Our Journey

Has Flipped Learning made a difference to our Priority Learners?

09th September 2017

The purpose of this TAI was to highlight as the Education Review Office state in RAISING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH TARGETED ACTIONS: 'the importance for schools to identify the specific needs of individual students and to build a plan around those needs to raise student achievement for all.'

The target students that I had identified were either 'below' the National Standard in Mathematics, or in danger of falling below if intervention had not taken place. Of my 5 target students, 2 graduated to a Stage 5 maths group at the beginning of Term 3, and as reported in our latest round of anniversary reporting, the remaining 3 have met all of the learning objectives expected for a learner at the end of 36 Months at Endeavour School. A body of evidence to support these Teacher Judgements can be found on Seesaw, in the group modelling book and in student workbooks.

By targeting these learners, achievement has been raised for almost all members of my Maths group, including some high priority Year 4 learners who are considered to be 'Well Below' the National Standard in Mathematics. Students say that they enjoy having the resources on Google Classroom to practice the explicit skills that we are focusing on during workshops. Parents also report that the relevant and regularly updated content helps them to understand what we are focusing on at school, and allow them to support their child from home.

Where to from here:

Using the GROWTH goal setting model as a guide, I am very much in the Habit forming phase. Based on the results of this investigation alone, it is clear that continuing to offer a Flipped Learning element to my mathematics planning is going to support my learners who are now immersed in it's use.

I have been sharing my journey with colleagues along the way and will continue to do so.

PTC 9: Professional knowledge in practice

Respond effectively to the diverse language and cultural experiences, and the varied strengths, interests and needs of individuals and groups of akonga

How effective is Flipped Learning when you have a 1:3 device ratio?

10th August 2017

Implementing a 'Station Rotation' model to mathematics workshops has allowed all students to make the most of our Flipped Learning resources. I teach targeted mini-lessons with a small group of students while the rest of the class rotates through a variety of planned 'can-do' activities. Only one of the activities needs to be equipped with devices, reducing the cost of flipped learning learning to a minimum.

An interesting finding from this Station Rotation model is that although students have the autonomy to choose their own activity, without fail, all students are choosing to spend at least some of their learning time at the touch-screen station. Independent learners are all highly engaged during their can-do time, they know that if they are tired of an activity, they are able to move on when they are ready. Those who have watched the video are eager to replicate what they have seen when they come to their teacher workshop.

Two of my target students have access to BYOD. There is little evidence to suggest that having 1:1 access to a device has raised their achievement in Mathematics. The students with BYOD do report that they enjoy being able to select going on their device at any time during their can-do time without worrying about negotiating with other students for devices. They are not yet consistently using their personal devices to look at the Flipped Learning resources before coming to workshops. It is my hope that as more families choose BYOD, we will establish a culture where pre-learning is favoured over traditional home-learning.

PTC 7: Professional knowledge in practice

Promote a collaborative, inclusive and supportive learning environment

Flipped Learning is not just about making videos!

29th June 2017

Inspired by the writing of Robert Talbert, PHD on his latest Blog Post: Defining Flipped Learning: Four Common Mistakes and a Suggested Standard, I have taken some time to re-evaluate my definition of flipped learning based on my research so far.

Talbert's Definition:

Flipped Learning is a pedagogical approach in which first contact with new concepts moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space in the form of structured activity, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter.

For me, flipped learning in a Primary ILE is of course about more than creating & sourcing content, it is about 'flipping' the control on the lesson from the teacher to the learner. Students should guide the pace of workshops rather than attempting to hold on for dear life in an effort to keep up with the teacher. This info graphic by George Couros highlights the key features to look for in Today's Classroom:

How Flipped Learning encourages Choice

Using the right tool at the right time

Encouraging students to select the right tool for them is one of the signature features of an innovative learning environment where students have agency over their own learning. This is something that I am consciously including in my mathematics workshops to add another layer to my 'Flipped Learning' TAI.

A recent example of this was an activity where we were exploring area and perimeter using house design as our rich-task. Student were given an option of completing a house design with suitable measurements using Google Drawings, grid paper or a peg-board. I was interesting to see that there was a fairly even split between the three options. Some students enhanced their learning experience by choosing to replicate their house plan on two or more different tools. What a great way to show evidence of learning in three different ways over three different days!

How do these student choice and self assessment tools align with Talbert's definition of Flipped Learning?

" ... group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter."

To me, flipped learning is about is about personalising programmes to suit varied learning styles through the use of a range of tools. Sometimes that is a video for students who need to revisit instructional lessons numerous times, for another it is about providing a SOLO Taxonomy framework for them to explore at their own pace.

