* Week 3 Reflections of my 8th Grade Flipped Math Classroom (January 21 - January 25, 2013)
We have completed our first unit under the new flipped classroom model. With this completion came a unit test. Our unit test is set up in two parts: Part 1 measures the student understanding according to common core state standards. In other words, basic questions with minimal application. Part 2 asked students to apply their knowledge of the content to upper level thinking questions. We have a short class period (43 minutes), and breaking up a unit test into these two parts makes managing time easier for our students.
I am pleased to say that 46 of my 49 students met the 80% threshold we set on Part 1. They were able to show they understood the unit content with 80% accuracy. This was an amazing score compared to our past units. (Side Note: The three students that did not meet the 'benchmark' took a full period to review their test with me, make corrections, and try practice on the areas they struggled with!) While the test scores have improved, I find myself struggling with their true meaning. There is more to my classroom than improved test scores.
Anyone that would walk by my classroom would see the chaos in an instant - students are working on different activities or watching videos. For the FIRST time in my short teaching career, I have witnessed students discussing math with each other. Students are beginning to learn how to use vocabulary to discuss practice problems. They are learning what "Explain" means on a test. Students are collaborating with one another to think critically and analyze problems they are working on together.
Never would I have imagined the intensity of the authentic discussions taking place in my classroom. The organized chaos is paying off. Students look forward to coming to math and having a safe environment to converse with their friends. While guidance is still needed, students are beginning to understand what teamwork looks like, sounds like, and feels like. I truly believe I am preparing my students for the 21st century and the jobs they will encounter.
While the test scores are important, minimizing their effect on student learning can only benefit the students. True learning takes place as students want to learn more for the benefit of themselves and the other members of their group. A Flipped Classroom has truly helped authenticate learning for my students!!!
Well done Cliff!
ReplyDeleteGrades are a strange thing, we wonder if they really matter and sometimes we outright say they don't especially if good things are happening below the surface. Yet it takes a bold educator to try something and have results decline for them to stay with it even though they may have made some of the same amazing observations you made.
I am like you, one of the luck ones IMO...I tried something new, the Flipped Classroom, and it worked to boost students grades but also to do the other things which are more important to me. Thankfully by helping students do better on tests it is an easier sell to students, parents, admin etc....I'd like to say grades and test scores don't matter to me but I find myself still operating in a world where they are the holy grail!
I'm reminded of a quote I have on my desk..."If you can accept losing, you cannot win." ~ Vince Lombardi. I understand how the education system in Wisconsin is currently based on standardized test scores, and even my pay will be partially effected. But sometimes you have to do what you feel is right and in the best interest of those you serve. The old style of drill and kill just wasn't working...students just went through the motions. Now, more than ever, they are ACTIVELY engaged in their learning and taking ownership for what they learn. The how is becoming more important than the end result!
ReplyDeleteI am happy to be pushing the envelope and encouraging others in my building to step outside their comfort zone. As a sign posted in my room states, " Don't make excuses, make improvements!"