Upon returning from the 2012 SLATE conference, I felt excited and encouraged to make a change in the way I teach mathematics at the middle school level. Many wonderful presenters and absolutely amazing information to share. I have dabbled in the concept of flipping a math class before, but I was particularly moved at a presentation by members from Franklin School District in Franklin, WI.
Their presentation, "Tearing Down the Walls", suggested to have teachers team teach in a particular subject area and have students work at their academic level. The concept of having 90 students in a math class prompted the schools to physically tear down walls to provide students with adequate work space. The particular middle school that was on display used 3 math teachers and 1 special education teacher to team teach their students mathematics.
I also attended a Flipped Classroom session that show cased several teachers and their experiences with Flipping a Classroom. After several days of soaking up all the information and decompressing, I returned to school full of ideas and models that I thought would benefit all of the students I interacted with on a daily basis. As I spoke with my math department colleague, he too seemed very eager and willing to pursue flipping a classroom and team teaching for next school year.
I must admit that this is my first year with my new school district. I have been teaching for 7 years and feel very confident in my teaching abilities and relationships that I create with students. Yet, I realize the benefits of a flipped classroom and how they can help all students create an individualized learning environment. We have a very detailed plan and proposal ready to go for our Administration team and look forward to their response, comments, and concerns.
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