Update on Flipped Learning

We just had our first local benchmark assessment. My class did very well! I had 82 percent meet expectations with 23 percent commended. I had 3 students not pass - but they missed it by 1 point. The students who did not do well, were those students who come in for tutorials on a bi-weekly basis. I'm almost pretty sure that I read somewhere that in a Flipped Classroom, the students who struggle, would have struggled anyway with traditional instruction. So, I'm loving the fact that I have the lessons saved so that those students could re-watch them at home. It is also helpful for those students who seek tutoring outside of school so that the tutor can see how we are teaching them. I've had many compliments about having that right at their fingertips!

Complaints? Well, I have only had a few from parents.

•  One problem is how the kids are over committed and do not have the time to devote to homework. The other issue is that the parents are over committed with their other children and cannot seem to find the time to help them watch the movie because "so and so" has a football game, or soccer practice, etc. So, I reminded them that they could easily watch the movies in the car on the way using their cell phone. When I gave that idea, they were receptive. Another idea I gave at parent conferences was to have their child come early to school to watch them over our devices. 
•  Another issue that was brought up was that the parents had a hard time relearning something totally different than the way they learned. I agree - it is SO different - especially with manipulatives!

Personal Complaints:

•  It seems that it is very difficult to coordinate times to create videos with 3 other people. We all have a lot on our plates - school, children, sports, regular family stuff, etc... It just seems that I am getting stuck with the brunt of things and it's getting hard to juggle. Like one day last week - I had forgotten to attach a video (or actually we didn't have one to attach) and started receiving texts about it. So, I responded with a love and logic approach - "That was the movie that we were supposed to record last week but nobody had time to help me with!" Well, that sparked concerns! So then the texts started popping in with - what about a video on.... or on... Well, that is all nice and dandy and the suggestions are appreciated, but I'm not bringing technology home with me! I have made the decision that I need to power down in the evenings and spend time with my family. That is time I will never get back and work will always be there for me!