Pat Engle

Return to: ETAP 623 Spring 2018 Section 6476 | Creating a Flipped Math Classroom

About Me

I am a high school math teacher at Fayetteville-Manlius high school outside Syracuse, NY. I have taught Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calc and Calculus. I have an undergraduate degree from Ithaca College and a master's degree from Syracuse University. Currently I am a student in the CDIT program at SUNY Albany.

My Topic and Purpose

Creating a Flipped Math Classroom

I believe in creating a mathematical learning experience that is engaging, meaningful and efficient. I feel that classroom time should be utilized to take advantage for the learning resources that are in the classroom that can help further a student's learning. The teacher is one of these resources, but an even more important one is a student's peers. Instruction that a student could do just as easily in isolation is not a good use of classroom time. The flipped classroom model delivers direct instruction to the student outside of class and frees up in class time to utilize collaboration among students to further their learning.

Learning Outcomes

The following are things that a student in this mini-course should be able to accomplish by the end of the course.

Participants will have knowledge about different ways to implement a flipped math classroom.

Participants will have a deep understanding of the steps it will take to develop a flipped math classroom.

Participants will know the different platforms available to conduct a flipped classroom.

Participants will develop the skills to create a flipped classroom and as a result will gain the confidence to switch the courses that they teach to the flipped model.

Participants will develop an understanding of what content can be done outside of class and what must be covered in class in a flipped math classroom.

Participants will create activities that promote student engagement for the in class portion of their class.

Needs Assessment

Problem Often students in a math class spend a lot of time listening to the teacher lecture and do not get a chance to enhance their learning by interacting with the other students that are in the classroom with them. A large portion of class is also devoted to going over homework problems that students had difficulty on. What if there was a way to give the static instruction at a time when the student was by themselves anyway, and use the time when then are with their peers in the classroom to develop a richer learning environment? The flipped classroom model is one that can do that.

Once a math teacher learns of the flipped classroom model they may be apprehensive to switch to it because of their inexperience with implementing the model. Wang (2017) stated that although there is general excitement about the model, many teachers "have expressed a reluctance to adapt their teaching style to accommodate this technology-based approach" (p. 1). They also may worry about the amount of time it takes to transition to the model. Unal and Unal (2017) found in a study of teachers who were new to implementing the flipped classroom that one of the main challenges was “heavy front-end preparation” (p. 157). These teachers also “reported that preparing flipped learning materials was time-consuming” (p. 157). This is where this mini-course comes in. Teachers need guidance in developing a course in the flipped model. The creation of a flipped classroom takes a lot of effort as it is, having to navigate how to do it on your own makes it that much more difficult. This mini course aims to meet the need of teachers to make the process of switching to a flipped classroom as painless as possible. Once they have the course developed, they can then put their own personal touches on the course to make it the best it can be.

What is to be Learned Participants will learn why the flipped classroom model is an equivalent replacement for the traditional classroom model when it comes to levels of student learning. They will learn about the structure of the flipped classroom model as well as platforms that can be used to facilitate the out of class portion of the course. Participants will also be introduced to several resources that can enhance the presentation of mathematics material outside of class. Lastly, participants will learn ways that the in class portion of the class can be structured.

Learners This course is intended for mathematics educators who are looking to learn how to begin using the flipped classroom model. No mathematics teachers could also take the course to learn the general ideas of crating a flipped classroom, but some elements of the course will be math specific. Teachers who already use the flipped classroom model may also benefit from the course in learning new ways to improve their current flipped classroom course.

Instructional Context This course will take place through the KNILT Wiki. Therefore, students will need a device with internet access in order to complete this course. The course will focus on computer/internet based tools. The learner's device also needs to be able to capture audio and video from the screen so that a participant can practice what is learned in the course.

Exploring the Problem and Solution The learner will be instructed though readings and video tutorials to help create their own flipped classroom math course. They will be able to decide what platforms and techniques will help enhance their own flipped classroom course.

Goals The main goal of this mini-course is for participants to feel comfortable in the rationale behind flipped classroom and in the actual mechanics of creating a flipped course. Once the course is completed a participant will be able to develop the structure of their choice and also use online video tools to create their own flipped videos or use suggested resources to find already created videos that would be appropriate for their course.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

The learner of this course is a math teacher who is looking to implement the flipped classroom model. Participants should have basic computer and internet navigation skills. They should also have a strong foundation in their content knowledge so that they will be able to make decisions on what technology tools will best meet the needs of their specific class content. Kashada, Li and Su (2017) state that for a teacher to be able to successful in the flipped model they must "have plenty of experience on the subject matter and pedagogy" (p. 148). The learner does not need to have prior experience making for finding instructional videos. They should also have an idea of what technology will be available to their own students outside of class.

Performance-Based Objectives

These are the actions the participants will perform to demonstrate their learning.

Participants will be able to develop a plan or layout for the course prior to recording flipped lesson videos.

Participants will be able to be evaluate the aspects of their course and determine which would be most appropriate for the out of class portion and which would be best for the in class portion based on the level of student engagement for each aspect.

Participants will structure the in class portion of their course to take advantage of the increased freedom of in class time by designing activities that promote student engagement.

Participants will be able to create video while using the platform of their choice for out of class instruction and use it to describe the layout for their flipped course.

Task Analysis

Part 1: Goals:

Terminal Goal: Participants will be able to create video content and structure a flipped classroom course.

Enabling Goals:

Participants will understand what content should be included in class and what should be included in out of class videos.

Participants will come up with a plan for structuring their flipped course.

Participants will become comfortable using at least one video platform.

Part 2: KASI

Knowledge:

-Strong grasp on content.

-What types of activities promote student engagement and what types are more static.

-How to navigate the internet and use web tools.

Attitudes:

-Believe that flipped classroom is a valid alternative to the traditionally structured classroom.

-Choose to develop classroom activities the take advantage of student engagement opportunities.

Skills:

-Ability to record video.

-Identify activities that are suited for video or in class portions of flipped course .

-Ability to create a layout of a course before actually making one.

Interpersonal Skills:

-Effective at asking questions when unsure of how to accomplish a task.

-Effective at critiquing other's layouts and accepting constructive feedback from other participants.

Part 3: Pedagogical Approach

Unit 1: Instructivist since participants will learn from given information and constructivist since they will apply what they learned to a lesson they already have.

Unit 2: Constructivist since students will create their own plan based on what they learned in unit 1.

Unit 3: Instructivist since students will learn new information about video platforms and constructivist since they will apply it to make their own video.

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

References

Byrne, D. (n.d.). Mod 4 study guide: Learning outcomes. Personal Collection of D. Byrne, University of Albany, Albany, NY.

Kashada, A. Li, H., & Su, C. (2017). Adoption of flipped classrooms in K-12 education in developing countries: Challenges and obstacles. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 12(10), 147-157.

Unal, Z. & Unal, A. (2017). Comparison of student performance, student perception and teacher satisfaction with traditional versus flipped classroom models. International Journal of Instruction, 10(4), 145-164.

Wang, T. (2017). Overcoming barriers to 'flip': building teacher's capacity for the adoption of flipped classroom in Hong Kong secondary schools. Research & Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 12(1), 1-11.

Resources