Flip class lesson plan

Action research flipping

So...because one limiting factor we all have is time......

A vocal  teacher in our building was discussing the laziness of using #flipclass the other day.  He could not believe our principal let lazy teachers use video for notes.  I decided to try to prove him incorrect with data (as any good science teacher would).  One of the classes I teach (anatomy and physiology) is still not flipped for reasons of my sanity and time. I DO however, record all in class lectures for students who are absent or for student review.  I pause the lecture recording while students take notes.  I record my speaking/writing and any questions from the audience.  Here is the data from the last 3 class periods of doing this:

1. Intro lecture on nervous system: total video time: 8 minutes; total class time this took (waiting for students to copy it down, dealing with interruptions, etc.) 29 minutes

2. Lecture on action potential: total video time 12 minutes; total class time this took: 32 minutes

3. Lecture on synapse transmission and reflex arcs:  7:48; total class time: 28 minutes.

I do realize that I could provide students with a lecture outline or some kind of sheet to reduce copying time in class but every time I try that, I have many students tell me that they dislike it because they learn better when they write it themselves. 

In contrast, here are the last 3 days of my 9th grade mainstreamed (which means team taught with a sped teacher for 2 of my 3 classes)  biology flipped classroom.  Students were to watch a 15 minute notes video on the circulatory system (path of blood flow and heart function and parts of blood) as homework.  In the past, these notes took me 2-3 days @ 20 minutes a day to cover because of copying time, etc.

Day 1. discuss notes summary and do an online lab relating blood flow to digestion and excretion. discuss at end of hour
Day 2. discuss how to write a good experiment (again:) ) and have them write and perform an experiment testing a question regarding heart rate. They had to write questions, hypotheses, fill in data, make a claim and explain their claim.
Day 3. Lab group presentations of experiments like (does holding your breath slow heart rate?, does placing your arm in ice water slow heart rate?) Showing their data and stating their explanation.  The rest of the students then assessed the presentation in writing:
             a. How confident are you (1-10) in their results?  Why?
             b. How confident are you (1-10) in their explanation?  Why?
They then shared their assessment verbally with the group that presented.  This led to an hour of discussion on what is good science and how is heart rate related to breathing, ice water,etc.  The interesting thing is that all students were on task for the complete period on this.  The discussions were fantastic.

The point is that with creative use of the time, flipping is the OPPOSITE of lazy.  In fact, I think my students learned more about the heart this year than ever before. I know that much of what they learned is not "testable" but is still important.   I also know that next year, I am flipping anatomy also.  It is a must for a laboratory classroom.

Standards based grading and flip class

I am in my 20th !!! year of teaching and this is the first time I have used standards based grading.  I really wonder how I ever lived without it.  Here is the evolution timeline in our biology classrooms.

1. Principal sends us to meeting regarding formative and summative assessment.  We all agree that we all use both of them but not in any formal manner (Formative anyway).

2. We continue to try to record a grade of some kind EVERYDAY and be proud of it.  Then we have plenty of points for kids to show what they have done.

3. Principal sends us to Ken o'connor workshop on grading practices.  Teachers have an argument about what he says but there is general agreement that he has valid points (grade the work not the behavior is one).  

4. Principal convinces staff to begin using posted learning targets in all classrooms.  (This is extraordinarily important step I think)

5. Biology teachers decide to not only flip the classroom but institute standards (learning target) based grading in 9th grade biology classrooms.  

6. Teachers spend hours in the summer putting together learning targets and lesson plans for flipping.

We believe that true SBG is only possible if you flip the classroom.  If a teacher lectures for 30 minutes per day, there is no time for true remediation.  This is especially true in the science classroom where you must do labs and other hands-on activities.  Now when I give a summative test, instead of it looking like this:

I. Multiple Choice  

II. Short Answer

III. Essay

IV. diagrams

It looks like this:

I. I can diagram the digestive system 

II. I can describe how nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine.

etc.

When it is graded and entered, now a student (and instructor) can see exactly what they need to be remediated on.  This is because grades for a test are not entered as one grade but as several, one grade for each learning target.  This is more work but the tradeoff is that we are not entering a grade every day anymore but rather a few grades all at once.  We have many less "points" per semester but we have a much better handle on what students know and do not know.

We think we are just scratching the surface of this.  The next evolution (maybe as soon as next year) is to allow students to pace themselves in biology.  They will obviously have to be done with a certain number of learning targets at the end of each quarter but how and when they get there can be up to them.  This autonomy alone will be a great motivator for kids.  Our challenge will be to provide materials that challenge the "fast" workers who right now are being slowed down by the masses.  The kids who if allowed could learn so much more in a year but have to spend much of their time waiting for others who don't learn the same way or at the same rate.  With SBG and flipped classroom, this is possible in a way that has never been before.