain has been stimulated a ton.  I have learned new technologies like Socrative, PollEv, Edmodo, Twitter, QR codes, etc … I have made new connections with educators online and in person.  What a ride so far …

My blog post today is another A-HA moment as to why the flipped model seems to be a method I will continue to incorporate as I continue to hone my craft.  I had an all-to-common event happen in class where a student was removed from class due to behavioral issues.  This was a student who consistently did no work, missed a lot of class and butted heads with about every teacher he had.  It was a matter of time before he reached a point where he was “below the line” so to speak.  So, due to this behavioral issues the administration intervened and he is spending the remainder of the semester in “in-school” suspension.  He is still enrolled in health class so I still need to give him the work to complete for the remainder of the semester (approximately 2 weeks).

Now usually I would need to rifle through the text, identify the content we will be covering and then come up with either questions from the text or an assignment, project or worksheets to give him.  Initially I fell back on old habits and started going through the book and racking my brain for content.  We have 3 more vodcasts left to finish this semester and as I was adding those to the checklist of things for him to do … the light-bulb went off!  “This kid is missing like 10 vodcasts & quizzes from the semester!?  Why am I creating new stuff when he hasn’t done the “old” stuff yet??”  Viola!!!  I simply printed off his missing video work (Quizzes & notes) and gave that to the cooperating teacher in ISS.  All the info he needed was already done, he just needed to watch the vids, take the notes and take the quiz for each. 

Now I don’t want to seem like I am just casting this poor student off, but  true to the purpose of the Flipped model, the learning was HIS responsibility and he has all the tools he needs to learn the content – he just hasn’t done any of it yet.  Now he has that opportunity to get his work done, get some badly needed grades in the books and prepare for the upcoming semester exam.  I don’t have to create busywork for him or re-create the content.  The content is already there just waiting for him to take advantage of it.  No extra stress on my part, no extra work on the cooperating teacher’s part, just a little guidance, direction and youtube …. ;-)  The prep work is done … he just needs to do it now.  No new “busywork”, just the necessary course content that is available to him 24/7.

It almost seemed too easy but I’m not sure when teaching (or learning) turned into being hard and frustrating.  It is so satisfying to know that I can still provide the same quality of education to a troubled youth at the end of the semester as I have been able to provide for the gem of a kid all semester.  The information is set up to be there when the student decides to access it. 

Will he do it??  I don’t know … that is up to him.  I know that when he decides … the information will be there waiting for him!!