Your Classroom Looks Like What?

Week 2 Reflections of an 8th Grade Flipped Math Classroom (January 14 - January 18, 2013)

As I endeavored into my 2nd week of the Flipped Math Classroom, I made two, small, minor adjustments to the structure of the daily tasks.  Previously, students had too much time left at the end of a class period and were very unsure of how to use that remaining flex time. I knew I needed to do something to keep them engaged in their learning.

Students regularly meet in TWIRL groups to discuss video lessons and the practice problems they are asked to try at the end of a video. Students also write down one question from the video lesson are ask each member of their TWIRL group to discuss possible answers. This has worked very well thus far, but I knew I could expand this collaboration period.

Thus, I now give each TWIRL group an upper level, critical thinking problem to solve together. Their groups (3 or 4 students) are asked to read the question together, formulate ideas on how to solve, write out their solutions, and discuss their solutions together.  After about 7 minutes, I randomly call on someone in their group to present their findings to the entire class. By randomly choosing one person, ALL students in the group must be able to present their findings to the class.

This organized chaos may look like a mess to someone walking by my classroom. Students are busy talking, writing, researching, and thinking together as a team. The discussions that occur are authentic and students use each other as resources. The engagement in math has never been higher in my classroom, and students able to TALK, not sit rigged and silent waiting for notes on a new lesson.

The 2nd, minor change was to the physical structure of my classroom. I have tried to make my learning environment as comfortable as possible. I've eliminated 75% of my individual desks and replaced them with tables, carpet squares, and stools. One might say my classroom looks like a college campus commons area, or even a coffee lounge.  I strive to break up the monotony of the school day for my students. I give them my trust to learn wherever and however they are most comfortable.

This allows my TWIRL groups the freedom and room to discuss their problems in a more natural setting. I have groups sprawled across the floor, some at tables, and even some at my math tables. Regardless of where they choose to sit, the groups have become more productive and more responsive when not isolated in individual desks.

I still have about 8 individual desks for those students that want them. However, they are rarely used. My approach to learning math has always been that students should use each other as resources. As the old proverb says, "Give a man a fish, feed him today. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."