I would like to share my experience with flipping my classroom. I teach a one semester AP Statistics class and I am about to begin my second year of blended teaching. I was very pleased with the results last year and am looking forward to tweaking the process and to enhancing the benefits for this coming semester.
I call this a “blended” instruction method because I still teach the material completely as if the students had not seen the video. You might ask, “then what is the point of having students watch the videos?” The point is that I teach a difficult, college level subject. Students often need to hear the instruction more than once before it is completely understood or retained.
I use http://www.EduCanon.com as a platform/interface between my students and myself. (EduCanon is not a video maker, you use videos that you already have.) EduCanon allows me to insert questions, URL’s and notes into the video. EduCanon allows different types of questions (for an additional fee) : multiple choice, check all that apply, true/false, short answer and fill in the blank. I use the “reflective pause” to reiterate a point made in the video, or to instruct students to copy something from the video to bring to class the next day. I can insert a link to another site or to a graphic. The EduCanon report indicates how long the student spent at the linked site
(To see what I have set up, use code h8385e and select “visiting faculty”.)
Through the EduCanon web site, I can view my students responses. Incorrect responses are marked in red. I check back through the incorrect responses and edit the amount of credit given for an answer if needed. For example, if the student misspells an answer EduCanon will count that as a wrong answer. I can give credit back for that type of mistake. Upon completion of the video, students can see their grade. If a student is not satisfied with the grade, they are allowed to email me and ask that the video be reset. They can then re-watch the video and resubmit their new answers.
EduCanon also provides a printed version of the video questions. ( 1.1 Introduction to Statistics) . I can use these as modifications or differentiation if needed.
I use the grades from the videos as a formative assessment. All of the videos from a unit are averaged for a single formative grade. In an effort to encourage students to watch the videos by the due dates, I have included the videos in my Gamification Game Plan. Students earn XP and badges for completing videos by the due dates.
Other possible uses for flipped videos is as a review before a test or as a requirement before students are allowed to retest
Best of all, my students say that they really like the flipped approach.
THANK YOU AP Stats Guy!
Student Comments:
- I really did enjoy the videos, I found them extremely helpful with remembering vocabulary. ~LW
- I thought they were very helpful because I could learn it at my own pace. I also like that we were introduced to the material first and then we applied it in class. ~HH
- I really liked AP Stats Guy I think he was really helpful so I would definitely stress watching the videos (and watching them a second time before the tests was great for reviewing). ~JB
- I loved learning at home because it gave me the time to take really good notes, and AP stats guy was the bomb! ~SS
- AP stats guy was awesome! He explained the concepts in a way that was interesting and easy to understand. The EduCanon videos were all very helpful. ~DM
- It was so helpful to be introduced to the topics we would be going over in class before class and take notes. <snip> the videos were great for a review before the test too! ~BM
- An aspect of the EduCanon platform itself that I appreciated and found useful was the mini quizzes, because the questions reinforced what I was learning while I was learning it. ~SF
- It definitely forced me to sit down and do what I needed to do and I needed that a lot with everything else going on with other classes and extracurricular things. ~KM
If you like this or if you have any suggestions or variations, please comment below. 🙂
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