Complete Transparency

I've seen many questions surfacing lately in my circle of educators regarding testing, grades, and learning. There is no doubt that many schools and districts are measured on the first two, but I often wonder how true, authentic learning is really measured. Do we define it to a set of numbers that show growth? What about a GPA that tells the cumulative story of a student? Can a district really be measured on standardized test scores?

What frightens me is that in do so, we lose the value of seeing students as individuals with unique goals, ambitions, talents, and passions! While I understand much of that criteria is used to derive funding, illogically in my opinion, I am cautiously optimistic that many parents are starting to see that set of data as irrelevant in whether or not their student learns. And to help that movement progress forward, we as educators must be willing to be completely transparent with our students, parents, colleagues, and administrator teams.

When talking about Flipped Learning, I'm often asked how I got the students and parents to buy in to this 'new' approach to teaching math. My answer quite often shocks people - I am completely transparent and honest with them! I start the beginning of every school year not introducing Flipped Learning, but rather introducing learning as a growth process through which we are using math as the vehicle. We are simply using math to learn character, problem solving skills, critical thinking, grit, and collaboration - all skills necessary in any potential career choice for students. 

Perhaps the greatest moment comes when I share the following analogy with students and parents alike. Imagine I asked you to sit down at a piano and begin playing Mozart...you most likely could not do it right away. It would take time, maybe lots of time to learn many new skills related to the piano. Math is much the same. I am going to ask you to learn new skills that you may not have mastered in the past, or may even never been introduced to. Just like anything you've become good at, I'm asking that you give math a fair shake. I will most likely be teaching math in a way you've never been taught before - Flipped Learning!

After describing what Flipped Learning is, I reassure them that they are going to fail at some point in my class. They will fail at watching a video, completing a practice set, understanding a new concept, or any number of things I ask of them. Failure is inevitable...however, it's how you respond to that moment of failure that will define how good you become at math. Are you honest with yourself,  your group members, and your teacher? Are you willing to change habits that you developed? Will you make excuses or develop grit to persevere through the tough, challenging concepts? 

My goal is to really show them that learning is all in their control. That each one of them possesses a unique skill set that can be used in my class. It's through this transfer of learning and ownership that I establish a sense of growth through math...dare I say a growth mindset. I cannot tell you the number of parents that thank me after each initial open house, or first few weeks of school how appreciate they are of the approach to teaching and learning I have taken. Their sons/daughters don't dread math - they rather look forward to it! And why - all because I commit to complete transparency from day 1.

4-C's of Flipped Learning

As schools at all levels look for ways to empower students in learning, I have witnessed a great transform take place in how students approach Flipped Learning. In trying to create that 'perfect' classroom environment, I have recognized my truth and honesty with students from day one goes a long way in building trust with them. What I have found to be extremely successful is to share with them what Flipped Learning is and how each student will benefit from this approach in math class. And that starts by making them aware of my 4-C's to Flipped Learning.

Character: One of the greatest lessons students learn on day 1 is that Flipped Learning helps to build their character. I share with students that they are building character through responsibility, accountability, honesty, perseverance,  valuing others, and critical thinking. I share with students right away that some of the math they learn may not be used again or in life, and some of the math might be used quite a bit. The key is to understand that they develop critical thinking skills and problem solving skills that they can take with them into any field they are interested in. This admission to students allows them to see that your honesty is of high value.

This allows me to show them how important their character becomes, not just in math class but in life. They learn that it is their responsibility to watch the video lessons and take accurate notes. They learn through group discussions that they are accountable for what they did and did not learn, and to ask questions when they are confused. They see that by being honest about not watching videos, others might be more willing to help them. We talk about persevering through difficult problems by using strategies learned in class to help them develop grit. And we demonstrate how valuing everyone in the class as an individual will benefit their learning in the long run. I spend a lot of time the first week building character in students so that I can set the bar high and empower them to be learners.

Collaboration: Perhaps the single most important element of my Flipped Learning environment, collaboration takes time to get right. Teaching students to fight the urge of 'copying' from one another takes patience and guidance. Teachers must be willing to demonstrate to students how collaboration works in a Flipped Learning classroom by modeling effective questioning techniques and dialogue. We spend time in the first few weeks to walk through and model group discussions and how to ask questions of each other without being critical. We demonstrate how to not directly answer questions, yet seek out more details about thought process. We talk about the non-visual language and the perceptions we give others when we don't speak or roll our eyes. Students really begin to understand that learning in my class is a community.

