Individualized Professional Development

"Change is difficult, not changing is Fatal!"

Much of 21st century education philosophy urges instructors/teachers to meet the needs of their students by creating authentic learning experiences. To do so, one must take the time to understand their students, their needs, learning styles, and talents. As many instructors/teachers have become excellent at adapting their content and lessons, institutions and educational systems as a whole are lagging behind in providing a similar experience for their instructors/teachers. 

I can only imagine how many hands would be raised if asked, "How many of you recently sat through a school-wide training, that offered very little practical use to your professional development needs?" Institutions across America feel the need to prescribe 'canned' professional development to all instructors/teachers to ensure the same content and message are delivered. What if that message isn't needed by EVERYONE? What happened to the exact message we are preaching to instructors/teachers about creating unique learning experiences? Shouldn't the same apply to adults?

Clearly, the answer is yes - we must do a better job of meeting our instructors/teachers needs. While the answer is easy to see, the solution is a greater challenge that all learning institutions must be willing to tackle. Individualized Professional Development requires a great deal of collaboration, brainstorming, communication, planning, knowledge of instructor/teacher needs, and TRUST! As learning institutions begin to explore and implement Individualized Professional Development, students will begin to see and feel the impact on their educational success.

Individualized Professional Development may look at feel different across learning institutions, however, the main goal should always be to identify opportunities for growth, while supporting instructors/teachers in a growth mindset. In order to identify and support a growth mindset, learning institutions must create a culture of reflection, evaluation, and growth. Too often, institutions of learning and instructors/teachers are too concerned about looking 'good' in the eyes of the stakeholders (i.e. Administrators, principals, parents, students, accrediting bodies, etc.) We must make a dramatic shift in looking at deficiencies as opportunities for growth!

One of the greatest examples of a growth mindset can come from sports. How many top-notch athletes do you see that don't look at how to improve? Most athletes identify their areas of weakness and build them into strengths. Instructors/teachers ought to have the same mindset - what am I not good at and how can I improve? Only then can instructors/teachers begin to create a unique, Individualized Professional Development plan.

Perhaps one of the greatest tools to instructors/teachers in improvement will be through instructional coaches. Instructional Coaching fosters a rapport between coach and instructor/teacher, creating a safe learning environment, and opening the door for opportunities of growth. The instructional coach becomes and outside eye and ear in the classroom to aid the instructor/teacher in identify strengths and opportunities for growth in a collaborative nature. Provided the instructional coach remains unbiased - a non-evaluative observer - an Individualized Professional Development plan will begin to unfold over time.

So what's the dilemma? Time and resources continue to be stretched. Yet, Individualized Professional Development will only foster instructors/teachers to become reflective practitioners. If it's good for our students, then it needs to be good for our instructors/teachers. I fear this is only going to become of greater need as funding and state laws alter whom is deemed eligible to be an instructor/teacher (sorry, I'm from Wisconsin!) Just as Ghandi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  

Students Don't Do Optional?

At many colleges across the nation, much discussion is being had regarding student responsibility and self-motivation in achieving the highest 'grade' possible in any given course. As the majority of students in higher ed are adults (by age only!), many instructors believe the responsibility for learning falls squarely on the shoulders of the student. While one can argue that not many employers would hire an unmotivated student, the purpose of this blog will take a different spin by looking at what instructors can do to promote learning in their courses.

As you are reading this, there is inevitably an instructor somewhere on the globe assigning a massive reading assignment to his or her students, "Please read pages 45 - 110 by Monday!" Many students will skim through the reading, trying to grasp at what main highlights, while some students will read the entire selection and take copious notes to be well prepared for class. And of course, there any many that will never pick up the book or even go and buy it, know all too well the instructor will fail in checking whether students read the text or not.

Many of the struggles regarding 'optional' for students comes in the form of lack of engagement with 'optional' assignment by the instructor. We've all encountered the above instructor, only to come to class to either hear our instructor lecture about what we just read, or never assess what we learned from the material we read - not just simply giving us a quiz to 'prove' we learned. Even an elephant can tell you how to climb a tree!

Therefore, the challenge falls solely on the instructor to find and create unique opportunities for using the optional assignment to show students how valuable and important the information was. For instance, using any number of text protocols in small group discussions provides students an opportunity to reflect in a wide variety of ways; assumptions author made, arguments against the author's words, agreements with the author, and aspirations on how the information can be used in students' lives. That's a small sample of questions that engage students in their reading. Providing case studies or hands-on application of material learned prior to class will ensure that students WANT TO do optional to be prepared for class and the 'FUN' activities that are designed.

While it's often easy to point the finger of blame at someone else -  in this case students - we must often take a long, hard look at what we are doing to help students progress in their learning. Are we providing the best learning environment for students and modeling the expectations we have set forth? The challenge is to push students to ask the difficult questions, to be willing to wrestle with the difficult task, and to face adversity head on, overcoming anything thrown at them. We must teach our students to problem solve, think critically, analyze, and evaluate more frequently to prepare them for what the world has to offer!

Flipping in Higher Ed (Part 2)

In my previous post, I discussed how instructors were beginning to feel a time crunch in assessing student skills and use of class time. As some colleges redesign academic calendars to fit more in, instructors are feeling the pinch in adaquately preparing students for the work place. The flipped classroom seems to be a reasonable solution for allowing more class time to be spent on assessing and teaching said skills.

Another huge benefit of the flipped classroom is allowing instructors to assess the soft skills that industry claims to be as important, if not more, than technical skills. I'm talking abou interdepence, collaboration, communication, personal responsibility, valuing othes, and ethics. While these skills are vitally important to a student's success in the work place, they are often difficult to assess and obtain in a classroom setting. Throw into the mix a traditional lecture based class, and instructors have very little means to measure those characteristics.

