Flipping your Classroom Part 4 -Learning Curve

So maybe I made it sound simple in my last post. Let me make one thing clear...it is not easy at first. There is a learning curve. The first time I made a short screencast it took me 45 minutes. And I hated it. So if this may seem daunting, as change often does, let me tell you that it gets better and easier.  The other day I made a screencast in 5 minutes. In fact, it was easier to make the video then write out the directions or instructions. But it did not happen overnight, there is a learning curve.

Be patient. It’s worth it.

3 Parts of Flipped Learning that may have a learning curve

Technology

Whether you find or make videos or slides, it takes time. Curating videos is often a time consuming. Looking for the right video that captures the lesson your student needs requires the time to watch and evaluate other’s ideas of your content. The light at the end of the tunnel is that once you find a valuable video you can use for years.   

Creating videos requires learning the tools such as screencasting software, editing tools, microphones, and cameras.  Neither one is without its challenges. However, once you identify the right tools the process becomes relatively simple.

There are exceptional online tools to help turn a passive video into an active process with questions, polls, and more. Though these tools are excellent accountability and engagement tools for students and teachers, they require the time investment to learn how to create questions, link to students, and more.

Communication

Learning how to communicate with students and parents about the flipped learning model has been a challenge. Students need strategies to watch videos for learning. Many students watch videos regularly, yet it is with a different purpose. Parents need to understand how and why their children have different homework. This takes trial and error to be effective.

Role Shift

One of the goals is to transform what is happening inside the classroom, but how to manage that shift takes time. How do I check homework? How do I know they watched the video? What if they don’t get? But what am I supposed to do if I am not upfront teaching? To move from direct instruction to facilitator is challenging. It is an adjustment, and it may take some time like it still does for me at times to make it run smoothly.

Flipped learning has so many advantages for many lessons, but there is a learning curve. If you identified with one of the challenges or questions in the Why Flip post, don’t give up, ask for help, and get support so you can reach your goal