But They Don't Watch the Video!

While I have presented on the flipped classroom nearly a dozen times, to a variety of audiences (Middle/High School Teachers, Health Science Instructors, College Deans, Higher Ed. Instructors, and more), I can say, without a doubt, that the most frequent question I have received is, "But what if my students don't watch the video or complete the pre-work for my class?"

Although a very valid question and concern, I often respond very candidly to the audience, enticing them to look at their current instructional practices and how a flipped classroom addresses this very issue. My first response generally follows the line of, "What do you currently do if students come to class without their homework done, or haven't read the assigned reading, or failed to complete the project you assigned?" This response usually helps to lay the ground work for the remainder of my response. Undoubtedly, you will have students that fail to come to your class unprepared with the information you gave them to be a successful class participant. But then I challenge the audience to examine the activities they have planed after giving pre-work.

If you have activities planned that require very little pre-knowledge, or can be completed by looking to others for help, you may want to reconsider that given activity. If students can skate through your class by merely recalling what was taught, or retelling what they have learned in a different way, you are not challenging them enough, or allowing them to tap into their creative genius side. If students can answer your questions without having viewed a video or read an article, then you're not asking the right questions.

Don't get me wrong, checking for information accuracy is important. But how you go about checking for accuracy can make a world of a difference in whether or not students complete the required pre-work. For example, recent studies show that many of your younger students thrive on game-based educational experiences. Any way you can incorporate competition and gaming in your classroom, you are sure to raise engagement. One of the best FREE on-line tools available to do this is through Kahoot, a trivia, game-based web tool that allows participants to answer questions while playing against one another. Gone are the clickers and apps for this tool, as it's completely web based! Better yet, Kahoot will report out the results in a neat and easy Excel file for you to evaluate when you have time. Learn more at getkahoot.com 

If you fear technology, no worries! Try building a small group discussion outline for students to share information with each other and provide feedback to others. A simple 3-2-1 activity would suffice. Ask students to identify 3 items they learned from the pre-work (objective), 2 items they found interesting (subjective), and 1 question they still have. Have each group member share their items with their small group, and then allow the other members to respond. By giving students an opportunity to share what they learned, as well as others a chance to respond, you are creating evaluation and synthesizing into your classroom early!

After checking for information accuracy, you need to plan your in-class activities strategically. Can you build an activity that allows students to create, analyze, and synthesize the information they were to have gained by completing the pre-class work? Did you provide them 'just' enough information outside of class to entice them to be successful in class? Do you have options for your students in how they can complete a given task to demonstrate their understanding of a concept.

You see, as the educator, you have to build excitement and wonder into your classroom. Your students want to be challenged by what you ask them to complete. They want the pre-class work to be meaningful so that they can use it to create a product that not only you will be pleased with, but also themselves. If your students aren't completing the pre-class work or video, you might just want to step back and take a look in the mirror - what are you doing to encourage they have it done???

Where Do I Start?

After presenting and discussing the flipped classroom and the benefits to student learning and engagement, I'm often approached with questions about, "where do I even begin?" While the idea of flipping a classroom is enticing to many educators, many are daunted with the tasks that might be required to begin. How do I create a video? Where do I host my video? What if my students don't have access to technology? While all are very excellent questions to ponder, sometimes we need to remember to focus on the learning objectives we want students to accomplish given a flipped lesson. The benefits in the long run help to generate class discussions and activities that time may not present in a traditional classroom setting. Yet, the looming question still exists - WHERE DO I START?

Allow me to offer the following guide to flipping a class.....or perhaps flipping a lesson!
1) Start Small - Don't think you need to flip an entire class for an entire school year. Start with one chapter, or even one lesson - maybe a lesson that you know students in the past historically struggled with.

2) Build Your Lesson Backward - This is the trick to building an effective flipped lesson. What do you want students to accomplish after the lesson is finished? What outcomes must the students be able to demonstrate to prove they have learned and how can they show you? What activities do you have planned for class time?

3) Check For Information Accuracy - Provide students with a notes check, entrance ticket, quick assessment, class discussion, text protocol, etc to ensure students are prepared for you in-class activity. This is a critical component to flipping to hold students accountable for obtaining information outside of class.

4) Design Your Flipped Instruction - What is the bare minimum information your students will need to complete the in-class activity successfully? How can you provide them with that information - reading a text, case-study, or article; watching a demonstration on video, or even a video lecture?


Through designing your lesson backward, you will be able to keep focused on the most important aspect of flipping a class or lesson - student learning. By identifying what you want students to accomplish, you can build the rest of the flipped lesson to meet those demands.

Best of luck flipping!