Last week I got to attend the METC conference in St. Charles. It was a great three days in which I had the opportunity to learn new instructional and engagement activities, make and extend connections with fellow educators, and share some of the great things our district is doing with professional development. While there is much to share, one common theme was reoccurring throughout the conference relate to instruction. And that is that we need to start asking ourselves what problem do we want students to solve? Many of the presenters opined that this was the question we needed to start asking instead of what do we want students to learn. As our district begins to shift to a Problem Based focus, I thought this was a great place for us to start as we begin this journey. Before anyone tackles a problem or project, there needs to be a clear focus on what we are trying to accomplish. While this is a great mindset to have while we transition to PBL, this can still be the focus of your classroom each day.
Another popular item at the conference was flipped classrooms and learning. There were many sessions that had this as the focus and each session I attended with this as the focus were great. One of the sessions was a beginner’s guide to flipping your classroom that provided resources and helpful strategies to get you started. First, if you are all about flipping your class than jump right in and start. If you are mildly reluctant, start slowing before going 100% flipped. This will help with the transition and give you time to refine practices and find what works best for you. The other strategy I found most helpful was that a study of classrooms that were flipped experienced the most success when the content to be viewed at home was limited to 8 minutes or less. Students responded that they wanted to get the information right away and to the point. If videos remained brief, students were more likely to view the content more than once. If you need a few talking points when talking with parents, explain to them that when your classroom is flipped, you will be covering the more in-depth material in class. The "easy" portion of the lesson will be completed at home. Also explain to them, that in the flipped classroom, they have the opportunity to view the material with their student. If you are on the fence about flipping your class, I would at least experiment a few times to see how it works with your students. There are numerous benefits for flipping your class that will help increase student achievement.
If you would like some more information or resources about flipped classrooms or any additional information from the conference just let me know. Have a great week of instruction and remember to break up your OODA!!!!
Another popular item at the conference was flipped classrooms and learning. There were many sessions that had this as the focus and each session I attended with this as the focus were great. One of the sessions was a beginner’s guide to flipping your classroom that provided resources and helpful strategies to get you started. First, if you are all about flipping your class than jump right in and start. If you are mildly reluctant, start slowing before going 100% flipped. This will help with the transition and give you time to refine practices and find what works best for you. The other strategy I found most helpful was that a study of classrooms that were flipped experienced the most success when the content to be viewed at home was limited to 8 minutes or less. Students responded that they wanted to get the information right away and to the point. If videos remained brief, students were more likely to view the content more than once. If you need a few talking points when talking with parents, explain to them that when your classroom is flipped, you will be covering the more in-depth material in class. The "easy" portion of the lesson will be completed at home. Also explain to them, that in the flipped classroom, they have the opportunity to view the material with their student. If you are on the fence about flipping your class, I would at least experiment a few times to see how it works with your students. There are numerous benefits for flipping your class that will help increase student achievement.
If you would like some more information or resources about flipped classrooms or any additional information from the conference just let me know. Have a great week of instruction and remember to break up your OODA!!!!