The teachers had a WONDERFUL conference at Salem Academy. Our conference was the ACSI Nexus conference, which is a simulcast video conference. This year it was based in Maryland, and we were able to (via technology) "meet" with teachers from all across the US and the world. It was a great time of inspiration, refreshment, and learning for the teachers. There are a few things I have taken away from the conference. One is called a "flipped classroom". This is a strategy that allows some of the teaching time to happen at home so that the students have more time to work and get help in class. This is a strategy that works really well in classrooms that are single-subject (traditional middle school and high school), but it can be very successful in the elementary classroom if implemented well.
I am planning to work on flipping a lesson or two as a trial run.
What does that mean? I will be recording video lessons that your child can access through the classroom website. They can watch these short lessons at home, which allows our in class work time to be used for work time, help with concepts, etc. instead of direct instruction.
What if my child can't access the website? I am happy to work with families individually to find a method that works for you. I should be able to put videos on flash drives, ipods, burn them onto DVDs, etc. There are a variety of methods that will work.
What if my child forgets to watch the video before coming to school? I will have a few options for students who (for whatever reason) do not watch the video prior to coming back to school. If it's one student who needs to watch the video, they can sit at my computer with headphones to watch it before working on the class work. If it's a small group, I can play the video for them at the table in the back before they do the class work.
What subject will these videos be for? Currently, I am planning to use the videos for Language/Letters and Sounds. I think this is the area of least independence and work time, which could be improved best through this method. If I decide this strategy works well and I want to continue, I will keep communication flowing to inform you in the event that I add additional subjects for the videos. :)
What's the purpose of this? A "flipped" classroom is intended to provide students with teacher help on the "hard stuff". In the older grades, students take home a lot more homework, which is typically the "hard" work they need more help on. In the younger grades, I believe it could be more beneficial to allow students more work time, additional practice activities for the quick workers, and more individual help from the teacher. I would love to spend less time talking to the group of students and more time talking to individuals. This also allows me to teach an entire lesson without stopping to ask students not to talk, play, etc. Redirection is the most common reason a lesson takes longer than it "should". With video lessons, students can go back and watch them again if they miss information, rather than missing the information or immediately asking for it to be repeated (which is still ok!). It allows students to be more prepared prior to the class time, it allows them to be more independent during work time, and it allows them more freedom. My intent is not to add extra work for parents at home, but rather to improve and increase work time in the classroom.
When will these videos be used? I have not yet decided when I will implement this strategy, just that I will. I have some preparation to do before I can use this idea of "flipping". I will send information and reminders home when I begin using the video lessons. Additionally, I am not currently planning to use them for ALL lessons. I plan to try 2-3 video lessons to see how well they work before making a decision about continuing or discontinuing.
What if I have more questions or concerns? Please talk to me! I am glad to answer them or discuss your concerns with you. I want this process to be as "pain-free" and pleasant as possible. :)
So...enough about the conference! I have uploaded this week's Homework page and the spelling lists are up on Spelling City.
God Bless,
Miss Wilson