My ultimate flipped learning goal is to cultivate deeper, richer learning experiences for students where I am present to coach and guide them rather than instruct them.

So what, you just make a video and expect kids to learn?

30th May 2017

After that last few weeks of flipped learning, I have been asking myself a couple of reflective questions. This post I will tackle:

• Is flipped learning time well spent for teachers and students?

Is flipped learning time well spent for teachers and students?

There is no doubt about it, creating and sourcing flipped learning material takes time. Just try finding quality YouTube clips about metric units of measurement for Stage 4 learners and you'll know exactly what I mean.

On a Sunday afternoon, while I have been recording Screencasts from the comfort of my couch, I have wondered if it's all going to be worth the extra planning time when the workshops start. My observations so far have suggested that the time spent creating flipped learning resources is more than made up for during workshops.

For most students, they are able to view the instructional material, then move off to work independently, knowing that they can revisit the information at the click of a button, which has at times made me virtually redundant! In these situations, rather than repeating strategies or instructions, I am able to act more as a learning coach whereby students share their learning with me and I am more available to discuss their wonderings as they arise.

Rather than waiting for me to move on at the pace of the majority of the group, students are able to explore mathematical concepts at their own pace. They are no longer limited by the teacher trying to cater to the varied needs of the group, in an attempt to create a one-size-fits-all instructional session.

Another way that flipped learning has allowed me to utilise workshop time more effectively is by freeing up my time to work with those who need some extra support. In my traditional model of maths groupings, students were put into ability based groups long before the workshop happens with little regard for how individuals may operate on a particular day. In my flipped mathematics workshops, students may begin as a group to discuss our big idea and view the instructional material. Students then have the choice to move off to work independently or in a small group, or, they may choose to stay with me for support. As the group who stay with me clarify, discuss and explore, I am able to take opportunities to adopt Bruce Moody's 'spray and walk away' philosophy to ensure that I am giving my learners thinking time while making myself available to monitor and support the other students who are working independently.

Sometimes, the best learning happens when you least expect it!

While exploring how to make 3D Nets, an opportunity to presented itself to create an 'in the moment' flipped learning resource. Some students were having trouble translating what they had seen on a YouTube clip to their own activity. A group of 5 students identified that they needed some extra support before making their own 3D nets so I modelled the process for them. With the help of a 7 year old assistant and an iPod, we recorded the lesson and had it uploaded to Google Classroom in no time at all.

Sure, it's not polished, the sound quality isn't great and there is some work to do on recording from the best angles, but; it's authentic, it's relevant to the questions that my students had and the best part- it's available to view again and again.

PTC 8. Demonstrate in practice your knowledge and understanding of how akonga learn.

Dipping our toes in the water

12th May 2017

Our first flipped learning experience can be summed up in one word 'awesome'. Well, that's how my experienced teaching partner explained it to me after she taught my maths workshop today.

Process:

Using the Screencastify extension I recorded this instructional video about sorting and manipulating shapes using Google Drawings.

The screencast was linked to my planning, as well as the Google Drawing activity that was posted as an assignment on Google Classroom using the 'make each student a copy' setting.

Feedback:

My release teacher was very happy with how the session went and expressed that she enjoyed that her time was spent giving students feedback about the task that they were engaged in, rather than re-explaining instructions.

Some students watched the video once, then explored Google Drawings themselves, while others re-visited the video multiple times throughout the lesson.

Questions:

• Are instructional videos a distraction for some learners?
• Can students follow instructions that involve multiple steps using a flipped learning resource?

I was interested to see that all students made at least a very solid start to this activity in the workshop time today. I did wonder if some students would spend more time than necessary watching the instructional video as it could have been seen as a novelty. It was pleasing to hear that most students moved straight in to the activity after watching the screencast once, then revisited it as needed, while the students who needed a bit more time before beginning the activity, watched the video twice before getting started.

I certainly accept that giving students too many instructions all at once is a real challenge for them. So how can a 90sec instructional video support the idea of giving instructions in manageable chunks?

Simple!

Pause & replay.

After a few views, students could be seen watching small sections then pausing and returning to the Google Drawing tab. Learners had the ability to break the instructions down into bite sized chunks that suited them. #studentagency

With the success of our first flipped learning session I am certainly very excited about moving forward with my inquiry. I am particularly interested in seeing if students re-visit this resource in the future as a maintenance activity, or, if in-fact they use the information in the screencast to apply to other learning activities that use Google Drawings.

PTC 4. demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of personal professional practice