I have a strong desire to make learning meaningful and deep. The implications that are required to follow the adage, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may learn, involve me and I remember” embody these intentions (Eltassa, 2013). Depth is very involved and it reminds me of an oil well and the work that a technician adopts when they step on the rig. The rig is my classroom and my new well began last week. Many hours are required and openness is a must for social and emotional health through the process. The level of intensity is high and it does not come in spurts but is constant. It was not more than expected but that means it is initially just as tough as I thought it would be.
I must agree with @jaafer_eltassa as she reflected on her experience in adopting the flipped classroom model. For some, motivation has increased and for some the motivation has tanked. The students are nonetheless challenged to move forward towards excellence. The students are asking much more complex questions (e.g. I understand this part, but after this calculation, I get confused, can you explain this part again (rather than) “What do I do now?” This is because the students had watched the video prior to coming to class) (Eltassa, 2013).
I have realized that some kids will really hate the whole experience. One student wrote a nasty letter that expressed these strong feelings in flowery language and poignant accusations of causing them to endure torturous pursuits of accountability and responsibility in their learning. The negative experience was not consistent, though. I run from bell to bell and shift from topic to topic. New challenges are now more paramount of moving students from “getting it done” to focusing on “real learning”. The start-up time investment is high in consideration of having access to enough resources and time to find the resources. As I prepare for the next day I always have a thoughts of “what if this does not work out” and “what can I add or take away to make this more connected to the students and towards the content” through a lifestyle of flexibility and patience.
The clarity of making informed decisions about the direction of the lesson, as well as to differentiate learning for each child’ is preparing me to be more able to ‘focus’ on ALL the students. In essence, the model of student-centered, differentiated learning as essentially the ‘cloning of the teacher’, allowing the teacher to ‘focus’ on each students specifically, without compromising the quality and authenticity of learning for any student in the class. Thus I believe that the purpose of teaching in this differentiated manner has the potential of lifting student achievement well past the ‘race-to-mediocrity standard’ that is widespread in today’s educational system.
My goals for week three of the flipped classroom include several suggestions that I can work on to make the transition more founded for the future. I would like to thank these students for being honest with me. Much more than in public speaking, I have been challenged to talk slower, write neater, include references to ancillary print sources for background information, and to make the video clips shorter (all less than 7 minutes).
RESOURCE:
@jaafar_eltassa. (2013, November 11). Answers To The Biggest Questions About Flipped Classrooms. Retrieved from http://edudemic.com/2012/11/flipped-classrooms/