Through the use of a flipped classroom, instructors can not only build activities to obtain technical skills, but soft skills as well. Just as we urge instructors to design lessons backwards, with their learning objectives in mind, we also must ask them to plan with the end in mind for the soft skills. While it can be easy for an instructor to 'just know' if a student demonstrates certain soft skills, employers and students want to know the specifics. What does being personally responsible look like in a welding lab, or a nursing class? What OBSERVABLE and MEASUREABLE behaviors will a students exhibit that deems them to have excellent ethics or collaboration?

Only after we have clearly identified those observable and measureable behaviors can instructors then plan activities that allow students to demonstrate they possess those skills, while working to achieve a technical skill simultaneously. What a perfect blend? And although identifying those behaviors can be a bit daunting and cumbersome, industry will soon realize the stamp your institution in placing on its graduates. It won't be long before word catches on that graduates of your institution possess not only the technical skills needed, but more importantly the soft skills needed to help their prospective employer thrive in a new and improving world.

Yet, if you are stuck teaching in a lecture-based, teacher-centered classroom, how can you possibly begin to design activities for students so that you can witness these soft skills in action? Shouldn't your time with students be more valuable than standing in front of them, spoon feeding them information? Give flipping a try and reap the benefits that so many others are already noticing. Help prepare your students for the future by building an environment that thrives off of creativity, innovation, problem-solving, interdepence, collaboration, and personal accountability!

Flipping in Higher Ed (Part I)

As the demand for a skilled work force intensifies, the time instructors are able ti spend with students continues to shrink. Given copious budget constraints, academic calendar redesigns, and increased responsibilities, instructors are forced to carefully plan and implement each lesson to meet the needs of every student they encounter. How can instructors be sure that their students are learning? How does he/she know if the students have the skill set ready for the work force? Enter the flipped classroom in higher education.

As K-12 has adopted to changes regarding curriculum, budget, and time with students, higher ed. is slowly following suit. Many instructors at the college I work at (Northeast Wisconsin Technical College) have been eager to learn how they might be able to flip their lecture and utilize their class time with students in a more meaningful and productive manner. Gone are the days of a straight 1-hour lecture. Welcome the days of collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, and interdependence. Instructors are utilizing the little time they have students to assess whether learning has taken place and if students are ready to be tested on a given set of skills/competencies.

Take one of our Medical Assistant instructors for example. Students are required to learn the billing and information system utilized by industry in the Green Bay Area. Students need hands-on, practical use of this system in order to understand its functions. Instead of spreading hours in class teaching the system, our instructor has flipped her lessons to provide students the pertinent details. Thus, she is providing class time to work in small groups so that students can practice the skills necessary to show they understand how to use the system and overcome glitches that may occur. All the while being present to help students if and when they struggle.

We also have a physics instructor that utilizes the flipped classroom exclusively to give students the lecture component of her class outside of lecture time. By nature, this course is designed to have a lecture component and lab component. Traditional instructors would use lecture time to give students the necessary notes and formulas, and ask them to complete practice problems and scenarios outside of class time as homework. For our instructor, she found students coming to lab with plenty of questions and misconceptions about the topic that was to be learned.

Through flipping, she found that students struggled less with writing down and obtaining the material, and more with applying their knowledge to practical problems. She was now able to work more closely with students on applying the knowledge to problems, clear any misconceptions, thus preparing them for the lab exercises at a more successful rate. This instructor has valued the time she has with students to make sure she is available when they are present in her class. In doing so, she has seen her course success rates increase dramatically.

While these are only a few of the many examples of flipping at the collegiate level, instructors would be hard pressed not to think about applying flipping to their classes. Helping students understand the practical applications and skills necessary for a given set of learning requirements will help them be more successful in industry. And we've only touched the surface in the benefits. Next time we will look at the employ ability/soft skills that can be learned through flipped learning.

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!

Flipping - Do You Need a Video?

"What the recent research on student learning has concluded is that the more actively students are involved in the learning process and take personal responsibility for their learning outcomes, the greater are the learning results."
~ Todd M. Davis & Patricia Hillman Murrell, Turning Teaching into Learning. ASHE-ERIC

Would you be surprised if I told you that Flipping Instruction has been in existence since colleges adopted textbooks? Would it shock you to know that all educators have participated in a Flipped Learning experience, probably without ever recognizing it? Odds are that Flipped Learning experience did not include a video at all!

During this past summer, I transitioned to my new role as Faculty Development Consultant at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. I was eager to use my experiences in Flipping to help instructors improve their instructional practices. While I successfully Flipped my Middle School Math class through videos, I quickly learned that Flipping an entire college course may not be as easy. And that's when it hit me - many instructors already Flip some of their lessons without even knowing they have.

There is a large misconception in higher education that Flipping a lesson or class MUST include a video lesson. However, what about those instructors that assign readings to be done outside of class, or a case-study to analyze in order to apply knowledge during the next class. These instructors are choosing to give students information to read and analyze outside of class in order to maximize their face-to-face time, creating authentic learning experiences for students to evaluate and create with their instructor present.

I will be the first to admit, I thought Flipping could only be done via a video - wow was I wrong. Flipping needs to continue to focus on the face-to-face time instructors and teachers have with their students and how to best utilize that time. By giving students the 'must-have' information outside of class, instructors are able to create authentic learning experiences that encourage students to be engaged while creating evidence that learning has occurred.

If you are considering Flipping, make sure to analyze what outcomes you expect to see in your students. What can you ask them to do that you need not be present for as an instructor? What activities do your students need you for that you wish you had more time to spend on? To be successful at Flipping, you have to provide meaningful, creative, and authentic activities during class that illustrate to your students the importance of the learning that needed to occur outside of class!