Choice: Students learn and see they have a lot of flexibility in my classes when it comes to choice. I don't believe in assigned seats (which subs don't like very much). I inform students that they develop character by making wise choices about whom to sit by, whom to group up with, and whom they seek out assistance from. I encourage them to change up their groups often so that they can learn different thinking skills and problem solving skills from classmates they may not always work with. I also give students a list of assignment options to choose from to demonstrate and reflect what they've learned each unit. In a sense, I create the sandbox for students to 'play' in, but I don't define the tools they can play with in that box. If they want to create a song - go for it. Develop an online blog - awesome! Or even design and edit a short film! The more choice I give students, the more ownership they take in their learning. And the more ownership they take, the more authentic the learning.

Creativity: What I started to witness over the years was that in providing students a safe, welcoming learning environment I actually designed a framework in which they become creative learners. Because each student knows they are building character through collaboration and choice, they begin to take risks to demonstrate their learning. Some draw on desks, others using chalk, and some technology. Students begin to work with students for different reasons and draw upon the creative individualism of each other. The talents and passions start to show and students share in awe and congratulations as projects and activities are completed. Students never cease to amaze me with their 'hidden' talents that come to life in math class. All because they know it's safe to fail, safe to learn, and encouraged to take risks!

The Power of Teaching Others

As I continue to teach this semester utilizing Flipped Learning and Instruction, I realized some of my students were trying to fly through the practice sets without checking or verifying their work and answers. Many are very knowledgeable and smart, yet their inattentiveness to details was causing them to become slightly confused when using the distributive property with polynomials. The light went on - it was time for an intervention!

Through the Flipped Learning Environment, I have been afforded 'extra' time with students during our class time. This time has become invaluable to helping them be successful. Thus, it was only natural that I try to encourage (okay, strongly require) them to work with a partner on the practice sets one particular class. Little did they know what was coming next.

While some worked quietly by themselves and collaborated very little, I knew a twist would help motivate them to collaborate on a deeper level. With about two minutes left on their 'work clock', the designated work time, I let them know that they would be presenting to the rest of the class on the practice set I gave them. I'm quite sure I've never heard them talk so much as I did in those two minutes.

As the partners came up to share their work, their reasoning, and their solutions, the impact that sharing had on them was profound. One student stopped midstream, fully admitted he made a mistake, and asked for help from classmates. Others made 'simple' math errors that classmates were quick to question in a professional manner. What I didn't expect to happen were the thank you's and offering of "oh yeah, I made the same mistake too!" 

For me, this particular evening proved to provide another set of samples of why Flipped Learning is such a valuable instructional tool and methodology. It's not often that you can build 'soft skills' into a math class, yet this intervention did just that. As I asked students to teach one another, the accountability, respect, collaboration, and valuing of others rose to levels I could not predict!

Engage Their Hearts

#BeTheONE - Believe, Inspire, Motivate, Encourage, & Empower each student that walks through your classroom doors.

As I continue to reflect upon the current semester and the opportunity I have to teach an evening math class, I am witnessing first hand the importance of engaging students through their hearts! It is without fail, the single most important element of my flipped classroom this semester. Getting to know each and every student on a personal level has afforded me the ability to meet them where they are at, both educationally and emotionally.

Why a pair of worn boots for an image? The reminder for me is that no two journeys into my classroom are alike. One student comes from a very affluent home environment filled with support and encouragement. Another chose to travel miles from home to enroll in a program our college offers. Yet another comes in dirty, dusty, and tired from the 10-hour swing shift they just worked. Ironically, each one comes in the door ready to practice math and apply skills learned from each video lesson.

And when the struggles of life have set it in, the grim look on their faces quickly turns to a smirk when I am able to have a conversation about life with each student. Whether it be the car one student and their father are working together on each weekend, or the four-wheeler trip to the Upper Peninsula with friends. The ability to engage students through their hearts has paved a way to encouraging them in times of doubt and trouble, empowering them in times of hope and optimism. 

And it's all because of the time I have given myself in class to be present with them. Time to engage them in conversations about life outside of school. Time to motivate them to push through the challenging concepts while applying content to their program studies. Time to show them I believe in their abilities to do well in the class because I care more about who they are than I do about their grades! 

Today is the day to challenge yourself to #BeTheONE

Going Backward to Move Forward

One of the challenges in teaching a college level math class is helping the students understand the pace in which the course is taught. Unlike high school math class that meet every day and typically go over one lesson per day, the college rigor includes multiple lessons during class because we meet only twice per week. This adjustment for students can be demanding and daunting. This week in math class, I was quickly reminded of one of the main reasons I choose Flipped Learning. 

While attempting to tackle solving equations - one-step, multi-step,variables on both sides, distributive property - several students quickly became confused. While I can verify they watched the video lessons I provided and took notes, their ability to demonstrate an understanding of solving equations on our practices sets was lacking. Some of the basic concepts and skills to solving algebraic equations had not been clearly established. It didn't take long for me to realize, we needed to go back to the basics.

