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Dear Newbies: Don't start flipping alone!

4/26/2015

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       This is probably good advice for all new teaching techniques, but it's particularly true for flipping. From the very beginning, the other 8th grade social studies teacher* Jean and I have been collaborating and co-planning the videos, activities, assessments, etc.  Without sharing the workload of thinking & planning & everything else, we would have both gone insane months ago.
(* Our middle school has about 180 students per grade, divided in two clusters for core classes. Some other middle schools in our district have 3 or 4 content teachers per grade, but we're just two.)
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Of course there are many ways to divide labor, but here are specific ideas to share the flipping:

        ONE TEACHER makes the video script (like a PowerPoint)
        THE OTHER actually produces/records/edits the video
              This way you are both familiar with the content, and probably spending equal time.
              Between me and my colleague, I'm more comfortable recording my voice and gorgeous face...
              Also, I'm more familiar with iMovie and video-recording.

        ONE TEACHER finds several useful videos from other sources (Schooltube, Discovery, etc.)
        THE OTHER narrows down the list to just 1 or 2, and makes the related assignments.
             If you are not making your own videos yet, then it might take hours to find the just-right clip(s).
             This way you can choose a Designated Downloader to go down that rabbit hole...
             ... and the colleague can sift through the short list!

        ONE TEACHER tries post-video activity X
        THE OTHER uses post-video activity Y
              Jean and I apply this strategy at least once a month, either accidentally or on purpose....
             Teacher absences, different student populations/attitudes, and other factors can require a change.
             The flipped video & assessment are constant factors;  1 or 2 class periods might look different.
             It's a cool thing to do when we can't decide on the best video-related activity to do...
                  ... let's try both!   Then next year we can both use the activity that worked best.

This whole flipping thing was Jean's idea back in spring of 2013, so she deserves the most credit and/or blame for everything we've done the past two years.  I can't understand how anybody travels this road solo....
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I took a flipping break....

4/23/2015

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Scandalous! Dreadful! Unconscionable! 

     Actually I think it was none of the above. Flipping is not a lifestyle for me, and not yet an obsession. It's a tool, and like all tools it does not fit every job. Furthermore, flipping can become mundane and less effective as the primary strategy for 30 weeks in a row. Sometimes we need a flipping break!
     Our most recent unit was about westward expansion, specifically the experiences of pioneers on the Oregon Trail and other pathways to a new life. This was a significant departure from the previous 6-7 weeks of studying the Constitution, Federalist vs. Jeffersonian politics, and other governmental topics. Back to the "real people" of history!
        We based 3 weeks of class experiences on the Pioneers! simulation by Interact, with some significant revisions to simplify the lessons. You might recognize the Oregon Trail screenshot above -- the Pioneers curriculum actually predates that classic Apple II computer game. (Pssst: You can still play it on your 17" laptop!) We assigned an identity to each student (farmer, mother, blacksmith, etc.) and led them through activities like "packing" their wagon, Fate Cards with events and consequences as you can see above-left, and collaborative Trail Decisions which you can see above-right. They had a trail map which I won't post here for possible copyright violations....
      There wasn't much homework at all -- these were our PARCC-testing weeks! Students wrote short diary entries in the voice of their character, which they could usually finish during class time.
      My main academic objective is this unit was discussion participation. Below is the matrix of several discussion skills. Anyone who masters all of these would be the perfect discussion partner. For the several Trail Decisions, each class of 18-23 students had about twenty minutes of open conversation time to talk about their options. I sat on the side of the classroom; nobody had to raise hands. We have been building up to this all year long, so it wasn't a huge classroom change but it did require a lot from these 8th-graders.
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      I'll wrap up here and go back to grading my students' end-of-unit reflections. They wrote some really good stuff!  After the vacation week, we're going back to more classic instruction. I'll blog about that soon.
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    Who is this flipping guy?!

       Andrew Swan is in year 18 of teaching middle school (currently 8th-grade US History in a Boston suburb). Previously he has taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English, ancient history, & geography in Maine and in Massachusetts. 
        This is Andrew's 5th year of flipping all direct instruction so we have more class time for simulations, deep discussions, analyzing primary sources ... and also to promote mastery for students at all levels.
       His 7th-grade daughter, 9th-grade son, and wonderful wife all indulge Andrew's blogging, tweeting, & other behaviors. These include co-moderating the #sschat Twitter sessions and Facebook page.
        ​
    Andrew does not always refer to himself in the third-person. 

    Twitter: @flipping_A_tchr
    Instagram: aswan802

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