This is what I used to do, and I really believed it was the best system possible:
Step 1: Students receive reading (from textbook, paper handout, or other printed source).
Step 2: Students read the material to learn (usually as homework, but I even tried 1 full year of in-class reading and note-taking).
Step 3: Students take assessment to show their understanding, presuming they actually tried to read it.
Step 4: Class reviews each question one at a time, whether you got it right or not. How else will they know the right answer? When else can I perform historical stories in front of an audience? What else is supposed to make history/literature interesting?
Step 1: Students receive reading (from textbook, paper handout, or other printed source).
Step 2: Students read the material to learn (usually as homework, but I even tried 1 full year of in-class reading and note-taking).
Step 3: Students take assessment to show their understanding, presuming they actually tried to read it.
Step 4: Class reviews each question one at a time, whether you got it right or not. How else will they know the right answer? When else can I perform historical stories in front of an audience? What else is supposed to make history/literature interesting?
Because this is what teachers have to do, right??!
I had faith that it would make students learn responsibility, that they would absorb remedies to their mistakes and never make them again, that they would want to do their homework because of peer pressure and/or their positive feelings for me and/or just good habits. I knew about the concept of formative assessments, but who can really make time for that? I put loads of thought and time into selecting every assignment and activity, and I worked extra hard to differentiate for students of various abilities -- at one point that meant 3 different readings on the same topic carefully selected for each individual student. I was not a lazy teacher, and many students were successful in my class. However, I was not yet a successful teacher.
Flipping the direct instruction gave me the time for formative assessments....
Flipping got me off the stage (almost completely) and into more 1:1 conversations....
Flipping forced me to re-visit my objectives, and boil most of them down to more manageable items....
Flipping also gave me space to expand some objectives into more global ideas and relevant topics....
Flipping made me see what my students know and what they do not know (yet)....
It takes several weeks for all students to realize Mr. Swan's quizzes are not final. They have about 1 per week, based on the video lesson. Everybody already knows the questions, because they were right next to the video: This is what I want you to know. Most history quizzes seem to be a trivia contest or guessing game. If they get even just one question wrong they do not pass this quiz. That's what makes me a monster among some colleagues. But it's not a permanent 50% score. Revisit that topic. Meet me for help if you have to, but I already cloned myself in video form so check that first! Come back, re-attempt the question(s) that you missed, and your score is at least a B. I'm still working on the details here. My wife thinks the revised grade should be 100% if they now know 100% of the information. Recently I agree with her .... do you?
Flipping the direct instruction gave me the time for formative assessments....
Flipping got me off the stage (almost completely) and into more 1:1 conversations....
Flipping forced me to re-visit my objectives, and boil most of them down to more manageable items....
Flipping also gave me space to expand some objectives into more global ideas and relevant topics....
Flipping made me see what my students know and what they do not know (yet)....
It takes several weeks for all students to realize Mr. Swan's quizzes are not final. They have about 1 per week, based on the video lesson. Everybody already knows the questions, because they were right next to the video: This is what I want you to know. Most history quizzes seem to be a trivia contest or guessing game. If they get even just one question wrong they do not pass this quiz. That's what makes me a monster among some colleagues. But it's not a permanent 50% score. Revisit that topic. Meet me for help if you have to, but I already cloned myself in video form so check that first! Come back, re-attempt the question(s) that you missed, and your score is at least a B. I'm still working on the details here. My wife thinks the revised grade should be 100% if they now know 100% of the information. Recently I agree with her .... do you?
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