What did we do? We paused, took a step backwards, and allowed the dynamics of a Flipped Learning environment come the aid of every student. The students that had already mastered solving algebraic equations became my teaching assistants. I asked them to be the leaders of the small groups I put together to help others understand the process of isolating a variable. While I was still going to go over some of the basics with the whole class, these leaders would become instrumental in allowing me to meet everyone where they were at. Likewise, the students that hadn't quite figured out the steps yet would be exposed to the thoughts and ideas from classmates. Perhaps there was something I wasn't saying or a different way of thinking that would trigger the light bulb. 

While many classrooms can't afford the luxury to pause and rewind, my Flipped Learning environment afforded my students the ability to go back and master a crucial element to learning math. By having video lessons ready for each class, my students could review the content a second time and come to class prepared to tackle this essential step in learning. An extra day scheduled for exam review could easily be replaced by a day of collaboration and learning together. 

To my surprise, all of the students were thankful for the opportunity to go backward - to make sure they fully understood the concept before moving on. Not only could we develop the skill set for solving algebraic equations, we also began to contextualize story problems to help them see and understand how this math would related to their programs of study. Ironically, the discussions became rich and powerful as students began sharing how concepts of math fit into their programs. Likewise, as each leader student began to share his/her ideas for solving, others felt empowered to ask questions and seek advice on why or how they solved a problem. The atmosphere became impassioned with collaboration, acceptance, and encouragement.

All because I decided it was time to take a step backward! #BeTheONE

Round 1: Make Learning Meaningful

A little over two weeks into the semester, and with three classes of College Technical Math under my belt, I'm excited to share I'm still learning. I knew going into this experience that creating video lessons would be time consuming. I was also quickly reminded how important it is to make them meaningful. After all, a boring lecture is even more boring when done via video. Students want to see the application of math skills as they relate to their program areas. The challenge for me has been how to provide relevant examples that cover 3-4 program areas simultaneously. 

I am fortunate to have a very small class this semester - program students in Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, and Prototype and Design. Contextualizing the math skills for these programs has helped to connect the math with practical skills in their field of study. The students are seeing why math is important and how it is connected. Yet, what I was quickly reminded of early in the semester was how important building rapport and relationships with the students is to tackling more important barriers to learning. 

The Flipped Classroom has given me the chance to really get to know each and every student on an individual level and identify ways to best support his/her educational needs. Several students that are coming right from high school are finding the work time in class to be a huge benefit. They see the ability to work with others from their program area to understand and apply the math a huge plus. Likewise, a few students that haven't taken math in quite some time appreciate the opportunity to practice and ask questions immediately. 

The time I have gained with students to work on practical, critical thinking, story problems has proven to be invaluable to their learning. While creating the videos may be more time consuming than I originally remembered, I can see the benefits pouring in. I'm excited to continue this journey for 13 more weeks, helping students see how successful they can be in math. Dare I say I might be getting the itch to do this full-time?

#BeTheONE

Back in the Ring

After a 3 year hiatus, tonight I re-enter the classroom to teach a college level math course. While my full time job as a Faculty Development Consultant has given me many opportunities to reflect and grow personally, I find myself filled with excitement and anticipation over the first day (or night in this case) of class. Ironically, the prep leading up to this first night of class has been invigorating and passion driven - feelings I have deeply missed.

Of course I'm going to flip my math course - why wouldn't I? The success I had with this approach in middle school should surely translate to success at the college level. I've been a proponent of flipped learning in higher education from the day I stepped foot on the Green Bay Campus of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. The advantages of a flipped classroom far outweigh the drawbacks in my opinion and I'm excited to help 'adult' students see and explore a different approach to learning.

While I've prepared myself for the typical 'why can't you just teach us?' question, I know that my passion and belief in each and every student is what will help them be successful. The flipped classroom will give me more time to get to know each student, their passions, dreams, and aspirations for our semester long class. I'd rather spend the one hour, twenty minutes I have with them twice per week be spent solving problems collaboratively and learning how to approach math as opportunity to critically think, solve, and evaluate together! 

I know that through careful preparation and planning of active learning activities, students will be able to contextualize math into the programs and fields of their choice. While the exact math they learn in class may not always be applicable to their occupations, the ability to see math as a chance to work through difficulties, collaborate, and persevere is a goal I hope to inspire into all.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you each and every week as I will reflect on what did and didn't work. Check back each week for updates, tips, strategies, and even questions as I look to grow through this process. After all, we cannot grow and learn if we do not reflect! #BeTheONE