Lessons From a First Time Flipped Class

This year I decided to flip both my Honors and AP Chemistry classes.  While I love the idea and it has revitalized me as a teacher, it has also brought much more work to the table.  I have also learned a lot in the last month and a half.  In this post I will share with you some of the things I have learned.  The biggest thing I learned is to stick with it!

Students need time to adjust

Give your students time to adjust to the new system.  I will admit it.  I was (am) naive.  I thought the students would jump at the idea of watching videos instead of doing homework assignments.  I was very disheartened when I looked at the number of students who were watching my videos.  I have 74 honors chemistry students and on average 25 students were watching my videos.  I couldn't understand it.  Were my videos that bad?  

Remember that kids are kids!  Most students are familiar with doing homework and the idea of watching a video is very foreign to them.  I think my students figured if they don't have homework then they don't have to do anything at home.  

Over the last couple of weeks the number of students tuning into my videos has slowly increased.  I think it is because I am not lecturing any more and students are learning that they have to watch the videos to gain the information.  Now more than half the students are watching my videos.  I keep telling them that if they don't watch the videos it is like putting their heads down during the lecture.  I remind them that by not watching the videos they are missing a huge part of the class.  

Recently, I have had students tell that they really love the videos.  One of my students said, "When you first told us about the videos I thought this is going to lame, but now I see what you are doing.  The videos are really helpful.  I like that I get to watch them over and over again and it helps to do the homework in class."  I told her to spread the word! 

The videos take time to make

Don't underestimate the time it takes to make the videos.  I knew the videos would take time to make but I didn't expect them to take as long as they were.  

The reason they were taking a long time was I just didn't plan them out as well as I should have.  My advice: plan your videos in advance.  At the beginning of each unit I sit down and figure out how many videos I am going to need.  Then I make a list of the videos that I want to make.  Next, I write a list of objectives that I want to make sure that each video covers.  Essentially, I write an outline for each video.  From there I start recording.  

Your videos do not have been flawless.  I don't edit them or add any special effects.  I use Camtasia 2 and the only extras I add are a cursor effect, audio enhancement (to make me sound louder) and a fade-in and fade-out.  If I have time I try to imbed pictures.  I try to keep the videos to about ten minutes.  

By remaining focused and limiting the amount of effects I put in the videos I have gotten considerably faster at making the videos.  

You need time to adjust

I have to admit it is very weird to not lecture, but I really like it!  I find myself in class wanting to lecture.  In the beginning because more students were not watching the videos. I felt like I should lecture.  Whatever you do...don't!  If you lecture for the students who don't watch the videos then students will stop watching the videos because they will not have a reason to keep watching.  

As I would go around the room, students would ask me questions that I answered in the video.  Every time I say "You would know this if you had watched the video last night."  I could sense that more than half the class didn't know how to do the in-class problems because they hadn't watched the videos.  Don't lecture!  Give them a chance to realize that they need to watch the videos.  Stop spoon feeding them.

The tide has turned in the last week or so.  It is very weird to see notes in a student's notebook that I didn't give in class.  I can only explain it as a weird-good.

Stick With It!  It is Worth It!

While flipping my class has been challenging and time consuming at times it has been the best thing I have done in long time.  I really love making the videos and I don't miss the lectures.  In the beginning the students didn't quite get it but they are seeing the light.  

If you are planning on flipping keep it simple and stick with it!

Thanks
Dan